Buying Furniture and White Goods

[Levi_501]

Hello there, hope you are all well and had a good Christmas.

We arrived in early December and think we have now found a house in Coyoacan that we are going to rent. As such we need furniture including appliances etc.

With the exception of Liverpool, Bestbuy and limited selection in Sanbourns, we cannot seem to find anywhere to buy white goods (refrigerator, washing machine etc).

Can anyone recommend decent shops, or is it best to buy online??? Just out of interest, the only washing machines stocked in Bestbuy and Liverpool are huge, 14-20kg; we were thinking along the lines of 6-7kg load.

In England we always had Bosch appliances, but cannot seem to them in Mexico at all.

Radioshack seems to be the best for Plasmas, anywhere else?

Are there any shops that sell sensibly priced flat pack furniture? B&Q, Homebase or Ikea type thing.

One last thing, why is baby stuff, including formula milk so expensive here? We were paying 8GBP for a carton of Amptamil formula but here in Mexico it is double!

Thanks in advance.

[RVGRINGO]

Congratulations on finding a home. Now, the adventure of finding furniture can begin. Unlike many other places in the world, there are still advantages of having furniture made for you in Mexico, so ask around your local area for furniture makers, carpenter shops, etc. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you discover.

Appliances are available in the places you already have found, but there are other sources, like Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club and independent sellers in smaller towns. You probably won't find many Bosch appliances, but rather Mexican/American brands. The larger capacity machines do have advantages for bedding, pillows, etc., but can be set for several smaller loads, so that water isn't wasted, etc.

Are you aware that plasma TVs use considerably more electricity, a major concern with Mexican billing schemes?
You might want to consider that they're rapidly being replaced by LED screens. Shop around in places like the stores mentioned above, and also look for Sony dealers.

The flat pack concept hasn't arrived in Mexico to any degree, at least outside of major cities. You'll have to adjust your thinking to 'the Mexican way'.

If you insist on American/European brands of anything, you will pay dearly for that choice. Look to Mexican brands for much more reasonable prices and you may find a lot of pleasant surprises.

[chicois8]

I thought the giant chain store like Copple/ Electra would carry any appliances and TV's......

[RVGRINGO]

They do, but it is sometimes difficult to get a good price. They seem aimed heavily at the in-house financing market and clerks can't easily give you a 'cash on the barrel head price'. How much you'll pay every two weeks is easily determined, though.

[chicois8]

Thanks Ringo, That's a good tip to know........

[Levi_501]

Thanks gents.

We undertook a covert operation to Walmart last night and will probobly undertake a stealth mission to BB and Costco on Saturday.

[Levi_501]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

Are you aware that plasma TVs use considerably more electricity, a major concern with Mexican billing schemes?

Mexican billing schemes?

Originally Posted by Levi_501

Mexican billing schemes?

When you are in front of any major electronic item in one of the large stores, look at the price tag. They will typically say something in big letters like "$815 per month". If you lean in, the tag will then say "30 months" or similar, and if you lean WAAAy in, you might see the cash price of $12,999 in teeny, tiny print.

These stores and their customers are hooked on monthly payments, even if the customer ends up paying 25% or more annual interest, etc. Some or all of the stores have started up their own banks and/or credit cards just for this purpose. Many Mexicans could never afford to make a big purchase without this type of arrangement, but that's how the owners of these chains became billionaires - by socking it to the folks who could least afford it.

When I bought appliances several years ago, Sam's Club beat all the others locally (Soriana, Coppel, Comercial Mexicana, etc) for appliance prices, and they had a larger selection. (we didn't have a Wal-Mart, so I don't know if their prices are similar to Sam's Club - different target markets).

[RVGRINGO]

In Guadalajara, and with a branch at Lake Chapala, there is an excellent source of appliances, with good delivery and service reputation, as well as very competitive prices:

Importadora El Tio Sam

Niños Heroes Sn No. S/n

Col:Moderna

Guadalajara, Jalisco 44190

Teléfono: 33.3811-0364

[sparks]

Elektra marks their cash prices as 'chaz chaz' and often are cheaper than Coppel

Coyoacan has a Home Depot ... or it's very close. They have some specials on TV's

Home Depot Mexico City