Lowe's Vs Best Buy: Which Is The Better Store For Kitchen Appliances?

When it comes time to buy a kitchen appliance, it might not be your favorite type of shopping to do, but it helps if you know whether you're going to have a better experience at Lowe's or Best Buy. At the end of the day, you want to have had the least painful experience and come out with the best deal on everything from the overall cost to delivery, installation, haul away, and warranties. Plus, you don't want extra frustrations from not getting the help you need during this process.

We did a deep dive into all the different facets of purchasing a kitchen appliance, whether you're looking to buy a large appliance or small gadget, while also taking into account other factors like rewards memberships and return policies. While it might depend on exactly what you plan to purchase, most of the time, one particular store comes out on top in most of these categories. So, check out what we found out about the differences between buying kitchen appliances from Lowe's versus Best Buy to decide where you might want to make your next purchase.

Prices and availability are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

If you're picky about your large kitchen appliances and want the best selection of choices, Best Buy is your best bet overall. When looking for a refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, or microwave, our research shows Best Buy has the most items to choose from online. As of this writing, Lowe's has nearly 4,600 large appliances on offer, while Best Buy has listed around 11,700 — that's a huge difference in choices. 

Granted, Lowe's does have more refrigerators on offer (around 1,500 versus Best Buy's $1,300. Plus, the number of dishwashers is about the same at both stores (around 430). However, when it comes to stoves, you have far more choices at Best Buy. While Lowe's only offers around 2,100 stoves, Best Buy has about 7,900 to choose from. The microwave choices are also far more plentiful at Best Buy, where there are nearly 2,100 compared to the 500 or so at Lowe's.

While it's nice to have thousands upon thousands of choices when shopping for large kitchen appliances, sometimes you just don't want to wait for delivery. If you have an appliance that's bitten the dust, it's better to find something you can take home today. When it comes to which store has the largest selection of kitchen appliances available for same-day pickup, Best Buy is often your best bet. 

We also noticed in our online search that the list of items available to pick up today at Lowe's includes just our local store, while Best Buy's website features those at our store plus other stores nearby. The numbers speak for themselves, but of course, keep in mind that the following figures could vary wildly depending on where you are.

If we were to go to our local Lowe's, there'd only be about 35 refrigerators to choose from, while Best Buy has more than twice as many at 90. Lowe's only has 24 types of dishwashers available locally, but Best Buy almost doubles that number with 43. When shopping for stoves, we found about 30 options at Lowe's, while Best Buy has a whopping 196 for cooking enthusiasts. Finally, there's an option of 47 microwave models at Lowe's, whereas Best Buy offers 73. 

While you may not have realized it because of what's out on display in the store, Lowe's actually has more small kitchen appliances available to order online than Best Buy does — especially in certain categories. Lowe's website has around 3,700 small appliances listed in comparison to Best Buy's 3,300 or so. However, it may depend on what you're looking for as to which place has a bigger selection online, which could be especially helpful if you're shopping for kitchen appliances in a specific color or looking beyond name brands.

For example, as of this writing, Best Buy has a bigger overall selection of blenders and juicers, as well as espresso, tea, and coffee machines (around 1,200 options versus Lowe's 550). Best Buy also has 320 deep and air fryers compared to 200 at Lowe's, plus more toasters and toaster ovens (about 350 at Best Buy and 150 at Lowe's).

However, Lowe's has a better selection of cookers, steamers, slow cookers, and roasters (around 210 versus Best Buy's 80); food processors and grinders (320 compared to 80 at Best Buy); indoor grills, skillets, and waffle makers (about 230 at Lowe's and 200 at Best Buy); and specialty and novelty appliances (1,670 versus Best Buy's 580). Meanwhile, both stores have around 40 food dehydrators each online.

If you're like us, you probably think about Best Buy when you think about small kitchen appliances, but that's probably because it often has more on display in the store. So, if you want to view and pick one up today, Best Buy has far more kitchen specialty appliances on store shelves. But as you've probably noticed if you've ever looked for any at Lowe's, there just aren't a whole lot of small kitchen appliances physically in the store.

Despite Lowe's offering around 3,700 small appliances online, we found it had only six items available at our local store: an immersion blender, mini food chopper, electric griddle, KitchenAid stand and hand-held mixers, and ice cream maker. That's certainly a sad selection, but to be fair, you're usually not going to a home improvement store specifically for small kitchen appliances anyway.

