BACK ORDER REALITY

The wine cooler and beverage center manufacturers enjoyed record sales for the months of November and December last year.  Up to that time, the industry showed a great reluctance to maintain high stock levels of their products.  As a result, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were faced with many orders that they couldn’t fill.  Back orders of these products became the rule rather than the exception.  Demand exceeding expected levels and lack of stock caused many a customer frustration.  The back order situation is still an issue as we start 2012.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 

The last couple of years, manufacturers generally did not expend a lot of money with new product development because of the general state of the economy.  For the last couple of years, the cooler models available for purchase remained a relative steady and unchanging list for customers to consider.  Since the first of the year, our business experienced an increase of discontinued models.  In our case, the discontinued models accounted for about 6 to 8 percent of our offered products.  Manufacturers at the same time began introducing new replacement wine cooler models, but the reality is they are still trying to catch up.

PRICE ESCALATION

Another customer reality is that prices on beverage and wine cooling appliances are increasing.  Pricing on many items have increased anywhere from 5 to 15 percent in the last 30 days.  Everyone will be paying more for these products as the year progresses.  Most manufactures now employ MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) pricing strategies for most of their best-selling top of the line models.  Customers will find it harder to find deals on the MAP priced products as everyone is required to advertise them at the same minimum price.  Retailers that violate MAP pricing directives can be suspended from offering these products in the future.  Pricing competition is obviously reduced as manufacturers and suppliers seek higher profits after a couple of tough years of declining business revenues.

THE FUTURE STATE 

I believe that the industry will use 2012 to settle into a situation where they will continue to develop new and innovative products to sell and get a better handle on demand so they can reduce the constant back order situation we are now in.  Of course, the state of our American economy and its ability to sustain consistent growth will ultimately define any industry outcome.

MY RECOMENDATIONS 

I do have some recommendations for you the consumer.  First, if you run into a situation of a back ordered product, don’t be reluctant to get on the list for the first restocked items.  Sometimes it is better to wait a bit rather than “miss the boat” on what you want.  Be sure and ask for price protection as newly stocked items might come with a price increase if you wait to purchase them later. Second, seek out a company where customer service is important.  Call the company and talk to a real human-being rather than a menu.  Companies that value you as a customer should make personal contact with you as your order moves forward.  Third, when purchasing the more expensive appliances, call the company sales people and ask for delivery capabilities and price breaks.  You will never know what is possible unless you ask.  Fourth, large companies don’t always have the best deals nor are they necessarily able to provide the best personalized customer services.  Some smaller retailers will be able to fill your needs just as well.  Lastly, when buying anything of significant price, do your research and perhaps go beyond page one of the search engine listing.

Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, 1/24/2012

The Avanti wine bottle coolers can be used in counter top, free standing and under counter applications.  Wine bottle capacity ranges from 8 to 166 wine bottles.  Features that are available include French door designs, table top to pantry size classes, dual zone wine compartments, clear and mirrored glass doors, slide out shelves, interior lighting, auto defrost and more.

The Avanti compact refrigerators are perfect when space is an issue as in a apartment, condo or dormitory room.  Avanti mini refrigerators range in capacity from 1.7 to 3.1 cubic foot capacity.  Several models also incorporate a small freezer section that will aid in keeping your food properly preserved.  Another Avanti appliance we carry is a unique ice maker water dispenser that will fit your kitchen counter top and make up to 30 pounds of ice per day.

We also carry two different Avanti Beverage Coolers.  Our Avanti Side-by-Side beverage center model has dual zone storage for both beverage cans and wine bottles and is made for either free standing or under counter applications.  The smaller Avanti beverage can cooler has a storage capacity of 3.1 cubic feet with a reversible door, adjustable shelves, auto defrost, stainless steel door trim and full range temperture control.

Ideal Wine Cooler’s original Mission Statement stated that we would continue to find more quality products to maximize the choices our customer has.  We believe the Avanti products that we have added will provide our customers with the best possible range of choice.

ALSO CHECK OUT OUR HALLOWEEN SALE THAT IS ACTIVE UNTIL THE END OF OCTOBER.  We have reduced pricing on our entire product line at our web store.  Additionally, you can get additional bonus saving of $10 to $30 dollars off the reduced pricing.  Any one purchasing more than a $750 cooler will also receive a FREE 1 year extended in home warranty that will add to the standard factory warranty.  For details CLICK here.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

FEATURES:
* Use in Free-standing or Built-in Applications
* Black Cabinet with Stainless Steel Trimmed Door
* Digital Temperature Controls
* Stainless Steed Trimmed Wood Shelves
* Stainless Towel Bar Style Door Handle
* Powerful Compressor Based Cooling
* Auto Defrost
* Dual Temperature Zones
* Blue LED Interior Lighting
* Reversible Door Hinges
* Security Lock
* Upper Zone Temperature Range is 54 to 65 Degrees F.
* Lower Zone Temperature Range is 50 to 54 Degrees F.

