Our New Scratch And Dent Outlet Is Here!!

Sometimes we here at Manny's make mistakes.  After all, we're human.

Sometimes we get to a customer's house and uncrate a stove, only to discover the top is smashed in, rendering the stove unusable.

Sometimes we deliver a giant French door refrigerator to a customer's house, only to find we are unable to get the unit through their kitchen doorway.

Sometimes we deliver an electric dryer, only to find out the customer actually needed a gas-powered dryer.

All these and other scenarios happen from time to time.  So what do we do next?

Well, first of all we take care of our customer - of course!  We do what we have to in order to address and correct the problem, and we do that as quickly as we can.

But! - Once our customer is satisfied, we still have that original appliance to deal with. Keep in mind that Manny's now has thirteen locations, as well as a growing Internet business.  Multiply those occasional misfires by seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, and all of a sudden we find ourselves with a bulging surplus of appliances in dire need of new homes.

Our solution:  Our new Scratch and Dent Outlet, just to the right of our Westfield location. 

(Just a couple of months ago, I wrote an entire blog devoted to the different types of open-box merchandise.  I will reprint some of that blog at the end of this entry, but suffice to say that the term "scratch and dent" doesn't do many of these pieces justice.)

Let me share an example of just how these pieces can find a home in a new kitchen:  

This past Saturday afternoon I was helping a young couple put together an appliance package for their newly remodeled kitchen. (I happen to work in the Westfield store, by the way.)  As they perused different French door models, trying to decide on the look, features, and size that fit their vision, we came across a Kitchenaid four-door French door refrigerator in our scratch and dent room.  Why was it there?  We attempted to deliver the fridge only to discover the unit wouldn't fit through a kitchen door.  We put it back in the box and returned it to our warehouse.  Shortly, and I mean just a few days later, that particular model was discontinued when the manufacturer had put out a new, very similar model, with a few minor tweaks to the interior.  

Unfortunately for us, we were no longer able to return this piece to Kitchenaid.  The result: my customer was able to save about 40% off the original price of this unit, which was exactly what they were looking for, and with the full manufacturer's warranty!

Now, granted, not all these pieces are as pristine as that $2300 refrigerator.  We do have units with dents and scratches, as well as units that had to be repaired (and tested!) in Westfield.  We are discounting these pieces aggressively - we want to find them a good home!!

We've been hard at work in recent weeks prepping our new showroom for business. Work has progressed rapidly!

Just this past week our warehouses began shipping truckloads of appliances to Westfield, with many additional truckloads waiting their turn.  Come in and check the outlet store out - we have items in many different sizes and price categories.  In addition to the most popular kitchen categories (fridge, range, dishwasher),  we have dozens of vent hoods (I haven't even begun pricing these yet!), as well as a good supply of wall ovens in various widths.  We even have a few wine coolers, as well as a couple of those giant 84" tall built-in refrigerators available.  

In closing, come on in and check us out!  If we don't have exactly what you're looking for, we just might tomorrow or next week! (and if open box isn't your cup of tea, you can always check out our more traditional Westfield showroom as well).

(Here's my recently posted description of the different types of open-box pieces you'll find in our new showroom:)

In a lot of instances, buying "open box" can be a win-win.  There are many reasons for us to mark down an open box appliance on our showroom floor:

One washer might have had a minor problem. After we exchange the model for our customer, our service department repairs the unit and checks it out for resale. It makes its way back to a showroom (usually, but not always, our Westfield MA location), where it is sold at an appropriate discount and with a full warranty.

Another washer might simply have been a mis-order (yes, being humans, we do sometimes make mistakes!). Since that unit is now out of its original box, we can't sell it as "brand new".  We discount the product, which can make for a great deal for a customer who doesn't mind the fact that the box is gone.

Other items might be "open box" because of a size issue (despite our best efforts to anticipate, sometimes a 28 cubic foot behemoth of a French Door refrigerator simply doesn't fit through a doorway).  Or perhaps the side or front of a range is dented.  If our customer preferred a new delivery vs. taking a damage allowance, we will bring that original piece to a sales floor (again, usually but not always Westfield) and sell it at an appropriate discount.

Sometimes a certain model simply becomes discontinued.  When this happens we will sell off our display piece with a nice discount.  We like to keep our showrooms "fresh"!

It's Presidents Day Weekend! Time for some great deals!

 

Back in 1879, Congress passed legislation making February 22, George Washington's birthday*, a holiday for Federal employees working in Washington D.C.  In 1885 the holiday was expanded to include all Federal workers.  In 1970, our late controversial ex-President Richard Nixon approved legislation to celebrate Presidents Day on the third Monday of every February in order to include Abraham Lincoln's birthday of Feb 12 in the observance, as well as to give the public a three-day weekend.

