Major appliances for the home have gotten much cheaper these days. That includes washers, dryers, refrigerators and stoves. Unfortunately, many people buy expensive, unreliable fancy appliances that break all the time just because they look good. What people don’t understand is that these fancy appliances are not tested enough. Therefore, the bugs have not been worked out and they end up breaking all the time. The reliability of an item increases as the production runs increase. Consumer Reports confirms this in its appliance issue, in which ultra expensive items are always rated worst in reliability. Most people are still looking for good deals on reliable appliances, however. The business has become super competitive with Lowes and Home Depot duking it out for market share. In the meantime, Sears is getting clobbered. Part of the reason is because Sears is located in malls, and most people don’t shop in malls anymore. As a result, Sears is going to open stand-alone appliance and electronics outlets that will carry very reasonable merchandise. According to reports, the most price-sensitive shoppers are upper- to middle-income buyers. These are people who make a substantial income but are looking for the best value on a dollar. Non-traditional players such as Wal-Mart and Costco are entering the business, so traditional appliance stores must compete for your business. Wal-Mart alone accounts for one in every $11 spent in the United States, so they mean business. And remember that if you were psyched to get one of those ridiculously expensive appliances, don’t! You’re wasting your money!