CAPACITY:
* 26 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 15.0 Inches x Depth 23.5 Inches x Height 32.0 Inches
* Depth With Door Handle 24.5 Inches

SHIPPING:
* FREE

MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Labor/1 Year Parts

If you ever had thoughts about having a wine cooler to store and age your favorite vintages, now is the time to take a hard look at this EdgeStar Wine Refrigerator.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Weight and Distance

If one is looking for a wine refrigerator that will store 24+ plus bottles of wine or a beverage center that will store over hundred cans, you must realize these appliances are going to weigh in at 100 pounds plus.  Weight is not the only factor related to shipping.   UPS, FedEx or standard freight shipping is also based on distance from the warehouse pick-up spot to the home or business of the consumer.  Obviously, an item warehoused in Los Angeles, for example, will cost more to ship to New York City than the same item warehoused in New Jersey.

Over Sized Package

Most shipping companies also have restrictions based on package sizing.  UPS typically will add an additional charge of over $50.00 per package for shipments exceeding their predetermined size limits.  This additional charge often results from “double-boxing” the wine cooler and beverage center appliances.  These appliances often come with glass doors and adjustable legs making them particularly vulnerable to damage from the shippers without the added box protection.

Delivery Issues

UPS and FedEx home deliveries are really geared to handle smaller packages quickly and efficiently, but give them something that weighs over 100 pounds and that quick and efficient operation begins to deteriorate.  Image a package delivery driver that comes to your neighborhood to deliver a heavy package to you and has to “man-handle” this heavy package to your door.  Our neighborhood UPS driver doesn’t even have a dolly to move it with.  One of our customers reported that their driver struggled with their delivery and eventually dropped it on the ground.  Our “double-boxing” requirement saved it from damage.

Wine Cooler Pricing Verus Cost

Any seller of wine and beverage refrigerators obviously has to purchase their products from a factory or wholesaler.  They also must determine the best pricing structure for retailing the appliances considering base cost, overhead expenses and required profit margin.  Shipping costs also become part of the marketing consideration.  Consumers are going to look at the bottom line by adding up product cost, shipping cost and potential sales tax costs.  The retailer that can market the “best bottom line” to the consumer will get the sale.  Retailers will use several different strategies for determining market bottom line figures.

Consumer Bottom Line

Consumers will rightfully continue to look at their bottom line total cost.  However, I believe they need to be more aware of the shipping dilemmas related to appliance weights, distance and boxing protection.  Before you buy take the time to call the retailer, some times better deals can be made than are presented on the web site.  For example, if a buyer is from an area near our warehouses, they will have much reduced delivery prices that apply or they may even be able to pick-up the item themselves.  Lastly, look for personal customer service where you can talk to a human-being and get the true facts about your bottom line.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Ideal Wine Coolers recognizes that much of the country is covered with that wonderfull white stuff called SNOW.   We are trying to melt some of it down by offering a sizzling hot winter sale of all of our products.  We feature an extensive line of undercounter, freestanding, dual zone, countertop, thermoelectric and locking wine coolers.   If you would like beverage storage that adds to your stylish furniture collection, we also carry wine cabinet furnture in many capacities and finishes.

Ideal Wine Coolers has over 200 different products for you to peruse that will meet your needs.  We pride ourselves on the personalized services we provide.  If you want to talk to a human-being instead of a computer, just call us on our toll free line (888-501-7749).  We will be more than happy to answer your questions and we even will take your order over the phone.  Just ask for Ron or Belinda.

We also want to extend our thanks and appreciation to our many customers from last year. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Ideal Wine Coolers is pleased to announce that we have added five new EdgeStar wine and beverage coolers to our store.  The EdgeStar 53 Bottle Front-vented Wine Cooler (CWR530SZ) has high-end features that you will enjoy like digital temperature controls, slide-out wood trimmed shelves, auto defrost, security lock, blue LED interior light, reversible door, double paned glass door and stainless steel towel bar handle.

DUAL ZONE COOLER

The EdgeStar 26 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler (CWR261DZ) has separate storage areas to keep your red and white wines at their optimum temperature.  Other features of this 26 bottle wine bottle storage appliance that are great to have are stainless trimmed wood shelves, digital temperature controls, blue LED interior lighting, auto defrost, reversible door and security lock.

