- Consumer Reports ranks Abt Electronics #1 for large appliances, with RC Willey also scoring high for selection and service.
- Lowes and Home Depot still dominate U.S. appliance sales volume and dollars, even as satisfaction leaders can differ by survey.
- Only about 21% of shoppers haggle, but roughly two-thirds who try succeed, saving about $100$130.
- Most purchases remain in-store (~74%), while online (~26%) keeps growing with stronger omnichannel inventory and delivery.
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The landscape for buying large appliances in the U.S. shows a strong dichotomy between retailers that lead in satisfaction and quality metrics (such as Abt, RC Willey, independent local stores) and those that dominate in market share and sales volume (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Best Buy). While mass-market chains have scale, promotion infrastructure, and broad reach, boutique and regional players win on selection, service, expert advice, and customer satisfaction.
Haggling emerges as a surprisingly effective lever but one that remains under-utilized: only ~21 % of large appliance shoppers engage in it, but ~66–67 % of those successfully reduce prices (median savings ~$123). Techniques like bundling (multiple appliances), referring to competitor pricing, and asking for senior/veteran discounts are among the most successful. Retailers that offer price-match policies and transparent discounting may capture underserved value-seeking customers.
Market share data illustrate that scale players are still dominant: in Q1 and Q2 of 2025, Lowe’s led in unit and dollar sales (~43 % and ~41 % in Q1; ~41 % units and ~39 % dollars in Q2), with Home Depot next (~34–36 %) and Best Buy more niche (~16–18 %). However, customer satisfaction rankings from J.D. Power place Home Depot at the top among retailers in 2025, ahead of Best Buy, suggesting that market leadership and satisfaction may diverge.
Strategically, this suggests opportunities for differentiation: large-scale retailers should prioritize improving service, expertise of sales staff, delivery/installation experience, and post-sale support to match independent players. Conversely, regional players and independents must leverage strengths in selection, service, and local presence, and potentially invest in efficient digital/offline channels and competitive pricing or price-match guarantees to compete with the scale chains.
Open questions remain: how tariff policies will affect input costs and thereby price floors; how durability expectations are shifting alongside technology integration; whether online sales will continue encroaching, especially with tools such as local stock visibility and delivery logistics; and whether consumer preferences for reliability and service will reshape brand and retailer power.
Supporting Notes
- Abt Electronics was ranked top in Consumer Reports’ survey-based ratings for large (major) appliance retailers; RC Willey came in second, especially strong regionally for product quality and customer satisfaction in selection, service, etc..
- Market share in Q2 2025: Lowe’s held ~41 % of units and ~39 % of dollar sales of major appliances; Home Depot held ~36 % of units and ~37 % of dollars; Best Buy ~16–18 %.
- Consumer efforts at haggling: only 21 % of shoppers attempted to negotiate the price of a major appliance; about two-thirds of those succeeded, saving a median of $123.
- Typical holiday discount events: large appliance discounts heading into Black Friday 2024 averaged ~20 %; Black Friday itself expected around ~22 %, with some standout promotions hitting ~30 % off on brands like Samsung and LG.
- Distribution of purchases by channel: in-store purchases continue to dominate (~74 %) while online has steadily risen to ~26 % of transactions in Q2 2025.
- J.D. Power’s 2025 Appliance Satisfaction Study placed Home Depot highest among appliance retailers, ahead of Best Buy at 700 points on the 1,000-point scale.