Two of the biggest names in major appliance retailing — Sears and The Home Depot — are preparing a gangbuster cluster of doorbuster sales for Thanksgiving weekend.
Once a relative non-event for the appliance industry, at least compared with the more traditional Independence Day and Labor Day sales periods, Black Friday has become a major battleground for white-goods dealers and manufacturers in recent years.
For No. 2 majap chain Sears, kitchen suites from its private-label Kenmore brand, and a smattering of Samsung kitchen products and laundry pairs, will represent the category in a forthcoming mattress- and-furniture newspaper insert for the holiday weekend.
The eight-page circular, which was leaked online promises:
• 40 percent or more off select Kenmore majaps;
• 20 percent or more off select products from “other top appliance brands”; and
• a choice of 5 percent off with a Sears card, 24-month zero-percent financing for purchases over $599 with a Sears card, or free delivery for purchases over $399 with a Sears card.
The white-goods deals are good Nov. 27 (Black Friday) through Dec. 2, and the 20-percent-offother- top-brands offer excludes Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, LG, GE, GE Profile, GE Café, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Bosch and Samsung. Select products by those brands will only be discounted by 10 percent.
Meanwhile, No. 3 appliance chain The Home Depot jump-started the holidays by releasing its first Black Friday sales ad with pricing that began Nov. 4 and is good through Dec. 2.
The four-page circular’s lead item is a four-piece all-stainless Amana brand kitchen suite featuring tall-tub dishwasher, 24.7-cubic-foot French door fridge, OTR microwave oven and 4.8-cubic-foot electric range for $1,992, a savings of $1,224.
There’s also a similarly bundled Samsung kitchen suite for $1,994, a savings of $1,452.
The No. 1 home-improvement chain is also offering deferred 12-month financing, and an instant $450 discount when purchasing two or more qualifying appliances priced at $398 or more.
Other brands that figure prominently in the promotion include Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire and GE.
Best Buy, which placed fourth on TWICE’s Top 50 Major Appliance Retail rankings, last week also pre-released its Black Friday sales circular. But in keeping with tradition, its first majap doorbuster — a 28.2-cubic-foot Samsung four-door smart fridge sale-priced at $2,100, from $3,600 — didn’t appear until p. 25 of the 27-page ad.
Samsung and Best Buy further sweetened the deal by throwing in a 28-inch smart LED HDTV with the additional purchase of any Samsung majap priced at $649 or more.