HARD TO FIND OUT DOOR WINE COOLERS

Do you need beverage and wine cooler with an outdoor unit?   Wine cellars and beverage centers that are built to with stand the temperature variations of being located outdoors are hard to find.  We have added a Edgestar 3.5 Cu.Ft. Solid Door Beverage Center (OR320SS) and an EdgeStar Combination Glass Door Wine and Beverage Cooler (OBR900SS) that have the extra insulation and construction to operate efficiently in an outdoor environment.  Both of these units have a temperature range from 35 degrees to 50 degrees F.

ECO-FRIENDLY WINE COOLER

If you are looking for something smaller and eco-friendly,  look at our new addition of the EdgeStar 18 Bottle Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler.  This energy efficient wine cellar has dual temperature zones, silver trimmed tinted glass door, auto defrost, soft interior LED lighting and digital temperature controls.  The outside width of this unit is only 16.2 inches making it easy place anywhere in your home.

All EdgeStar products were carry are shipped to your front door FREE.  All of these new products are currently in stock and will ship in 1 to 3 days.

We have seveal other new wine cooler and beverage center products that are new and might work for you.  See our new products page.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

One of our objectives at Ideal Wine Coolers is to add product lines that will increase the choices of our customers.  Today, I am pleased to announce we have added an array of Summit under counter, pantry-sized and countertop wine coolers to our on-line store.

All of the products we have added are loaded with standard equipment features.  Some of those features include slide-out shelving, interior lighting, security locks, dial and digital thermostat controls and automatic defrost.  Several wine cellar models have upgraded wood trimmed shelving and are approved for COMMERCIAL use (e.g., ETL-S Listed and CalCode Compliant).

All of the wine cooler and beverage center cabinets are classy enough for free-standing applications that will make you the envy of your friends.  Many of the Summit wine cellars also can used for built-in placement in your kitchen cabinetry.

NEW COLORS ARE IN THIS YEAR

The new kitchen colors this year are basic black, white and stainless steel.  Most of the Summit wine refrigerators that we have chosen to feature give you options of selecting the right color to match your décor.  The wine bottle storage capacities of these new products range from 24 to 120 bottles of perfect storage for your favorite vintages.  Also some of the models are dual-zone wine cellars allowing for the best storage of both red and white wine.

All of the models that we are offering will ship FREE.  The price you see at our on-line store is the price you will pay; sorry, only Arizona residents will also get charged sales tax (low county rate – not the city rate).

Over 195 Products to Chose From

We now carry over 195 different products from several quality manufacturers like Danby, EdgeStar, Haier, Summit and Vinotemp.  Follow the links and see our great selection for yourself.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, Oct 2010

Most people enjoy more than one type of beverage.  I am no different.  There is an appropriate time to enjoy that glass of wine, cool can of beer or favorite soft drink.  The problem is how can you store and cool all these different types of beverages and still have them handy for serving.  What can you do when the proper storage temperatures of your choice beverages are different?  How can you keep your wine stabilized and still maintain ready access to the other cooling beverages?  What control options do you need to keep alcoholic beverages from the youngsters?

My Beverage Storage Solution

Historically, my home solution to this multiple beverage storage dilemma was the standard, full-sized refrigerator in the garage.  Our fridge was a classic “Harvest Gold” in color.  Harvest Gold appliances were popular years ago along with those that were that awful green cooler.  The cans were easily added to the main shelves and the narrow door shelves.  My bottles of wine were lain on there sides on one of the main shelves. I was careful to keep my white wines near the cooler bottom and my reds near the top.  Of course, the youngsters when retrieving a soda just pushed the wine around to access their favorite beverage.  Not to good for the wine. 

Store Your Beverages At The Proper Temperatures

In general, red wines should be stored close to 70 degrees F. and white wines between 50 and 60 degrees F.  Canned beverages are best when they are stored ice cold, closer to 40 degrees F. To solve this problem, you should look for combination beverage coolers that have two distinct cooling zones with separate temperature controls.  Keep your wine in one zone and your canned favorites in the other.  Commonly, these types of beverage coolers use the nomenclature of “dual-zone wine and can beverage centers”. 

Wine Should Be Stored On Special Shelves

The best way to store wine is on a shelf that is specially designed to conform to the shape of a typical wine bottle.   Shelving can range from the simple chrome rack system to an exotic wine storage cradle that is trimmed in fancy wood and glides out on roller guides.  Your wine will safely cool without unnecessary disturbance that could affect its taste and aging process. 

