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Food for Thought: The long wait for new appliances

Nance says that after 18 years of reliable service, "This refrigerator owes us NOTHING."
Nancy Leson
/
KNKX
Nance says that after 18 years of reliable service, "This refrigerator owes us NOTHING."

After 18 years in Nancy's basement, her backup fridge, a move-in gift from a neighbor, finally found its final defrost. That left Leson with only (gasp) one fridge. I enjoyed twitting her about her two-fridge household, but she really does need them both.

 

Nance teaches a lot of cooking classes and needs the extra coldspace to store ingredients for her lessons. Even so, she admits that though she could get along without two, she does need at least one. Shortly after her extra refrigerator bit the dust, the main began leaking and it was time for a new one

 

Just one problem.

 

These days there's often a very long wait for major appliances of all kinds. Not just refrigerators but dishwashers, washers, dryers, all the big ones. Factory output is slower due to the pandemic and retailers have fewer delivery folks to get those appliances to our doors.

 

Nancy was originally given a five-week wait for her new fridge. Then, “A week before I was supposed to have the new one delivered, I got a call from the store to tell me 'We're sorry but your refrigerator is no longer available.” Long to short, they did have one available at a higher price, which she paid.

 

Ironically, her fridge-giving neighbor of 18 years ago's own refrigerator conked out about the same time as Nancy's. Kathleen finally found one, which was delivered on the same truck that brought Leson's.

 

None of this is to solicit sympathy, just as a heads-up: If you have a major appliance that's giving up the ghost, don't wait till it's fully croaked to order a new one. The wait will most likely be long so get your order in as far in advance as you can.

 

"You been a good ol wagon but you done broke down.”– Bessie Smith

Dick Stein joined KNKX in January 1992. He retired in 2020 after three decades on air. During his storied radio career, he hosted the morning jazz show, co-hosted and produced "Food for Thought" with Nancy Leson and wrote and directed the Jimmy Jazzoid live radio musical comedies and 100 episodes of Jazz Kitchen.