Non-fruitful shopping
For a refrigerator.
Our current one is 16 years old. It still runs fine, but it has no "modern" features like an automatic ice maker (and I am tired of having to empty and refill little ice trays all the time) or even a cold water and ice dispenser in the door. A newer fridge would also be more energy efficient.
The complicating problems:
1) Steve, who is 6'4" does not want to have to bend DOWN to get ice. I, at 5'4" and with some range-of-motion problems in both arms now, would rather not have to reach UP so much anymore.
2) The kitchen and its layout, cabinets, spaces for stuff, etc., dates from about 1963. The space between a wall and cabinets where the current refrigerator sits is quite severely limited. Most modern side-by-side and French door refrigerators (translation: the ones with the newer features we want) are too wide, too tall, and also too deep--the latter severely restricting anyone's ability to get through the doorway into the kitchen from the dining room.
3) We want to acquire a new refrigerator without having to substantially remodel the kitchen first or put the new refrigerator on the other side of the kitchen, where there is no water line for an ice maker, and which would also result in having to find something else to go in the spot where the current refrigerator is.
About six months ago, Steve took some measurements, wrote them on a slip of paper, and sstuck them in his wallet so we would have them with us if we happened to be somewhere that shopping for a new refrigerator was possible.
And then we got busy with life and never did go shopping together. I tried on my own a time or two at local stores, but with the needed dimensions in his wallet which was with him, not me, I never really got anywhere.
A couple days ago, I saw an ad from Sears for a French door model with was advertised as "slim" and did have the door dispensers for water and ice. So we went up to look, and Steve consulted the dimensions written on the paper in his wallet. Just wide enough, but too tall, and also too deep.
Tall is not as much of a problem. There is a small cabinet above the current refrigerator which is 15 inches deep. We know we could have it removed and replaced with a similar 12" deep cabinet, or even just a shelf. Too deep is definitely a problem. I don't want to have to squeeze past a refrigerator to get into my kitchen, much less worry about guests in our home having to do the same.
Yesterday we did some more intense shopping. We found a couple of things that might too. Just wide enough (according to the measurements on Steve's piece of paper), not too deep, and just tall enough (according to the measurements of that same paper).
Can you see where this is going? We found a refrigerator we liked. It was even the same bisque color as our current one so it would match the other appliances in the kitchen better than any of the more common modern colors (white, black, stainless). The measurements taken on the floor sample in the store were just right. We bought it, put the purchase on a credit card, and arranged for delivery next Tuesday.
Came home. I got on line, and went looking for the correct model on the GE web site, so I could quikcly point friends to a picture of what we'd bought. Uh oh.
The measurements given on line for this model are 1/2" wider and 1/2" taller than what Steve had measured in the store. But our current refrigerator has space all around it. Maybe the one we just bought will still fit. Measure the space again....
Major oops. The measurements on the piece of paper are of the available space... but Steve had never noted that, and in the intervening months since they were taken, we had both misrememebered them as the dimensions of refrigerator, which would have still allowed some "wiggle room."
So we had to call the appliance store this morning and cancel our order. I did some more checking on line and found a different model from a different manufacturer whose dimensions look okay except for the height (okay, we can replace the small cabinet with a shorter one)... but the only appliance store in town that carries this make is one we hadn't been too yet.
(sigh) We have to go shopping again and hope that this appliance store (locally owned, not a national chain store) is willing to order that model for us if it isn't one they normally carry.
Our current one is 16 years old. It still runs fine, but it has no "modern" features like an automatic ice maker (and I am tired of having to empty and refill little ice trays all the time) or even a cold water and ice dispenser in the door. A newer fridge would also be more energy efficient.
The complicating problems:
1) Steve, who is 6'4" does not want to have to bend DOWN to get ice. I, at 5'4" and with some range-of-motion problems in both arms now, would rather not have to reach UP so much anymore.
2) The kitchen and its layout, cabinets, spaces for stuff, etc., dates from about 1963. The space between a wall and cabinets where the current refrigerator sits is quite severely limited. Most modern side-by-side and French door refrigerators (translation: the ones with the newer features we want) are too wide, too tall, and also too deep--the latter severely restricting anyone's ability to get through the doorway into the kitchen from the dining room.
3) We want to acquire a new refrigerator without having to substantially remodel the kitchen first or put the new refrigerator on the other side of the kitchen, where there is no water line for an ice maker, and which would also result in having to find something else to go in the spot where the current refrigerator is.
About six months ago, Steve took some measurements, wrote them on a slip of paper, and sstuck them in his wallet so we would have them with us if we happened to be somewhere that shopping for a new refrigerator was possible.
And then we got busy with life and never did go shopping together. I tried on my own a time or two at local stores, but with the needed dimensions in his wallet which was with him, not me, I never really got anywhere.
A couple days ago, I saw an ad from Sears for a French door model with was advertised as "slim" and did have the door dispensers for water and ice. So we went up to look, and Steve consulted the dimensions written on the paper in his wallet. Just wide enough, but too tall, and also too deep.
Tall is not as much of a problem. There is a small cabinet above the current refrigerator which is 15 inches deep. We know we could have it removed and replaced with a similar 12" deep cabinet, or even just a shelf. Too deep is definitely a problem. I don't want to have to squeeze past a refrigerator to get into my kitchen, much less worry about guests in our home having to do the same.
Yesterday we did some more intense shopping. We found a couple of things that might too. Just wide enough (according to the measurements on Steve's piece of paper), not too deep, and just tall enough (according to the measurements of that same paper).
Can you see where this is going? We found a refrigerator we liked. It was even the same bisque color as our current one so it would match the other appliances in the kitchen better than any of the more common modern colors (white, black, stainless). The measurements taken on the floor sample in the store were just right. We bought it, put the purchase on a credit card, and arranged for delivery next Tuesday.
Came home. I got on line, and went looking for the correct model on the GE web site, so I could quikcly point friends to a picture of what we'd bought. Uh oh.
The measurements given on line for this model are 1/2" wider and 1/2" taller than what Steve had measured in the store. But our current refrigerator has space all around it. Maybe the one we just bought will still fit. Measure the space again....
Major oops. The measurements on the piece of paper are of the available space... but Steve had never noted that, and in the intervening months since they were taken, we had both misrememebered them as the dimensions of refrigerator, which would have still allowed some "wiggle room."
So we had to call the appliance store this morning and cancel our order. I did some more checking on line and found a different model from a different manufacturer whose dimensions look okay except for the height (okay, we can replace the small cabinet with a shorter one)... but the only appliance store in town that carries this make is one we hadn't been too yet.
(sigh) We have to go shopping again and hope that this appliance store (locally owned, not a national chain store) is willing to order that model for us if it isn't one they normally carry.