Latest news with #appliance
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
From refrigerators, to snacks, to detergent, US households are looking for low-cost alternatives everywhere
Americans looking to replace an appliance, restock their pantry, or refresh their household cleaning products all seem to be angling for the same thing right now — lower prices. Comments from companies ranging from Whirlpool (WHR) to Procter & Gamble (PG), as well as major snack brands like PepsiCo (PEP) and Coca-Cola (KO), have told investors this month that cautious consumers are also deal-seeking consumers. "We continue to see consumers choosing to mix into lower-end products," CEO Marc Bitzer of Whirlpool, the company behind KitchenAid mixers and Maytag kitchen appliances, told investors on the company's earnings call Tuesday morning. Bitzer said that "macroeconomic uncertainty marked by elevated interest rates and evolving trade policies negatively impacted consumer sentiment," leading to "suppressed demand" in its latest quarter. The company missed on both the top and bottom lines and cut its guidance in its latest quarterly results. Major domestic appliance sales in North America were down about 5% year over year and industry shipments were down roughly 1%. Whirlpool stock fell over 13% following the results. And this shift in consumer behavior is not only weighing on big-ticket purchases, but is also influencing buying behaviors for household cleaning essentials like laundry detergent. P&G CEO Jon Moeller told Yahoo Finance the company is seeing a "more cautious consumer in many parts of the world." "We are seeing modest trade-down within our branded portfolio ... different Tide offerings, there are some that are more premium than others, and we are seeing some trade down there," Moeller said. "We're also seeing some trade-down to brands ... like Gain." P&G also announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs by the end of fiscal 2027. Moeller said the restructure would allow the company to reinvest in the business and innovation to draw in consumers. Kelly Pedersen, PwC's global retail leader, said consumers are "super price conscious" and "really looking for any deal that they can get right now." Data from the Conference Board published Tuesday showed consumer confidence remains depressed from a year ago, with confidence in the labor market and fears over inflation weighing on outlook. "Consumers' write-in responses showed that tariffs remained top of mind and were mostly associated with concerns that they would lead to higher prices," said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at the Conference Board. "In addition, references to high prices and inflation rose in July." This week's comments from Whirlpool and P&G follow similar notes from food and beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which reported their quarterly results earlier this month. Coca-Cola CFO John Murphy told Yahoo Finance last week, Ppart of what we continue to be very focused on is to offer even more affordable options," as low-income consumers remain under pressure. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told investors on the company's earnings call that it is "trying to make granular investments in value, [to] make sure that consumers stay within our brands." He added, "Better entry points, better value every day, and that has been successful." Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@ Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Wall Street Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Whirlpool Cuts Dividend, Full-Year Profit Guidance as Tariffs Hurt Quarterly Results
Whirlpool WHR -1.83%decrease; red down pointing triangle cut its full-year profit guidance and nearly halved its quarterly dividend as it continues to contend with the effects of Asian manufacturers stockpiling imports in the U.S. market. The appliance maker said Monday it now expects adjusted earnings per share of $6 to $8 for the full year, down from its previous guidance of $10. Analysts polled by FactSet expect adjusted earnings per share of $8.96.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
10 best dishwasher tablets for sparkling clean glasses and crockery
If you don't have the time or energy to spend hours at the sink, a dishwasher can help you breeze through kitchen clean-ups. But what you use to clean your dishes is just as important as the appliance. Dishwashers need good dishwasher tablets for gleaming glasses and pristine pots and pans. Whether you're tackling baked-on pasta dishes or cloudy wine glasses, the best dishwasher tablets can make all the difference between a disappointing rinse and a showroom finish. But with so many options on the market, from all-in-one pods to plastic-free tablets, finding one that delivers can be tricky. Good dishwasher tablets combine powerful cleaning agents with rinse aid and salt, removing the need for extra products. They should also work well on short or eco cycles, and shouldn't leave behind a soapy film or chemical smell. To help separate the sparkling from the sub-par, we tested a wide range of dishwasher tablets to find options that performed well across different loads, from greasy baking trays to delicate glassware. How we tested Over the course of two weeks, I tested dishwasher tablets on a variety of loads in my kitchen. During testing, the tablets tackled everything from greasy roasting trays and plates covered in pasta sauce to wine glasses and cutlery. To keep things consistent, I stacked the dishwasher the same way each time and ran standard and eco cycles to see how each tablet handled different settings. I assessed these tablets on several criteria: Cleaning: the most basic metric, I ensured all of these tablets worked on tough, baked-on food like lasagna and tea stains. Dissolution: I needed all of these tabs to dissolve in every cycle; there are few things as annoying as leftover dishwasher tablet powder coating your dishes. Watermarks: I wanted glasses to come out sparkling, with no watermarks or residue. Eco credentials: Many dishwasher tablets contain phosphates that can pollute waterways. I looked for tablets free from phosphates and chlorine. Price per wash: Crucially, I wanted these tablets to be affordable, so I worked out the price per wash to see which tablets offer the best value. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Zoe Griffin has been evaluating and reviewing products for IndyBest since 2021, testing a wide range of cleaning products, such as the best laundry detergents, stain removers, and fabric conditioners. Taking into account choices for all budgets, from supermarket own-brands to premium options, Zoe's reviews are always based on her genuine experiences through real-world testing. The best dishwasher tablets for 2025 are:
