In short supply
Refrigerators, other appliances in low stock in Central Florida due to COVID-19
During the initial shock of the pandemic, Central Floridians frantically searched for meat, bread, toilet paper and hand sanitizer — often to find empty shelves.
Now, more than seven months later, there’s a new shortage: appliances.
“We’ve sold more freezers in the past few months than probably in the last five years. It’s crazy,” said Stuart Kimball, president of Southeast Steel Appliance Warehouse, a family-owned business in Orlando.
Appliance retailers are struggling to find stock in household appliances across the board — everything from refrigerators to ovens is on back order until 2021.
Part of the reason for the shortage? Small appliance parts made in places like Mexico and China are not getting into the United States and social distancing at factories in this country have led to a reduction in product output.
Meanwhile, many people are stuck in their homes and not satisfied with what they see. Money that normally would have gone toward vacations is now used for home remodeling.
“A combination of all those things really puts us behind the eight ball,” Kimball said.
Demand for certain household appliances in particular has sharply increased. For example, domestic shipments this year of freezers to retailers have jumped by 49% compared with 2019, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers’ third-quarter report.
Jeremy McCauley, president of Appliances of Orlando, another family-owned business, said while he’s been able to provide options, if a customer has their heart set on a specific back-ordered appliance, it could be an eight-month wait.
“You’ve just got to be proactive in finding stuff that ’s available,” McCauley said. “You know, combine that with customers that understand it a little better than they did six months ago.”
McCauley said he estimates about 90% of all appliances are on national back order, across all manufacturers. While manufacturers do provide ETAs, they sometimes change “by the minute,” he said.
“I thought it would be catching up, but it’s not,” McCauley said. “I wouldn’t say it’s getting worse, but it’s definitely stable.”
Tim Salter, a snowbird from South Dakota, on Thursday was searching for a new microwave for his RV at Home Depot in Lake Mary. He said while the store had limited options for what he needed, he ultimately ended up with the appliance he wanted.
“Pandemic doesn’t bother me,” said Salter, 56.
On the other hand, Deltona resident Jerry Jackson left Best Buy’s Sanford location empty-handed after searching for a new refrigerator.
He said the store had limited options, and although he could have settled for something cheaper, he would rather continue to search other stores to find a better option.
“I’m a comparative shopper,” said Jackson, 66. “It’s my money, I’m not the type to just grab anything off the shelf.”
Despite the pandemic, Kimball of Southeast Steel said business has been brisk. This year will mark the business’ 80-year anniversary in Orlando.
“We are very fortunate that we’ve been able to survive,” Kimball said, “and we’ve been able to satisfy a lot of our customers’ needs.”