Lowe's Vs Best Buy: Which Has The Best Deals On Large Kitchen Appliances?

Shopping for large kitchen appliances is rarely fun. No one enjoys the expense and inconvenience of replacing a refrigerator or stove that has suddenly died, and even if you're planning the construction of your dream kitchen, figuring out the best brand of refrigerator or stove and deciding on the right appliances for your lifestyle and budget can be overwhelming.

When you visit Lowe's or Best Buy while appliance hunting, you'll find that price is rarely the biggest differentiator. Virtually all stores, from Lowe's to Best Buy to local mom-and-pop shops, will charge the same price for the same model. For example, both Lowe's and Best Buy charge $1,549 for the same Frigidaire Gallery 36-inch side-by-side refrigerator at the time of writing. 

This is because manufacturers set minimum prices for their appliances, and most small stores belong to national networks that give them the same buying power as the chains. So while occasional seasonal promotions can save you some money, the best deal for you will most likely depend on other factors, such as inventory, customer service, and costs for services such as installation and repairs. Here are the details on how the stores compare.

If you're a serious cook with a big budget, luxury brands of kitchen appliances could be a worthwhile investment. Their value doesn't just come from their classy looks, which look great with both retro and modern kitchen design — they're also made of better, stronger materials and have more power and more precise controls than standard models. 

For instance, some high-end refrigerator models come with separate cooling and evaporation systems for the freezer and refrigerator, rather than the more common design of a single system for both. This allows better temperature control for each compartment along with better energy efficiency, since each compressor only runs when needed. They also last longer, making them a good investment for homeowners who hang onto them, with owners finding that they can sometimes run for decades.

Not all luxury brands are available at big box stores. But if a big box store is the most convenient option for you, Best Buy offers more high-end options than Lowes, including prestige brands not available at Lowes, such as Fisher & Paykel and Viking. Best Buy lists over 330 luxury refrigerator offerings at time of writing, while Lowe's lists under 300. Both stores also offer financing to ease the sticker shock: Best Buy offers 18-month financing with $227.73 per month payments for a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator, while Lowe's offers 84-month financing with $69 per month payments for a similarly-priced Café refrigerator. Both stores, however, require use of their store credit cards to take advantage of these offers.

Buyer's remorse is a minor bummer if you try a trendy new pizza topping and find you hate it. But if you've just invested hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in a large kitchen appliance, it's a very big deal if it doesn't look or work as promised. Both Lowe's and Best Buy encourage buyers to inspect their new appliances carefully upon delivery — if you spot a dent or scratch, this is the time to initiate a return.

Not all problems, however, are as fast or easy to identify. If you buy from Lowe's, be sure to give your appliance a thorough workout as soon as it's installed to make sure it does everything it's supposed to — Lowe's return window for large appliances is only 48 hours, so if you discover one of the burners on your new stove or the ice maker on your new fridge isn't working three days after delivery, you're stuck. Best Buy, however, has a more generous return policy, allowing returns up to 15 days after delivery.

Most major appliances are covered by a manufacturer's warranty for the first year after purchase. After that, repairs are the owner's responsibility. To ease this burden, stores offer the option to purchase extended warranties for appliances, which cover parts and labor for repairs, along with free replacement of covered appliances that can't be repaired, for a fixed period — typically 1 to 5 years — after purchase. 

Prices for extended warranties vary by product, but in many cases, Lowe's is noticeably less expensive. For instance, a 5-year-plan for a Frigidaire 24-inch front control built-in dishwasher is roughly $100 at Lowe's and just under $120 at Best Buy, and a 5-year-plan for a four-burner range is around $130 at Lowe's and $140 at Best Buy. 

It's also worth noting that the coverage varies slightly between the two stores. Besides parts and labor, both offer transferable warranties that stay in force if you sell or give away your appliance, along with a $300 reimbursement for lost food in case of a refrigerator failure. However, Lowe's warranties also include a one-time $50 payment for repairs delayed more than 7 days after a scheduled repair date, along with a 30% reimbursement of plan fees if you don't make a service claim during the plan's lifetime. This, plus lower prices, makes Lowe's coverage better value.

