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Thread Number: 40128
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
I miss "real" vacuum departments at stores! |
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| Post# 426015 5/25/2020 at 16:23 (1,429 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
I was thinking of this today. I so miss the real vacuum departments, like Sears has or Montgomery Wards if I had been old enough to go to one.
What I enjoyed about Sears is the vacuums were usually not that high up, so you could get a good view of them even on the shelves. They were happy to get any of them down, let you look it over, and try it out. There were power outlets on the floor and on power strips on the walls for just that. Sometimes I'd go in and there would be vacuums plugged in from people trying them. Another thing I enjoyed was all of the bags, attachments, etc were right there with the catalog of numbers. And also, they sold returned and ex-display vacuums at discounts. For me, it was not unlike the fun of going to a car dealership. Seeing all the new models, seeing the discounted used ones for sale, and then if you wanted, going for a test drive. I miss this. No other store for me has been the same. Kmart, Walmart, Target, they most all had/have the vacuums way up high. You can't look up close, and I don't think you could try them out. My understanding is they may not have motors in them even. I guess vacuum stores give you all of this experience, in a better way, sure. But there aren't any in my area anymore. Anyway, if anyone knows of a department store or big box that has such a vacuum department, I'd like to know. I bet that at one time, JCPenney was probably pretty close. But theirs is no different than anyone else now. They really are just stuck in the back hallway from what I remember. | ||
| Post# 426017 , Reply# 1 5/25/2020 at 16:48 (1,429 days old) by Mieles5380leo (Virginia) | ||
I completely agree | ||
Post# 426018 , Reply# 2 5/25/2020 at 16:50 (1,429 days old) by JustJunque  (Western MA) |
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I don't know of a store with a good vacuum department.
But, to your other point; just for the novelty of it, I bought a Dirt Devil...sort of a stick vac. I don't remember the model off hand. Anyway, it was never supposed to be sold to the public. The outer box is marked Walmart display unit or something like that. It looks just like the working unit, but no motor or cord or anything. Barry | ||
| Post# 426019 , Reply# 3 5/25/2020 at 17:00 (1,429 days old) by Marks_here (_._) | ||
I remember all that like it was yesterday
Not just vacuums but small appliances, the variety of quality made products and in all different colors too. It was also exciting on garbage day because you would see vacuum boxes outside and you knew what vacuum they bought. Zayers, Woolworth, Jeffersons, GeeBees and Grants had long isles full of vacuums, Golden Triangle, Leeds, Kaufmans, and Britts were a little more condensed in a smaller area.
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| Post# 426043 , Reply# 6 5/25/2020 at 20:55 (1,429 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky) | ||
It is tragic
I would have loved to see a big box store with a "try out" vacuum section. I know there are still a couple sears close to me, but they have been all but shut down. I know Walmart has special ones made for them with screwed on tags, no removable or functional parts, and no motors or real cords. Just fake ones with no prongs. The only brands Walmart doesn't do this with is Shark and maybe Dyson.
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| Post# 426044 , Reply# 7 5/25/2020 at 21:17 (1,429 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
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That Electrolux guy sounds very nice. I've always wondered whether there are or were door to door salesmen here. I've never seen any in my town, but there are a good number of Kirby, Rainbow, Electrolux that show up of various ages, so you think there must be some. My grandmother bought her Rainbow from a door to door salesman back in the late 80s.
I've only been to one Kohls, but I do seem to remember the displays being closer to the floor. In the UK, I heard of a department/electronics store that has more of a setup like Sears, with the vacuums lower and having carpets and demos. Currys maybe is the name? You'd think with some of our stores like Best Buy they'd offer something like that. The only place here that I know of that might possibly do demos is one of the appliance stores. They sell Orecks. I do look at the vacuums at Walmart from time to time. Never looked that closely to see they don't have prongs though. Hmm, that's neat you have a display model like that. | ||
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Post# 426051 , Reply# 8 5/26/2020 at 00:12 (1,429 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I loved visiting the appliance depts. | ||
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Post# 426055 , Reply# 9 5/26/2020 at 00:42 (1,429 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC) |
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I remember a vacuum-usually a Lux or a Kenmore-set up as a blower and blowing a beach ball up and down! | ||
| Post# 426058 , Reply# 10 5/26/2020 at 02:34 (1,429 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell ) | ||
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| Post# 426061 , Reply# 11 5/26/2020 at 04:41 (1,429 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
Menards has a vacuum section with display models on the floor or a low shelf, not sure if they can be plugged in or not. I have heard vacuums running sometimes but mostly they just collect dust. They are shoved against the back wall under the mezzanine in the dark.