*(History buffs may already know this fact, but Washington was actually born on Feb. 11.  At that time the British Isles were alone in using the older, not-quite-accurate Julian calendar, which by the 18th century was 11 days behind the Gregorian calendar that is still in use today!)

Over time, as our industry began focusing on ways to get customers out of their houses in the middle of a gray, gloomy winter, the Presidents Day weekend blossomed into a sales "event" the same way Black Friday and Fourth of July sales events have grown.  Retailers start pumping up their advertising on TV, radio (and increasingly today online!) in early February to get consumers excited.

And yes, the discounts are real!  On most appliances you will pay less right now then you would have in January, or that you'll most likely be paying in March and April. Also... don't forget that Manny's often can offer rebates in addition to the discounted prices, rebates that in many cases are not extended to the giant "Big Box" chains!  More on that below.

Also, please note!! You don't have to show up on that Monday; our vendor allowances and your discounts extend to 2-25.

So how much can you really save?  To demonstrate, I'm going to give an example of a single piece, and then put together a four-piece kitchen suite.

First, take a look at my most popular upper-end dishwasher, the Kitchenaid KDTS424SPS:

US made and owned; giant interior tub, energy-star rated, smooth-glide racks... This has been a great seller for us at its normal pricing.

This dishwasher retails as high as $1349.  We advertised it at $999 in January.  Right now, during the Presidents Day event, we are offering it for $849!!

In addition, we have an $150 install rebate.  While most rebates post-Covid have been geared to encouraging you to buy a multi-piece package, this rebate is on just the dishwasher!  

(And, oh yes... you only get the extra $150 from an independent retailer like Manny's!) 

 It's our way of saying "Thank you for buying local."

How about a four piece package? 

Let's take a look at a popular package from Frigidaire Gallery, a line that has served us well over the years:

-French Door refrigerator with ice and water through the door (Model GRFS2853AF).  Regular price $2699, Presidents Day price $1799

-Electric Free-standing range with true convection (Model GCRE3060BF)  Regular price $1259, Presidents Day price $899.  NOTE- we have similar savings on gas ranges, as well as the ultra-fast induction ranges!

-Matching Energy-Star rated, stainless steel dishwasher (GDSH4715AF)  Regular price $849, currently $699.

Finally, let's complete the suite with an over-the-range venting microwave (GMOS1962AF)  Regular price $479, on sale for Presidents Day for $329.

Your total: $3726.

In addition, Frigidaire currently offers a $300 rebate for the four piece package.  Total after the Frigidaire national rebate: $3426.

BUT WAIT!! Buy this package (or similar) from Manny's, and you will get an ADDITIONAL $600 rebate!!

Now your final total drops to $2826 for a contemporary, coordinated kitchen set..  Not bad!

Of course, this is just an example.  We seldom sell the same package to multiple customers as tastes, sizes, budgets, etc., vary from kitchen to kitchen.

Perhaps you've seen a refrigerator, stove, or dishwasher online or in person that piques your interest.  If that is the case, feel free to reach out to any of our thirteen locations across southern New England; our sales professionals will be more than happy to assist!

(addresses and phone numbers can be found on the front page of our website, right next to the "blog" link you just clicked.)

Customer Service Success Stories

  

In many of my previous blogs I've written about the many advantages of buying from a local retailer such as Manny's vs. a "big box" store.  

I've discussed such advantages as product knowledge of our salespeople, access to exclusive rebates, after-sale support with our own delivery and service departments, and even our aggressive pricing.  I think it's long overdue that I discuss another of these reasons, namely the quality of the support and caring we can offer as a local business.  

Here are two stories in which my co-workers went out of their way to ensure their customer was taken care of:

 

Our showroom in Sutton MA

One day the week before last Mark, the store manager of our Sutton MA  store, stopped into my store here in Westfield (MA) to pick up a stove.  For those not familiar with the towns, Sutton is 50 miles and one hour, four minutes away from Westfield (I checked on GPS).   Mark had called earlier confirming that I did indeed have one of the models that he needed (I did, although it was my "demo" model  in excellent condition - and not in a box.)

"So what made you make the drive all the way out here?" I asked him as we wrapped the stove to ensure its safe transport.

"Well, I have a customer who's closing and moving in to a new house tomorrow.  The stove he ordered was backordered and twice did not arrive when the manufacturer told us it would.   I wasn't going to delay one of my customer's closing, so here I am."  

I nodded, appreciating and admiring the extra effort that Mark put in to make sure his customer was taken care of.