Not everyone wants or needs a kitchen appliance that can text or connect with the internet. For minimalists and traditionalists, the idea of a refrigerator with Wi-Fi may seem pointless and wasteful, if not downright creepy. But for others, the idea is intriguing — if smart tech can make running your kitchen and cooking easier, why not try it out?

Among the smart features available in kitchen appliances are internal cameras that track the contents of your fridge and their expiration dates (useful if food safety is a frequent concern for you but organizing your refrigerator isn't) and dishwashers whose operation can be scheduled and controlled remotely through an app. Some smart ovens can even read QR codes on your favorite frozen meals and automatically set up the right temperatures and times to cook them.

If you like the idea of smart appliances (or just want to explore what they can do), head to Best Buy. Since it's an electronics specialist — after all, it calls its repair team the Geek Squad — it's no surprise that it offers a wider range of smart appliances than Lowe's. Best Buy offers over 330 options just for smart refrigerators. On the other hand, Lowe's has a service plan for tech support for smart appliances that's purchased separately from the standard service plan, while Best Buy does not.

When buying a large kitchen appliance, you need to budget in the costs of delivery, installation, and haul-away of your old appliance. Both Best Buy and Lowe's offer these services, but you'll notice some differences in pricing. Best Buy charges a flat fee of $39.99 for delivery, with free installation (with reasonable labor) of most large kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators. For some appliances, such as ranges, installation requires the purchase of additional parts and/or additional installation fees. In addition, Best Buy will install appliances purchased elsewhere.

Lowe's charges variable delivery fees, and, oddly, these can vary even for the same product. For instance, it offers a flat fee of $39 for standard delivery for a refrigerator (although next-day delivery costs more), but the same model is seemingly sometimes available with free standard delivery. And like Best Buy, Lowe's may charge an additional fee for installation-related parts. At Lowe's, the cost for an install kit for a GE glass-top four-burner range is about $53, while the required part for installation of the same range at Best Buy is $43. 

Both stores will also haul away your old appliance — for a price. Best Buy charges $50 per appliance for haul-away, while Lowe's charges $79. So while you may pay a little less for delivery at Lowe's, you're more likely to come out ahead overall at Best Buy.

Buying a large kitchen appliance can be a stressful experience. You're not only shelling out a lot of cash, but also dealing with serious disruption in your kitchen routine. So the strangers who show up at your door to deliver and install your new appliance can either make or break the buying experience for you. Customers gave Lowe's and Best Buy mixed reviews in this area, with both stores garnering reports of wonderful experiences and horror stories.

"I have bought 3 freezers from Best Buy. Good experiences all 3 times," one customer noted in the SASS Wire Forum. "Never had a good experience at Best Buy," another participant on the same forum page wrote. Lowe's got equally mixed reviews, with one Reddit commenter saying that "Lowe's delivery and setup are the worst around," though others elsewhere have praised Lowe's for pulling strings to ensure next-day delivery when it was needed.

This range of reviews is unsurprising, given the size of the stores and the fact that both use third-party vendors for much of their installation work. To get a feel for what kind of service you can expect, it's best to check reviews for your local stores.

Check a range of home repair and construction forums online, and you'll find that many posters recommend shopping for large appliances at local mom-and-pop stores if possible. The prices will be similar, if not identical, to the big box stores. You're also more likely to get store employees than outside contractors for delivery and installation, and more likely to get a real person than a chatbot or remote call center if you call with a question or problem. In short, you get an extra level of accountability.

This option isn't possible for everyone, though, and sometimes bigger stores like Lowe's and Best Buy can offer options the smaller ones can't. If you're in the market for standard, midrange large kitchen appliances, you can find similar product lines at similar prices at both Lowe's and Best Buy. For high-end and smart appliances, however, you'll find more options at Best Buy. In addition, Best Buy offers better value for delivery and installation services and a more generous return policy, while Lowe's offers more affordable extended warranties. So for most shoppers, Best Buy is a smarter choice.