The Sun
28-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I have a repair policy with Currys but it will not fix my fridge freezer – now I'm £360 out of pocket
Q. I PAY £36 a year for my Currys Care and Repair plan for my fridge freezer. The policy says that if my fridge stops working Currys will come and fix it within seven days, if not, I could get a replacement. 1 In October, my fridge developed a fault and would not keep my food cold. I called Currys and it sent an engineer to check what was causing the issue. After a few days I called Currys again and a man came to my home to fix my fridge. He said it couldn't be fixed so Curry would send me a new one. But I haven't heard anything from them since. I really needed a working fridge so I contacted another company. I paid £360 for a new fridge freezer, which was delivered the next day. I've wasted £36 and am now hundreds of pounds out of pocket. Can you help? Kathryn Cudmore, Lincolnshire. A. Your plan with Currys promised care and repair but you received neither when your fridge unexpectedly stopped working. I was disappointed to hear that Currys had fallen below its usually high standards. The Care and Repair policy promises breakdown support when you need it. Once you have signed up you should be able to contact Currys as soon as a device breaks. The company is so confident in its ability that if it takes more than a week to repair your appliance then you can get a replacement for free. Meanwhile, if the device can't be repaired then Currys will give you a gift card so you can get a new one. This is what you were told when the repair man came to your house. Despite these promises Currys left you out in the cold - which was more than could be said for your fridge freezer. I wanted to get your issue resolved as soon as possible so I put your case to Currys. A spokesperson apologised and said it was not the level of service Currys prides itself on. You have been sent a cheque for £333.32, which includes the value of the voucher, refund for your policy, original delivery, installation charges and the cost to recycle the old product. I am so glad the money is back with you. It is always worth complaining to a company if its service falls below the levels you were promised. Make a note of the date and time you made any calls to a company's customer service. Squeeze Team total: £223,150.
Wall Street Journal
12-06-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Soft Serve at Home? This $350 Kitchen Gadget Makes It Possible
Making soft serve at home hasn't, historically, worked out so well. Most countertop appliances are designed for hard ice cream. If you go Luddite and leave a carton of ice cream out to thaw just so, it easily ends up somewhere between a milkshake and soup. So, when appliance maker Ninja released the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi Soft Serve & Ice Cream Machine ($350) earlier this year, I was—cautiously—hopeful. Would the quality of the soft serve make it worth laying out the money and the counter space? First, you mix the base—largely milk, cream and sugar—in the provided pint container. (The Swirl comes with recipes.) Then you freeze it for 24 hours. The next day, you load the container into the machine, choose the soft-serve setting, and wait 4-5 minutes as a metal shaft with a toothy blade moves through the frozen base. Next, move the pint container to the Swirl's top left corner and ready a cone or cup. Hold the lever down for about 10 seconds, and a piston pushes the ice cream through a star-shaped silicone tip similar to the kind that pipes frosting onto a cake. The ribbon of soft serve meanders down slowly, tantalizingly. The ice cream will definitely be soft, but it can also be icy. My freezer was already set to zero degrees, but I learned that carving out a spot in the very back chilled the base faster, reduced the iciness and delivered a mouthfeel closer to commercial soft serve. I also found that the base works better with eggs, and experts back me up on this. 'I add eggs when I make soft serve at home,' said Kimberly Bukowski, a dairy foods extension specialist at Cornell University and former ice-cream-shop owner. 'Eggs are a natural emulsifier, so you can use yolks without necessarily having to use any stabilizers.' Adding a couple yolks did make for a richer consistency. You have to cook them first—for food safety and thickening—in a saucepan, to about 170 degrees. Ninja includes egg-based frozen-custard recipes in the book that comes with the Swirl. But this bit of fuss lengthened an already 24-hour-long endeavor. The easier route: Use store-bought hard ice cream as your base. Commercial ice creams have stabilizers to ward off iciness and come in flavors and colors tricky to replicate in your kitchen. (I happen to love an artificially green mint chip.) The machine is loud enough to make your kitchen sound like a wood shop. And it's big, with a 12-by-10-inch footprint. But it's also a twofer, since it churns scoopable ice cream too. Most important, while the ribbon it produces isn't quite as fat as what you get at Mister Softee, it comes close. Turns out, it is pretty exciting to make soft serve at home. The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
