I just bought a 36" from costco online. http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11484453/valore-valore-915-36-inch-bath-vanity-reviews/reviews.htm Their selection is limited, but they sell quality stuff. I have been happy with other furniture they sell too. Not as cheap as the big box stores, but also much higher quality with real wood.

I think some of the people commenting are missing your question. Manufacturers of plumbing fixtures and lawn mowers for example make "less expensive" lines which they pour into the big box stores. Then, at show rooms or manufacturer stores, they fill will higher end products. For example a John Deere mower will cost you more at the dealer, not because they jacked up the price, but because it's a higher end model that at the Home Depot. Most people don't wanna spend $6,000 on a mower so John Deere makes less expensive mowers. Ditto for plumbing fixtures. Your plumbing show room and Lowe's may indeed carry Moen, Delta etc. but those companies make less expensive faucets for the big box stores. There are more plastic pieces for example. That faucet may last you 5 years, but if you spend just a little more at the plumbing show room, your facet will have more metal pieces and last much longer. All a manufacturer's products will be decent, but the low end stuff ends up at the big box stores for consumers who wanna make a change but are on a budget. I see no reason why appliance manufacturers don't do the same. If you compare model number to model number exactly, then you will get the same product. However, I'm sure the big box stores and Best Buy don't even carry the high end stuff. So if appliances are anything like mowers or plumbing fixtures, you get what you pay for and YES, it's better to buy appliances at an appliance center instead of the big box stores but only because they'll have available units that the big box stores don't even get which would include more "meant to last" products.

Thanks for your thoughts here, this helps. I would love to save the $$$, and $2200 could go far with lots of extras around the house. Anyone out there think it would be foolish to buy an open-box appliance like this? Scrappy, the Viking definitely does not have timed cooking, but I think the Siemens does. I'm not 100% sure yet, though, because I can't find a manual for this model (it has already been discontinued and the material online so far is not very thorough.) Weedmeister, yes, it is "as is" and they say that if you have problems, you will go through the manufacturer warranty channels. I'd love to plug it in before I bought it, but I don't know how to do that with the 40 amp cords hanging off the back. (Remember that I am the girl intimidated by the touchpad!) I like the idea of the 11" hob for use with a large flat griddle. I have a toddler who eats pancakes and grilled cheese 100 times a week. Thanks again for your thoughts!

just went through this myself. I ended up with 2 sofas from Cisco Brothers, a California company that is not that well represented in the northeast. I wanted a mid century modern look, but since I needed 2 sofas, I couldn't buy higher end and didn't want shoddy quality. I absolutely love them, they're gorgeous and sized just right for a 40 yr old home that's not huge. Check out Cisco's website and see if can find a dealer locally...the website really doesn't reflect well on their wonderful products. My sofas measure about 33 inches tall, 83 inches wide...not sure if I measured the inside seat depth properly, but I'm getting around 22 inches. I ended up ordering mine through a interior designer who knows their products well, and she gave me the same price a local chain was offering and better service, I might add. Good luck, I spent more time on this than I'd like to admit, so I appreciate the difficulties you're facing.