Lowes has their vacuums out and you can plug them in too - I always see them very filthy and scratched up or someone stole the tools - so people do try them out. They do not do very good of course on a concrete floor. However all are working out of the box models - no tricks. I do have a ex-Walmart store display Dyson and although it is a real model - they cut the cord off and for whatever reason who knows why, they superglued the on/off switch in place so you cannot use it even if you somehow got the cord. Luckily superglue can be foiled easily by nail polish remover - but still annoying. My Menards actually uses a Shark Navigator as the store vacuum for the lighting department, entryway, and mattress section. I have never paid full retail price for a vacuum though. I get them on eBay for 90% less as broken and fix them myself. Got several $250 vacuums for just $30-$40. I go into the store and look at them and say "hey there's my vac" lol | ||
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Post# 426062 , Reply# 12 5/26/2020 at 06:28 (1,429 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC) |
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I am wondering if the Best Buy in Greenville is going to reopen because of the corona virus thing.Last time I tried to go there about two months ago-shuttered tight-lights off!Miss them!The ONLY electronics place in Greenville. | ||
| Post# 426069 , Reply# 13 5/26/2020 at 11:05 (1,429 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 426070 , Reply# 14 5/26/2020 at 11:23 (1,429 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211) | ||
Yes, I can remember going into Macy's as a kid and racing to the basement level "The Cellar" to see the vacuum display. It was so much fun to see the then-new Hoover Concept One & Celebrity out on the floor. We had a Dial-A-Matic and I always hoped my parents would spring for a new Concept. Thankfully now I have a few ;-)
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| Post# 426073 , Reply# 15 5/26/2020 at 14:59 (1,428 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
I was thinking of making a snarky response to this topic by saying that I miss real vacuums here in the age of plasticrap vacs, but I shall refrain.
As far as nirvana-like childhood experiences visiting the vacuum displays at department stores, I have none. I remember getting hands-on with the vacuums in our home at an early age and being mightily impressed by an in-home demo of a Kirby Classic Omega at about age nine or ten. I was disappointed we didn't buy the machine. I think in-home product demos were free entertainment for my mom. Honestly, I don't really remember spending time in the vacuum display of a department store as any sort of special experience. We might occasionally breeze through to pick up bags and belts, but that's about it. | ||
| Post# 426075 , Reply# 16 5/26/2020 at 17:28 (1,428 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
I guess Canadians like me should feel grateful we still have The Hudson Bay department store. Though its vacuum department is now quite small: only Dysons and Mieles. Same for our Best Buy Canada stores.
I’ll never forgot the amazing selection of vacuums at stores in Florida when our family had a vacation condo in Hallandale (we traded up to a condo in Pompano Beach later). Going into Service Merchandise or Brandsmart in the 1980’s and 1990’s for me was like a visit to Disney World!!! 😀 | ||
| Post# 426722 , Reply# 18 6/9/2020 at 18:56 (1,414 days old) by whiteley03 (Tulsa, OK) | ||
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| Post# 426745 , Reply# 19 6/10/2020 at 07:40 (1,414 days old) by pr-21 (Middletown, OH) | ||
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| Post# 426756 , Reply# 20 6/10/2020 at 12:48 (1,413 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Local vacuum shops...
There's a vacuum shop here in town that purports to be a Kirby dealer but it's in a somewhat sketchy part of town (perhaps appropriate for Kirby's notoriously sketchy sales force) and the sign has an outdated logo that that hasn't been used since Reagan was in the White House. I do have one Kirby G6 that I picked up at a local thrift store that has a dealer decal with that store's address on it, so it apparently was legit, as recently as the late '90s. But now, I'm not so sure. It's never seemed to be open on the rare occasions I've driven by it so I've never bothered to stop in.
The Aerus dealer, which was located just a couple of miles from my house, closed its doors a few years ago when the shopping center in which it was located got remodeled and presumably the rent went up. There's now a pizza place in that spot and the closest Aerus dealer is about 40 miles away. | ||
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Post# 426757 , Reply# 21 6/10/2020 at 12:58 (1,413 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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There are still 2 near me. | ||
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