COVID-19 Pandemic Causes Appliance Shortage In US

A few brands are suspending orders from retailers until the end of September, contributing to the supply chain's national issue.

Here is why this will be a problem for you.

There is a historical increase in demand for appliances now after a recorded decrease in March and April, yet many companies have not recovered to handle the volume.

Refrigerators, laundry, dishwashers, and grills have the highest demand with lower output.

You may be waiting 3-6 months for your appliance.

Upon reopening now, they have to distance at 6 feet, decreasing production socially.

NC Bosch-subsidiary appliance factory closing; 1,400 workers affected. Bosch's dishwasher factory in North Carolina is running at far less capacity for that reason.

At this writing, much of the South and West are peaking.

Most appliances are manufactured in affected areas and the southern United States, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arizona.

The Coronavirus has been a problem since early January in the U.S. and will probably continue to be for a while.

If you're shopping for anything that's a part of a global supply chain, you're going to have problems finding your appliance readily in stock.

Any imports will most likely be affected because California is the entry point for Asian appliance brands like Samsung, LG, and Haier.

There may be an indefinite backorder for some appliances or incredibly limited stock.

Keith's Appliances in Connecticut has seen sales go up 60% this summer, and it's not just local customers.

"We probably get about 20 calls a day from all over the country, people looking for freezers. And this has been happening since the beginning of March," owner Jessica Burzycki said.

When the pandemic hit, Americans started stocking up on food and needed freezers to hold it. Then demand grew for refrigerators, washers, and dryers as more people upgraded their appliances. At the same time, the coronavirus forced many factories to shut down or scale back production, leading to shortages.

Jill Johnson needs to replace a broken fridge and was told the wait for some models could be months.

"I was very limited as to what I could buy because they don't have it in stock," she said.

Getting an older appliance fixed isn't easy either. Repair specialist Robert Villatoro is working 12 hours days, seven days a week to try and accommodate all his customers.

"Right now, we're booked three to four days in advance, so, you know, we're having to turn people down," he said.

Appliance repair service companies are also seeing a boost in business.

"With people staying home, washers and dryers are getting heavy use and breaking down more. And to make matters worse parts we normaly would stock are now on back order as well." Rob of General Appliance Service says.