But she says she’s in better shape in terms of inventory as compared to some large chain stores. MacLeod said she’s not taking deposits on items for which she has no delivery date. MacLeod got one bit of good news this week from a distributer: She says a washing machine she sells for $499 is coming back in stock, which she said “is exciting.”īut even now the inventory level in her warehouse is at 40 to 50 percent of what it had been before March, she said. The next least-expensive washer in stock has recently been selling for $535 before tax. “Those have been on order since April,” MacLeod, 42, said. Before the pandemic raised its ugly head in March you could buy a no-frills washing machine at Iz Schwartz Appliance for about $400. Manufacturers across the board, she said, have continued to significantly limit the size of their workforce in order to abide by social distancing guidelines.Įntry-level home-appliance models were the first to sell out. Some of those suppliers, she notes, temporarily shut down their manufacturing plants once the severity of the pandemic became apparent.
MacLeod said the COVID-19 coronavirus during the last nearly five months has crimped the ability of both domestic and foreign manufacturers to keep up with demand for merchandise. MacLeod, however, said she had to close her showroom from March until May 1, during which time she concentrated on online sales.Īnd she says it wasn’t until June 1 that customers could come inside the building without an appointment. Iz Schwartz Appliance and other stores of that ilk never had to completely shut down because of their designation by the state as “essential businesses.” MacLeod became sole proprietor 12 years ago after the death of her father Barry, who in the 1980s had gone into business with his father.
Grandfather Isaac Schwartz opened it in 1979. Hers is one of the few remaining independent, retail appliance stores in Greater Fall River. “Demand has been just enormous and supply is down, and that’s not a good combination,” said Leah MacLeod, owner of Iz Schwartz Appliance on Slade’s Ferry Avenue in Somerset. That’s been the paradox for local retailers of white goods - appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers - who since the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic have engaged in a balancing act of selling what they have while waiting for suppliers to replenish their inventory.
SOMERSET – Demand is fine, but without supply it can be a tricky proposition.
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