Meanwhile, when we looked locally at Best Buy, there were 127 small kitchen appliances available to pick up within one hour, with between one and 43 items available in every category except food dehydrators. While that number will fluctuate depending on what's already been sold for the day, you're especially in luck if you're hoping to walk out of Best Buy today with an espresso, tea, or coffee machine, which make up the biggest category of small kitchen appliances the store has on hand.

If you're not really sure what you're looking for and need to ask questions before you buy, your best bet for finding a knowledgeable salesperson to help you with your kitchen appliances is at Best Buy. There might have been a time when you could expect more help at Lowe's, but that doesn't seem to always hold true anymore.

Best Buy employees do a lot of training to ensure that the salespeople on the floor have a good idea what they're talking about. In fact, the company has won awards and been on lists for the top-trained employees in the industry. A lot of the initial training is virtual and e-learning video training, but there are some classroom opportunities, as well. Plus, they learn a lot on the floor.

Lowe's employees used to get lots of training from shows and vendors, as well as from regional training. Plus, shoppers expected the employees to be specialists of sorts who had a working background with what they sold. These days, several Lowe's employees on social media claim that they get thrown into the job without any training or knowledge about what they're selling and instead have to be proactive to learn about what they sell on their own — but apparently, that's not necessarily expected.

One of the best ways to save money on large kitchen appliances is to compare prices once you've narrowed your choices. Best Buy has the lowest prices for those who are simply looking for the cheapest appliance available in each category, and it also has the lowest prices when comparing several popular large appliances.

If you're just looking for the cheapest option, sometimes it comes down to a difference of just a few dollars, but that can matter if you're on a tight budget. At Best Buy, full-sized fridges start about $110 cheaper at Best Buy compared to Lowe's, while dishwashers start out about $20 less, and stoves start at about $370 cheaper. However, microwaves begin at about the same price in both stores: around $60.

The difference in dollars is even more pronounced when you start comparing the regular price of some of the best kitchen appliances. For example, the regular cost of a Frigidaire 25.6 cubic-foot side-by-side refrigerator is about $400 less at Best Buy. A Samsung 24-inch top-control built-in dishwasher will regularly run you around $250 more at Lowe's. You'd normally spend around $280 more for a GE 5-burner 5-cubic-foot freestanding gas range at Lowe's, too. And a Frigidaire 1.8-cubic-foot over-the-range microwave is regularly around $170 less at Best Buy.

Many times, when you're buying kitchen appliances, it's because your old one bit the dust and you haven't budgeted for a replacement. Luckily, both Lowe's and Best Buy offer financing options if you qualify for a store credit card. However, Lowe's seems to be the best in this category because it has more financing options for different needs.

If you take out a new MyLowe's Rewards credit card, you start out with 20% off your first purchase, but that's only up to $100 off. As long as you spend at least $299, you can finance your appliance purchase for six to 12 months. You might find some special financing options, like the ability to finance for up to 18 months if you spend at least $599 or low APRs. You could also buy now and pay later through Lowe's Pay, pay over time with Affirm, or use Lowe's Lease to Own over three to 12 months with a $59 initial payment.

Meanwhile, the only financing option at Best Buy is with a My Best Buy credit card. Instead of 20% back, you only get 10% back on your first purchase with this store card. If you spend at least $599 on a kitchen appliance, you can get 18 months of financing. However, there are sometimes some nice, limited-time offers, like financing for up to 24 months if you spend at least $1,499.

When it comes to warranties, Lowe's tends to have the best deals. This is especially true if you're looking for smaller kitchen appliances.

The protection plans at Lowe's change depending on product price. Coverage of small appliances are for two or three years, and large appliance coverage is for two, three, or five years. For example, for a Samsung side-by-side refrigerator that regularly costs $2,699, you can get a two-year plan for $124.97, a three-year plan for $154.97, and a five-year plan for $249.97. However, you'd only spend $19.97 for a 2-year plan for a Hamilton Beach coffee maker or $24.97 for a three-year plan.

Meanwhile, at Best Buy, if you have a My Best Buy Total membership, you automatically get a 24-month warranty on any purchase, making it so you don't have to buy separate warranties. The cost of this membership is $179.99 per year, so it could be a good deal when buying multiple large items. However, it only covers two claims during a 12-month period, and there's still a service fee between $9 to $99 depending on the original product cost. For smaller, cheaper kitchen appliances, that extra cost doesn't make much sense.

If you're planning to make several purchases from either store, Best Buy has better loyalty store perks that apply to buying kitchen appliances. Both have free membership options, but it's the paid memberships that offer the best perks.

