!: Appliance Stores Are Better Than Those Big Box Stores

All across America, small independent appliance stores have been dropping like flies over the past few decades. Why? Because of the huge influx of these huge Big Box chain stores that have inundated every big city and small town in the country. You know which stores I mean -- Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Circuit City, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Target, Costco, etc. These stores really do stack 'em deep and sell 'em cheap. But at quite a cost. We're losing our small appliance stores.

And that's a shame. Mom and Pop businesses have always been the backbone of America, and losing them hurts us in ways most people never think about.. Unlike the huge chains, which only stock the most popular products in order to maximize profits, independent appliance stores stock a wide variety of makes and models of major and minor appliances, giving us many more choices for our family's needs.

In addition, the owners, managers and staff at these small stores know their stuff. They have to know it - selling and servicing appliances is all they do. And because it's all they do, they can answer just about all questions a customer might have about any of their products. Contrast this with the big chain stores, where you're very unlikely to get any of your questions answered, assuming you can even find someone to ask.

Yes, prices are generally higher at appliance stores than they are at the big chains. There's no way they can compete with the buying power of multi-billion dollar corporations. But there's more to life than saving a few bucks, like personal attention and high levels of customer service. Times are tough in America, but if at all possible, you should support your local appliance store. If you don't, they'll be gone. And we'll all be sorry.