And the winner is: Amazon.com. For the third year in a row, readers of Consumer Reports rated the site the best place to buy small appliances.

The magazine's deputy home editor, Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, says Amazon gets high marks for price, selection and ease of use.

"I think Amazon does very well because it's a very seamless, easy shopping experience with a large selection of products."

Lehrman says independent stores rated also very well.

"People are just happier when they buy their large or small appliance from independent stores."

In this year's Consumer Reports survey, Lowe's outscored Home Depot.

"Lowe's generally did better for product selection and shopping ease, but neither one of them particularly stood out for product support."

And Wal-Mart picked up the rear at number 10. It got an average score for price, and low-ratings for selection, ease of shopping and checkout.

So here are the rankings for places to buy small appliance.

Amazon.com, independent stores, Costco, Lowe's, Sears, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Target, Best Buy and finally Wal-Mart.

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Best Appliance Stores