Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Thought the Dyson discussion board would be interested in reading a small article about the Tacony Museum. Also Carmine's old friend.....

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/hit-the-road-jack/hit-the-road-jack/2009/08/new-museum-opens-at-st-james-on-historic-route-66/

dusty wrote:
Thank you Dusty.

Can you break it down further?  1)  How many Canadian vacuum independents are there?  2) How many American vacuum independents are there?


DIB

dusty wrote:

Dusty:

I'm happy to hear that from you.  Remember once you said I can't use myself as a standard because of my vacuum industry background.  Well here's a case where you are right.  When I go to a big box store to buy a HOOVER TEMPO or DD Kruz, I know exactly what I want to buy and why.  These purchases are genrally less than $100.  I don't need the expertise of an indy to assist in that purchase as most non-vacuum industry customers with $50-$150 to spend. 

In my years of the business, most parents pass down their indy store brands to the kids when they go off on their own.  Usually replacing it with a new indy store brand and having the old one repaied by the indy.  In fact 2 and 3 generations like this of customers keep my business humming for 44 years. 

Carmine D.

BTW Dusty, since you can't buy rebuilts from big box stores, I wholeheartedly agree in the $50-$150 price range indy's are the place for rebuilts.  In fact, many of the indy rebuilts are better than the the newer brands/models that are 2, 3, 4 and 5 times the price of the indie's rebuilts.  Way to go.

Carmine D.

HARDSELL wrote:

You know HS if you substitute "dyson" for Indy I would agree 100 percent with your statement.

Carmine D.

Dusty:

With regrad to rethinking my vacuum purchases:  Here's my business philosophy for vacuum purchases for all buyers not just me: If you're looking for a one time vacuum purchase at the cheapest price for the short term use:  Big box retailers are your venue.  If your looking for value vacuum products for the long term and a business relationship with a reputable store owner/operator for the vacuum purchases, indy's are your venue.  

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
Your philosophy seems to go against much of what you say here.  The vacuums I sell between $50 and $150 are new and not rebuilt and they sell for the exact same price as the box stores. Why do you not think the independent vac store does not need your business when you're buying in this price range?  We do not make a great deal of margin on the original sale but you put 20 or 30 sales together and the amounts at the end of the month add up.  By skipping the independent all together you are taking that chunk of income away from them every month.  BTW, I have no problem with people coming into the store, pointing to a vacuum to buy, and selling it to them...just like the big boxes.  You should give it a try at your local vac store next time you buy a Hoover.  I'm sure they'd be happy to do business with you.

Dusty

Hello Dusty:

I frequent two indies here in North LAs Vegas for my vacuum purchases not counting the 2 ORECK stores I visit adn buy from.  Neither of the Indies sell the HOOVER TEMPO's and/or DD Kruz.  I bought the latter for my Wife who liked it when she saw on HSN.  The novelty wore off and my daughter inherited it.  She doesn't use it, but my 5 year old grand daughter does and enjoys vacuuming with it.  The HOOVER TEMPO's were bought with a specific purpose in mind.  To compare the MExican made HOOVER/Maytag with the China made TTI/HOOVER.  I posted the results here and then quickly gifted the TTI/China TEMPO to a local church.

My sense based on my own personal and professional vacuum experience, is that indies here in the USA shy away/avoid new vacuum brands and models in the $50-$100 range that compete head on with the big box stores.  They can't compete on the sales prices.  Maybe Canada is different? 

Carmine D.

BTW Dusty, if the HOOVER store was still in business at the time, I would have made the purchases from it.  As I did with the HOOVER WT Supreme which I paid $150, [about $30 higher than the big box stores were selling], HOOVER Ultra lightweight, and about one dozen HOOVER Sliders.  Sadly when I purchased the TEMPO's the HOOVER store had closed.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
No wonder they closed.  You told the world that you bought 2 vacs from a bb store.  Remember Carmine, the world sees what you write and since you are a pro they do as you do.  

CarmineD wrote:
Hi Carmine,

Nope,  Canada is no different.  The difference is in attitude.  We have dealers here that won't touch low end machines because they don't make enough money on them and that's the only reason.  We don't usually have a problem matching most department store sales (occasionally someone sells below our cost, but that happens with high end too) , we may only make 20 or 30 dollars but we also pick up bag sales, service and of course a new customer.  Personally I think dealers that won't deal with low end because of margins are rather short sighted.  Getting a customer when they are young, and that means usually selling low profit product, means keeping a customer for life if you treat them right.

Dusty