Inside our Westfield MA showroom

That same week Patrick, the store manager in Westfield, took a phone call from an elderly woman who had a washer delivered the afternoon prior.  She had just started her second load when she noticed water leaking from the back.  As this was around 5:30 on a Friday, there would be no way to get a service tech out to her home before Monday (at the earliest.)  Pat decided to drive to her house on his way home after the store had closed for the night (fortunately in this case she was only a few miles away). 

When he arrived he noticed that the washer's drain hose had a split which was causing the leak.  He reassured her, and told her that this was something he would be able to take care of without waiting for a service call.  The next morning he took a drain hose from our store supply, drove back out, and installed the new hose.  Problem solved!

I could quote numerous other examples of what I consider "above and beyond" customer service.  Time and time again over the years I've witnessed fellow employees take a personal interest in their customer's experience.  From driving out to drop off an accessory that wasn't loaded on a truck, to taking the time to explain features on a new range that can be confusing (the difference between "air fry" and "bake", for example) or to driving out to measure the space in a customer's kitchen to ensure the appliance they want will actually fit in their older kitchen, I've seen our salespeople go that "extra mile" to ensure a satisfactory sale from beginning to end.

If you are already a Manny's customer, thank you!  

If not, then next time you need an appliance I ask that you consider us?  

Check out any of our thirteen locations in Southern New England (addresses and phone numbers are on the front page of our website.)

Front load or Top load washer -- Which style is right for me??

I started selling appliances back at the end of 1993.  I was looking for a part-time job so that I could earn some extra holiday cash, and wandered into the Newington, CT branch of the now defunct electronics retailer Lechmere.  The store's General Manager happened to be walking by as I was being interviewed, introduced himself, took a look at my resume, and asked if I might be interested in a full time position selling "majors", or appliances.  I told him that I was indeed interested, and hence began my career selling appliances.

I had basically zero product knowledge.  In an effort to get up to speed on just which appliances people were buying, I bought a few copies of Consumer Reports and began cramming model brands, recommended model numbers, and some of the features of each appliance category CR deemed important.  When it came to laundry, well, choices were far simpler and more limited in 1994 than in 2026!  99% of machines were top-loading, with an auger type agitator, with volumes ranging from 2.4 to 3.0 cubic feet (compare those volume numbers to today's machines that range from 4.1 up to 5.5 cubic feet! And as to how much water they used - that could be the subject of a blog all by itself!).  I also remember at the very end of CR's ratings, a couple of Frigidaire front load machines were listed.  Both scored poorly on reliability (I also soon learned that even if you were interested in a front load washer, availability was  limited at best.)

Now, Consumer Reports was, and still is, aimed at the US/Canada market, and therefore ignored the upper end front load washer choices.   If one lived in say Ireland or Germany, your only choices for washers would have been front loaders.  

Why?  One word: Energy!  The inherent washing action of a front load machine, tumbling clothes constantly through a relatively shallow pool of water instead of essentially bathing them in a top-load design, allowed manufacturers to offer a dramatically more efficient machine which still washed your clothes at least as well.  

The downside to 1990's era front load washers:  

1) Capacity.  A European style washer is the size of a dishwasher.  Americans have never embraced the smaller machines, even if they were more efficient.  

2)  Price.  Euro-brands such as Asko and Miele typically cost $1000 and up, at a time when the cost of a perfectly reliable Whirlpool or GE top load washer could always be purchased for $399. 

3) Installation.  Euro-washers worked with an internal water heater, were plumbed with cold water only, and ran on 220v vs the US standard 110v.  

4) Time:  The front load washers of that time would take in the neighborhood of two hours to wash a load vs. top loading washers that would wash a larger batch of clothes in about 40 minutes.

Times have changed.  D.O.E. mandates began restricting the amount of energy that appliances consumed.  Refrigerators and washing machines became the prime targets.   That mid-90's era top loading machine would use 40-45 gallons of water to clean fewer (compared to today) dirty clothes.  

Big picture: that amount of water consumption was unsustainable.  Having been warned in advance that water and energy restrictions were on the horizon, manufacturers took another look at the inherently more efficient front loading machines.   In the late 90's we began to see what I called "American sized" front load washers, first by Frigidaire and Maytag, then followed by Whirlpool and others.  

Fast forward to 2026, and the capacities of many front load models have doubled that of the front load choices in 1994.

(Note: These smaller European style models still exist, and we do sell them from time to time.  The focus of this blog however is on the more typically sized machines that make up the vast majority of our laundry sales.)

So which is "better"?    

