If you’re brave enough to venture in to the wild—er, retail stores—this Black Friday, you have a good shot at bagging bargains. Our Tightwad Tod recently offered some spot-on shopping tips, including insider information on online deals for those who fear of crowds or prefer sleeping in and eating leftovers the day after Thanksgiving.
But what if your refrigerator is on the fritz, the washer shakes while your oven no longer bakes, and your toaster hasn’t been the same since the kids cooked up an experiment in it? Tom Aiello, a Sears spokesman, says you’ll find good deals on major appliances in January and February but "incredible doorbusters" this holiday season, including package deals.
Sears has added in-store computer terminals in its appliance departments so that you can comparison-shop. The retailer promises to beat the lowest price and offers no interest for 12 months on appliances that cost more than $399 and free haul-away of your old model.
Some other good shopping advice:
• Many retailers claim to beat competitors’ prices. Remember, you can often get a refund even if you already bought an appliance and the same model goes on sale at that retailer or another retailer at a lower price within 30 days of your purchase.
• Best Buy has eliminated rebates but is offering interest-free credit for 18 months on purchases of $499 and up and will haul away your appliance at no charge.
• Most retailers are offering free shipping for online purchases, although the amount you need to spend varies, but usually starts at $25 and up.
• Lowe’s is giving a sneak peak at it Black Friday specials, including wine cellars, coffeemakers, and cordless drills.
• If you sign up at the Home Depot, you’ll get a list of Black Friday specials on Thanksgiving morning.
• Target is offering shipping at no charge on mixers, food processors, and a variety of items for the home.
• Amazon is having a kitchen and home sale with savings up to 65 percent through December 1.
• Finally, you’ll find a community of shoppers on the lookout for good deals all over the Web at places like FatWallet.com.
Happy hunting, er, Thanksgiving.—Kimberly Janeway
Essential Information: Read Tightwad Tod on our Money blog for the latest information on holiday shopping and tips for getting the best deals. And visit our Home Improvement Guide interactive for advice on appliances, tools, and building materials.
Written by larrylarr on November 29th, 2008 with no comments.
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During the testing for our February 2009 report on coffeemakers (on newsstands and online in January), our technicians began to wonder about the off flavors and odors they detected in the heated water that came out of seven coffeemakers the first few times they used them.
In their instruction manuals, manufacturers nearly always suggest that you run at least one cycle of water through a coffeemaker before you make the first pot of coffee with your new appliance. Is that one cycle sufficient to eliminate off flavors and odors? That question also prompted our technicians to spot-check the water from the seven coffeemakers for residual chemicals.
They collected samples from water run through the machines according to the manufacturers’ instructions and had an outside lab analyze the water for semivolatile compounds, including six common plasticizers (phthalates) used in consumer products. (The lab followed EPA method 8270.)
While no federal agency has issued warnings regarding phthalates in coffeemakers, such compounds remain a subject of scrutiny by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and environmental groups for their use in children’s and personal-care products, and air fresheners.
Two of the coffeemakers we tested store the water until you are ready to make coffee, and our testers noticed they had hard, clear plastic parts that looked like polycarbonate, so they spot-checked these machines for bisphenol A (BPA), a compound commonly found in polycarbonate plastic that studies have linked to cancer, diabetes, reproductive abnormalities, and other health risks. The technicians stored water in these two coffeemakers for nine days, heating and collecting the water on three separate days during this period, then tested each water sample for BPA
The tests detected low levels of two semivolatile compounds—benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), a plasticizer, and benzyl alcohol, a solvent commonly used in inks, paints, and epoxy resins—in water heated in six of the seven coffeemakers models. They also found very low levels of BPA in two of those six coffeemakers.
Based on our experts’ analysis, the levels of compounds detected would not be expected to pose a health risk. They also seem unrelated to the off flavors or odors. What our tests don’t indicate, however, is what a coffeemaker might release over the years it’s in use. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, remains concerned about BPA and phthalates that might leach from plastics used in myriad everyday products involving food contact.
To minimize off odors and flavors, wash any product you cook, eat, or drink with before you use it. This includes following the instructions that came with your coffeemaker and running a water-only cycle through at least once before brewing.—Ed Perratore
Essential information: Your coffee machine might not be the only source of off tastes and odors in what you brew—it could be your water. Read our latest review of water filters. Consumer Reports has been testing coffeemakers for decades. The black-and-white photo above, circa 1958, shows one step in the process of determining the strength of the coffee from different models.
Written by larrylarr on November 29th, 2008 with no comments.
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