Best Buy has three loyalty program levels at different price points. No matter whether you're buying small or large kitchen appliances, being a member of even the free loyalty program, My Best Buy, gets you free standard shipping. My Best Buy Plus costs about $50 a year, and My Best Buy Total costs about $180 per year. Both provide free two-day shipping, exclusive pricing, and a 60-day return policy. The more expensive Total plan also includes extended protection, 24/7 tech support, and 20% off repairs.

MyLowe's Rewards has three membership levels, too, but those depend on how much you spend yearly and don't cost anything extra. If you spend up to $499, you're considered a bronze member. Between $500 and $1,999 turns you into a silver member, and spending $2,000 or more makes you a gold member. You get more points for purchases depending on the membership level you're in, as different tiers get different exclusive offers. Plus, you get free standard shipping on everything, although you have to spend at least $35 to get free shipping if you're in the lowest bronze level. While this membership doesn't give you a whole lot of perks, at least it's free.

When it comes to the best options for delivery, installation, haul away, and recycling your kitchen appliances, Lowe's seems to have the best prices for many items. So, it's worthwhile to do some comparisons by putting items in your cart on each website to see which is the best deal.

If your item is being shipped or delivered to you from Best Buy, the delivery cost for large appliances is around $40. Some installation is included, but many large appliances require the purchase of accessories and have an extra installation fee. Refrigerator and electric range installation is free, dishwasher installation is about $220, gas range installation varies by location, and microwave installation ranges from about $170 to about $240 depending on type. The delivery service can haul away your old appliance for a fee of around $50.

The costs at Lowe's are visible when you put items in your cart online. It appears the delivery fee for large appliances tends to be around $40 if you're not in a hurry, although we did find an over-the-range microwave with a delivery fee of around $80. Interestingly, that delivery amount increased to $100 once the item was in our cart. So, you may have to watch for surprises. Installation fees also vary by item at Lowe's, such as $20 for a refrigerator, $60 for stoves, $240 for dishwashers, and about $170 for microwaves. Plus, you may need to purchase extra hook-up parts. Finally, Lowe's haul-away service costs around $50.

Finally, we want to note that Best Buy has the best return policy of the two stores. If the kitchen appliance you buy doesn't work or you made a kitchen-appliance-buying mistake like not measuring your space, you have a much larger return window with Best Buy and more return options.

Lowe's return policy frankly stinks, especially if you're spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on your kitchen appliance. For major kitchen appliances, you're only given a 48-hour return window. For small kitchen appliances, you do have 90 days to return it, but that's only if it's unused. The only exception seems to be if you use a Lowe's branded credit card for your purchase. In that case, you have 365 days for the return. So, if you're paying by cash or don't want to take out a store credit card, you're out of luck if your $2,000 refrigerator turns out to be a lemon on day three. Although, there's a toll-free hotline to call to set up a service appointment for defective items.

Best Buy's return policy is far more generous and reasonable if you're a rewards member. For standard membership (the free one), you get 15 days to return your product. However, if you pay for a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, the return window increases to 60 days. You can either return it to the store in person or use a prepaid return label to ship it back.

In seven out of 11 categories, Best Buy wins out against Lowe's when it comes to which is better for buying kitchen appliances. Of course, you'll want to weigh your individual needs and check on the delivery and installation reputation for your area's stores, but largely, it seems like Best Buy's the best option.

Best Buy has the best selection of large kitchen appliances available both online and for same-day pickup. Plus, it has more small kitchen appliances to view in store and pick up today. If you have questions or doubts, the salespeople there also tend to be more knowledgeable. The regular prices for kitchen appliances are often lower compared to Lowe's, and there are more applicable loyalty store perks with free and paid memberships. There's also that larger return window.

However, there are some purchase categories that might be better at your local Lowe's. For example, Lowe's has a larger selection of some small kitchen appliances. Depending on what you're purchasing, the delivery, installation, and haul-away prices may collectively cost less. In addition to better warranty options, Lowe's also offers more financing options.

To determine which store was best for kitchen appliances between Lowe's and Best Buy, we relied on information available online. We logged in to a specific local store in the same city for both companies. Then, we researched what was available, doing direct comparisons for the numbers listed online via shipping and offered locally for same-day pickup from each store. However, we would like to note that the numbers are likely to fluctuate from day to day and location to location. Ultimately, we made our final decision on which store will give you the best experience while shopping for kitchen appliances based on which company won more categories in our analysis. Although, which one is best for you may be different based on what you're buying, where, and which services you need.