I'm going to summarize the pros and cons of front loading as well both types of top loading machines (agitator and impeller).  

Front load pros:

1. More efficient
2. Gentler cleaning
3. Faster spin speed

The cons:

1. Slightly deeper physically
2. Slightly longer cycle times
3. Generally a bit more expensive

As for top load machines, the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Generally less expensive
2. Shorter cycle times
3. More compact depth

Cons:

1. More water and energy usage
2. Slower spin speed

A much more detailed discussion of the pros and cons can be found on the link below:

https://www.energystar.gov/products/ask-the-experts/which-clothes-washer-should-i-choose-front-load-or-top-load

Also, top loading machines come in two categories:  agitator driven machines (with an auger to help move clothes around the tub) and impeller machines (using a wash plate to twist the clothes. )

The link below does a great job discussing the benefits and drawbacks of both styles:

https://www.thespruce.com/impeller-vs-agitator-8387026

In summary, I can't answer which format is "better" for you.  What I can do is try and listen to you, my customer, when you come in to buy a new washer and help determine which style is "right" for your needs.  Depending on space, price, family size, interest in specific features, my suggestion might be anywhere from a $499 Amana top loader, a $799 GE front loader, or even a deluxe $1499 Speed Queen top loader that comes with a five year warranty  - everyone's needs and budget is different!

So if you find yourself in the market for a washer, or plan on buying a new machine soon, please reach out to any of the sales professionals in our thirteen stores (addresses on the front page of our website just to the left of the blog link).  We will be happy to help you choose that "right" washer!

Clearance Merchandise - Is It a Good Choice For Me??

 

Ready to ship open-box laundry

First of all,  I've always intensely disliked the phrase "Scratch and Dent"!  

That term, as I will discuss below, just doesn't do many of our open box products proper justice.

But, as it's the end of 2025, Manny's - just like many other retailers -  are promoting our end-of-year clearance merchandise.   

It has become a retail tradition over the last thirty plus years, after the insanity of Christmas and holiday buying, for department and big-box stores to focus on their leftover merchandise. To encourage consumers to come back out to their stores and shop, post-Christmas mark-down and clearance sales became common. These promotions made sense, and many consumers started to wait to take advantage of these sales on leftover toys, stereos, shirts, etc.

As an appliance retailer our "business cycle" is a bit different.  November, with all those aggressive Black Friday/Black November discounts, has become a busier month for us than December.  

Still, we know a lot of people look for these clearance style deals... so here we are!  We too are promoting clearance deals, one-of-a-kinds, scratch-and-dent, open-box deals as well.

You might ask: is open box merchandise a good decision for you?

In a lot of instances, buying "open box" can be a win-win.  There are many reasons for us to mark down an open box appliance on our showroom floor:

One washer might have had a minor problem. After we exchange the model for our customer, our service department repairs the unit and checks it out for resale. It makes its way back to a showroom (usually, but not always, our Westfield MA location), where it is sold at an appropriate discount and with a full warranty.

Another washer might simply have been a mis-order (yes, being humans, we do sometimes make mistakes!). Since that unit is now out of its original box, we can't sell it as "brand new".  We discount the product, which can make for a great deal for a customer who doesn't mind the fact that the box is gone.

Other items might be "open box" because of a size issue (despite our best efforts to anticipate, sometimes a 28 cubic foot behemoth of a French Door refrigerator simply doesn't fit through a doorway).  Or perhaps the side or front of a range is dented.  If our customer preferred a new delivery vs. taking a damage allowance, we will bring that original piece to a sales floor (again, usually but not always Westfield) and sell it at an appropriate discount.

Sometimes a certain model simply becomes discontinued.  When this happens we will sell off our display piece with a nice discount.  We like to keep our showrooms "fresh"!

A just-discontinued Whirlpool washer and dryer

So if you are looking to find a great deal on an appliance and can live with minor imperfections (or in some cases no issues at all other than the fact that the piece was brought to someone's house and then put back on the delivery truck), a clearance event like such as Manny's is having right now can be a perfect time to buy!

On the other hand, just as some people are only comfortable buying a new car fresh off the showroom, maybe you simply prefer a piece that is factory-fresh.  No problem!  We always are getting deals, discounts, and rebates from manufacturers that we are happy to pass on to you.

Oficially, the clearance event promoted in our circular runs through 12-31 (you can check out our flyer on the front page of our website, just to the left of the "Our blog" link you pressed moments ago.)  

In reality, our stores always have at least some open box merchandise available - sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much.  Check with any of our thirteen stores (contact info is always on the front page of our website) if you have any questions, or have a particular product in mind.  New or out-of-the-box, we're always here to help you out!!