Don’t Give Youngsters Access To The Booze

My kids have grown up and now have families of their own.  The issue of youngsters accessing the refrigerator for other than non-alcoholic drinks pretty much disappeared until the grandchildren starting to arrive.  My concerns for securing the beverage refrigerator could not be solved with chains and padlocks around my aging “Harvest Gold” monument to the past.  If you have these concerns, there now is a simple solution, a locking beverage center.  Many of the new ones on the market have separate locks for each zone so you can structure your beverage storage to solve your security issues. 

A Door That Opens The Wrong Way

One other issue you need to consider, but is often over looked, is which way the door opens. The door on your beverage-storage-cooler must open correctly given the place you intend to install it.  Look for a beverage storage cooler that has reversible door hinges so you can make it open the way you want it to.  Additionally, while all of these products can be utilized in a free-standing application, under counter appliances must be front-vented, zero clearance coolers; otherwise, your rear-vented wine and can cooler will over heat and eventually give up the “ghost”. 

I have since replaced “Harvest Gold” with a new French door design, dual-zone, locking, front-vented combination wine and can beverage cooler with a smoke glass door trimmed in stainless steel with recessed handles.  Boy that was a mouth full!  As I always say, buy the beverages you like, store them properly in a combination wine/can cooler, serve them at the proper temperature and enjoy them immensely. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, August 2010

This month Ideal Wine Coolers is featuring one of its most popular wine refrigerator models with great pricing and free shipping.  Our EdgeStar Black 46 Bottle Dual Zone Front Vented Locking Wine Cooler (CWR460DZ)  is designed for either free-standing or undercounter applications. The wine refrigerator comes with a classic black cabinet and stainless steel trimmed glass door and venting grate. You can store either red or white wines, because this wine refrigerator has dual zones with independent temperature controls. The upper zone wiil hold 14 bottles of white wine with a temperature range of between 41 and 54 degrees F. The lower zone stores 32 bottles of red wine . This premium wine cabinet offers 4 slide-out shelves holding bottles in “reversed rack” style. The digital temperature controls, auto defrost, security lock, blue interior lighting and stainless steel towel bar handle will make owning this wine cooler a real pleasure. The powerful compressor based cooling will keep all your wines stored at just the right temperature. Look no further for superior wine storage.

FEATURES:
* Use in Free-standing or Built-in Applications
* Black Cabinet with Stainless Trimmed Door
* Digital Temperature Controls
* Stainless Steel Trimmed Wood Shelves
* Stainless Towel Bar Style Door Handle
* Door Locks
* Auto Defrost
* Dual Temperature Zones
* Blue LED Interior Lighting

CAPACITY:
* 46 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 23.5 Inches x Depth 20.75 Inches x Height 33.25 Inches
* Depth Included Door Handle 24.5 Inches

SHIPPING:
* FREE SHIPPING

MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Labor/1 Year Parts

EXTENDED WARRANTIES:
* Available For Purchase On This Product
* For More Information Go To the “Warranty” Page Tab on Our Website

Check out our selection of free-standing and undercounter wine coolers

Another popular EdgeStar 32 Bottle Wine Cooler is now back in stock. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

You can compare this product to our other dual zone wine coolers on our web site.

Ideal Wine Cooler’s Vinotemp 21 Bottle Thermoelectric Dual Zone Wine Cooler gives you the opportunity to control the temperature of your wine with two zones for red and white wine than can be individually set. This wine cooler has an energy-efficient, quiet operating thermoelectric cooling system that makes your wine storage vibration-free and good for the environment. Using no ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFCs or HCFCs in this cooling system, you will be sure you are doing your part to preserve the environment. The wine refrigerator should only be used in freestanding applications. This wine cellar has a black cabinet with stainless steel trim. The dual paned glass windows that have better insulating properties, better UV protection and are easier to clean. This wine cooler has a digital display with push button controls, interior lighting and classy wood pull out shelves. This wine chiller would compliment any home’s decor. Look no further for superior wine storage.

FEATURES:
* Dual-zone Wine Cooler provides Storage for Red and White Wines simultaneously at Temperatures you select
* Free Standing Wine Cellar with Dual-paned Thermal Glass Door
* Stainless Steel Ttrim with Black Body
* Ultra-quiet, Energy-efficient Thermoelectric Cooling
* Two Independent Temperature Controlled Zones
* 6 Sliding Wood Shelves for easy Storage and Access
* Digital Display with Push Button Operation
* Interior Lighting

CAPACITY:
* 21 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 13.5 Inches x Depth 21.5 Inches x H 32.13 Inches

SHIPPING & HANDLING:
* $99.00

LIMITED WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Parts and Labor

Check out our selection of free-standing and undercounter wine coolers

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, Dec 09