"What we thought would last four or five days, we were out of in three hours. So, we've actually placed additional orders today to restock," Jeff Hall, store manager for Bob Wallace Appliance Sales Inc. told WAAY in Huntsville on Monday.

Stories like Hall’s abounded among Alabama appliance retailers as the Alabama Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program kicked off Monday. Bob Wallace Appliance ran a newspaper ad on Sunday and radio and cable television advertisements Thursday through Sunday to boost sales during the rebate period.

BUYERS DOUBLE UP

An added benefit has been positive media coverage for Alabama appliance retailers. David Cohen talks to a TV reporter here.

The extra advertising effort and longer store hours paid off on the first day of the rebate program for the Huntsville retailer with heavy traffic there through mid-afternoon and more people buying not just one appliance, but two, the allowable limit per household to qualify for the federal rebates.

I know I tipped my sister off to the rebates in Florida, which depleted its funds in less than two days, and she bought both a refrigerator and a dishwasher.

South Alabama also reported heavy traffic as our state’s program began three days after Florida’s.

REFRIGERATORS,  DISHWASHERS TOP SELLERS
"We haven't even had lunch yet," Dan Chavis, co-owner of Chavis Furniture in Chickasaw, told the Mobile Press-Register at 2:30 p.m. Monday. "It's unbelievable." He said dishwashers had been the most popular offering, with his store selling more than 50 by mid-afternoon. He reported selling more than 30 refrigerators in the same period.

At Handy TV & Appliance store on Center Point Road in Birmingham store manager Mickey Watkins told the Birmingham News, the store made 15 to 20 sales in the first three hours, mostly refrigerators. Along with refrigerators and dishwashers, freezers, washing machines and room air-conditioners also qualify for the rebates in Alabama.

MORE CUSTOMERS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND
Kim Lucas, an appliance sales specialist at the Sears in the Bel Air Mall in Mobile, told the Mobile Press-Register that many customers shopped in advance and were expected to return later this week to make their actual purchases. At the time I posted this, 44 percent of the slightly more than $4 million available in Alabama had been reserved atwww.alrebates.com, which features a real time ticker for the amount of rebates reserved.

Many of those who reserved the rebates in advance of purchasing appliances will wait until the weekend or when they aren’t working to actually make their purchases. I’ve reserved a dishwasher rebate, although I’m not sure exactly when I’ll get to the store to make a purchase.

SOME STORES DOUBLE THE SAVINGS
Hopefully, retailers will continue coupling their own discounts with the federal rebates.

Like many retailers, Valley Appliance at 26958 U.S. 72 East in Athens is matching the federal rebate during the rebate offer period. “We take our rebate off the top,” Jarom Haynie told the Athens News Courier. Manufacturers also have timed rebates to coincide with the rebates in the various states. So if you are in the market for one of these appliances, do a little research and you could get a really good deal.

ENERGY SAVINGS THE GOAL
Stimulating the economy is just a byproduct of the federal rebate program. The primary goal is to get consumers to use less energy. A friend, to whom I sent my last missive on this topic, went to Cohen’s Electronics and Appliances in Montgomery and bought a new Energy Star dishwasher and got really excited, not only about saving $75 through the rebate, but about the savings she’ll see down the road. “I just bought a new dishwasher that says it will only cost me $33 a year to run!,” she wrote in a return e-mail.

PASS IT ON
So far, I’m responsible for at least three sales in Alabama and one in Florida (that I know of) by just passing along the information about the appliance rebate program.

You could have the same results. Don’t let your friends or customers miss out on the opportunity to save some bucks and energy at the same time.

SECOND WAVE POSSIBLE
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs expects all of Alabama’s allotment for the rebate program to be reserved within a week. However, some of those who reserved rebates won’t make their purchase or get their paperwork in within the 15-day deadline. Whatever money isn’t claimed will be distributed to those on the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis. Alabama retailers could see a second surge of customers in the first and second weeks of May.

To reserve your rebate, go to www.alrebates.com.