Appliance Retailers Face Tough Time with Backlog of Orders

(If a new kitchen appliance like a dishwasher or freezer is on your Christmas list, you may want to order it now as Covid-19 has forced a backlog of orders for Canadian appliance retailers like City Furniture of Merritt.) 

With the year’s busiest shopping season quickly approaching, Canadian appliance stores are not only dealing with supply problems but also higher than normal demand for products. 
Retailers are reporting record sales due to a combination of home renovations, new construction, discounts for energy-efficient appliances, and pent-up demand due to pandemic-related store closures, resulting in mounting backorders.

Sonny Sekhon of City Furniture in Merritt says his store has had challenges getting products for customers.

He told Q101 News that panic buying at the beginning of the pandemic led to the issue happening now.

“Originally when COVID-19 kicked in people began hoarding food and grocery store shelves went empty,” Sekhon said. “People bought that extra freezer and began filling them. That depleted the inventory and has caused the situation we are in right now.”

Sekhon added that while many of the manufacturers who shut down due to the pandemic have now reopened and are trying to fill backorders.

He noted that while furniture purchases can be delivered within six to eight weeks of purchase, appliances could take up to a few months for delivery.

In addition to the rise in demand, manufacturers have also run into problems obtaining parts and have scaled-back production lines to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols. 

roger@q101.ca