Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

ORECK - The business, the history, the machine, the man and related.

(Below: Oreck 1979 to 2008)

  < yr. 1979  < yr. 5/2008

CarmineD wrote:
The main expense in the Oreck is the advertising.   With out ads the parts would likely cost $50.

I wouldn't doubt the amount.  I know that the HOOVER Convertibles were estimated to cost about $12 for parts to produce at the end of the 50's after only several years of production.  By the early 90's the parts' cost was probably still the same and perhaps less.  Such are the cost benefits and advantages of using the same design and applications in product production for many years.  It's called economies of scale.  In part, the reason that the retail prices of products should trend down over time.

Add labor costs [people] and overhead [which includes advertising] to the parts' cost and these bring the cost of the product up.  There are 3 main components to factor into a product's unit costs:  Labor, Material and Overhead.  While one [or more] may go down, the other component[s] may go up.

Carmine D.

Just a thought but . . .

Advertising is probably the most difficult part of selling to maintain an overview of as there is no exact measure per  part  or what its worth.  How much starts up word of mouth -- something you can't just buy -- as opposed to the influence of an actual ad campaign that constantly hits the public via TV dollar for dollar?. 

The services of public relations and advertising firms neither come cheap or are freely given.  They rack up money by billing for time used developing strategy, thinking about strattegy while in the loo or for actually talking about  strategy while on the phone. Even the expense of lunch served during meetings is added onto the client's bill.  In turn, product makers are not about to "eat" the cost themselves.Its only logical that their advertising expenditures are worked into the price of what they sell.

Oreck is whatever Oreck is, but I think what has helped to sell it is the same style advertising in the form of a reassuring father figure that helped the late great Orville Redenbacher, Colonel Sanders and Frank Perdue sell their respective products, popcorn, fried chicken and poultry products. Maybe Halo would have come out better if they'd rented an old man and shoved him in front of a camera.

Venson 

Venson wrote:

I never felt like I was overcharged fpr popcorn or chicken.  Orville and the Colonel offer a supreme product and no frills or freebies.

Hiyardsell,

I'm sure you must live in a very blessed part of the country and am glad for you.  Please give me the name of your town so I may move there too.    However, in my neck of the woods, New York City proper (and please don't take that as bragging) the comparison for the cost of a plain old whole "fresh" chicken that I could buy from my local supermarket rates as exhorbitant.  The exact same price will not cover that of a couple of the old colonel's fried chicken breasts that would seem to price as though prepared as  haute cuisine.  Not even talking today but  several years back, I could probably have bought a whole chicken plus the farm it was growm on for far less money  than a few pieces of franchise-fried chicken even then.

If I recall correctly you made mention that you could get baking soda for fifty cents.  I just paid $1.29 for one box today.  To me it only goes to prove that whatever they wrote about all men being equal in The Constitution doesn't apply once you start shopping.

As well and as I stated, my comment was not to uplift Oreck but simply to say that the "Trust Dad," campaign seems to have worked well and people often to buy into it.  We have lived our lives here trusting Betty Crocker and the guy who made Dad's Rootbeer  -- and Arthur Godfrey too.

I know.  You're too young to remember.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson,

I would think that you are complaining rather than bragging about living in NYC.    An ole southern boy could not exist with all those damn yankees.  Just kiding of course.  I genuinely enjoy people from all over.

The generic brands of bs are cheaper than the major brand.  A visit to the shower also shows that all men aren't created equal.

If I do not remember Dad's, Arther Godfrey Art Linkletter and numerous others it has more to do with memory loss than being too young.  Thanks for the complimenty anyways.

Hi Venson:

Arthur Godfrey was a TV icon and 'father' of TV talk/entertainment shows.  But Arthur lost some TV fans when he fired LaRosa.  Didn't sit well with many of his Italian American viewers.  He was strongly identified with Lipton tea.

Linkletter is simply amazing, just like Dave.  Art is in his 90's.  He suffered a minor stroke earlier this year.  I saw Art several years back [2002] at a local hotel/motel in Woodbridge VA, 25 miles outside Washington DC.  Humble and generous man.  When I read he was in Wash DC for an event I did some research to learn where he was staying.  I wasn't surprised in the least that he shunned the expensive downtown DC hotels for a less costly and secluded place to stay 25 miles away.  I wandered into the breakfast area of the hotel at about 8 AM and shorly after Art showed up by himself.  We had a pleasant meeting.  Art was gracious to all there, young and old alike.  And was quickly recognized. 

Bill Cosby's show with kids was a remake of Art's.

Seems the "classics" never die and legends live forever.

Carmine D.

ORECK's latest vacuums returned to the Consumer Reports ratings in October 2008 and fared decently.  The Titanium is the latest ORECK XL21 top of the line and comes in at number 10.  The XL Deluxe is new for ORECK as well.  Both models rate Excellent for barefloors and emissions while the XL Deluxe also scores Excellent in pet hair removal and trumps the higher priced Titanium which only musters a Good.

The ORECK Canister [Dutch Tech] also gets Excellent in barefloors, emissions, and pet hair removal as well as a noteworthy Very Good for noise.

Carmine D.

Check out their newly redesigned machines at www.oreck.com.

I assume the motors are the same, but has anyone tried these out by chance?

Hi Vaclov:

Not yet had the pleasure but it is definitely on my to do list.  I'll probably trade my current XL Classic for one of the newer ORECK models if I can negotiate a decent deal with the local ORECK HOME CLEANING CENTER.  BTW, note the edge cleaners on the new models.  Can't miss them in the video photo with the 360 degree view.  They are among the best designed/functioning in the vacuum industry, IMHO.

Carmine D.