Don’t Delay if You Are Shopping For an Outdoor Kitchen
Posted Jan 14, 2010
Timing can be everything when you are shopping for major purchases. This fact holds true for outdoor kitchens. Right now, not two months from now, is the best time to shop for an outdoor kitchen.
Just like any home improvement project, an outdoor kitchen can be an expensive endeavor. In addition to researching the best materials, appliances, and providers, planning the timing of your project correctly can help you save money.
If you are shopping for an outdoor kitchen, you can negotiate your best deal right now. There are several reasons why this is true.
The outdoor living industry is a seasonal industry. This is evident as you walk through the aisles of big box home improvement centers nationwide as they clear out the Christmas displays and make room for grills and patio furniture. The demand for outdoor living products, including outdoor kitchens, rises steadily throughout the nation beginning in January and continuing through late summer. Everyone in the industry, including grill manufacturers and patio furniture companies are beginning to launch their new products and marketing campaigns for the spring. Grill distributors are typically offering their dealers pre-season discounts and incentives for buying in bulk ahead of the season. Your grill dealer or outdoor kitchen company likely has several grills in inventory purchased at a one-time discount that they would like to move out of their showrooms promptly.
The housing industry has displaced a significant quantity of highly talented craftsmen. Several of those workers have found their way into the outdoor living market and are willing to compete aggressively to earn your business. Combined with the overall high rate of unemployment, these forces are keeping labor costs relatively low. As the economy heals and the housing market begins to rebound, the cost for skilled construction labor will increase. Home builders and remodelers that have shifted their focus perhaps temporarily on the outdoor living market will eventually return to their craft, likely decreasing the competition among outdoor kitchen related labor.
The decline in the housing market has also caused a reduction in the cost of materials. The cost of construction materials is down from previous years. Following the housing boom, there was an abundance of raw materials. Some material suppliers have been weeded out in the process. Right now, the cost of many construction materials is still at an all time low with prices in your favor. As the economy improves, these forces will be change and material costs will likely begin to creep upward.
If you think you might want to host a big party this summer, especially around Independence Day, you won’t be able to get the same deal in May or June that you can in January. By then, your outdoor kitchen provider will likely be booked solid, trying to finish projects by July 4th. During those months it is common for outdoor projects to be sold contingent upon completion by a target date like Independence Day. The chance of negotiating a discount at that point is virtually impossible. The best outdoor kitchen companies will be booked solid trying to keep the customers that planned ahead on schedule for their parties.
You won’t be able to negotiate your best deal at the end of the year either. Businesses with experience in the outdoor living industry plan for their business to slow at the end of the calendar year. They make efforts to clear out their inventory by then and adjust their staff levels accordingly. Outdoor appliance manufactures don’t offer the same incentives that they do now. With so many appliances manufactured overseas and purchased in bulk at the beginning of the year, some appliances within a given grill line may be completely unavailable at the end of the year. Grill distributors simply won’t have the same incentives for their dealers that they do now. Your outdoor kitchen company won’t be in the position to negotiate the same deal when everyone has planned around this highly predictable business cycle.
Planning for your outdoor kitchen right now will give you the time to not feel pressured, and the leverage to negotiate your best deal. With outdoor kitchen companies ramping up for what is predicted to be the busiest season in years, you can stay in the driver’s seat while shopping for the outdoor kitchen of your dreams.
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Outdoor Kitchen News is sponsored by Werever Products Inc.