Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

   Customers are coming in  asking  about bags, belts and filters for cleaners that Wal Mart sells. They were told they were discontinuing these products and want the customers to go online when they need these items. When you need a belt or anything else ,it is," I need it now", not days from now. These customers didn't like being told they had to go to another store if they had what they needed. In our area it is 20 miles in three directions for a store.

  Many small businesses have been driven out of business by this company as well as other big box stores.I feel there will be a ressurection of the Independent Vac Shops because people will find getting parts and service there is better than going online and waiting. Looking at a cleaner and seeing what it will do is better than buying online and hope it does what it is supposed to. Online sales will still be made but having the service after the sale is still important. 

You can say what you will about your favorite brand but when it gets down to buying a cleaner going to a Vac Shop is the best way.  At Wal Mart and the other big box stores they sell you what they want to sell you. At least with Vac shops you can find a wider variety of Vacuums.The Door to Door sales peolpe also have a variety. It is if the cleaner meets the needs of the consumer that they buy.

                                                                                                           Procare

I concur with your conclusion, Carmine, and it means they are ripe for the plucking when the KIrby man comes to call. I rarely missed a sale when going up against  a DD/Hoover/Bissell? or Eureka

regards,

Trebor

Trebor wrote:

Hello Trebor:

So far, the latest Wal*Mart strategy is not working.  For the second year in a row, same store sales [opened one year] have declined.  Has the influx of Dirt Devil, HOOVER, and BISSELL turn away Mr. Sam Walton's loyal customers?  70 percent of Wal*Mart's clientele make $78,000 annually or less.  I suspect some of those W*M customers at the upper end of the annual wage scales don't buy into the new marketing ploys and instead head on over to the vacuum stores for the parts they need to repair/service their existing vacuums.  W*M stock dropped as did the stock market when W*M released the bad news.  Time will tell.  But clearly so far "the action alleys" as W*M likes to call its pallets of product in the aisles are not rewarding its bottom line. 

Carmine D. 

CarmineD wrote:
Costco in the UK are more or less the same. They used to sell a heck of a lot of bagged vacuums and then suddenly went cheap side with the TTi and pre TTi Dirt Devil Swift/ models under the Vax branding. A lot of them shifted but a lot of them were returned. I picked up quite a few cheapy vacuums there for clients after something, cheap and brands like AFK who are German had shockingly bad models with poor plastic and a lack of bags. Even their bagless models are total rubbish and Costco have stopped selling them. Quite surprised to see a Miele S5 Cat and Dog model last week though - maybe things are looking up. It was the only bagged vacuum available amidst bagless Chinese made cheap ones.

vacmanuk wrote:

Hello vacmanuk:

Very interesting.  This is consistent with the financial results reported by Wal*Mart this past week.  If 70 percent of W*M loyal customers have annual incomes of $78,000 [or less and I apologize for not converting into pounds or euros] then upper level income American shoppers, although in the minority, are closed out if no vacuum parts and high end vacuums are offered for sale.  Dyson tried to fill this void in W*M [plus Sam's Club] but a break down in their business relationship in 2005 stopped the dyson sales momentum.  W*M dumped dyson and took on less expensive bagless brands and models and stayed the course with them right up to now.  Dyson never was able to get a strong hold again in W*M stores.  All the spin here about dyson not caring and even better exclusive dyson models for W*M, after the reconciliation, was all wishful thinking.  Not just for W*M but other retailer chains all of which scrubbed the dyson exclusive models. 

Carmine D.

Off the Wal*Mart subject, except for tha fact that BEST BUY is using the same scaled down store size strategy, here is an article specifically about the trials and tribulations of BEST BUY stores.  Stock price down 21 percent, one of the worse performing sales for the 2010 holiday season, losing sales and profits to competitors, no longer a specialty retailer with products like Sony and Apple, savvy sales staff once its prode and joy, no longer making a diference, prices too high compared to competition, expecially amazon, on the ropes and worse yet to come.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112269/forecast-for-best-buy-worst-yet-to-come

Carmine D.

BTW, Wal*Mart increased its dividend by 26 percent to $1.46 a share.  Paying dividends since 1974, it is like all other years an increase over the previous years' payout to stockholders.  As I said, I rarely shop there. 

Trebor wrote:
My feelings have not changed.  Walmart is not getting rid of their vacuum cleaners.  Still quite a bit available.  Why would stores have every bag, belt, etc. for every vacuum cleaner on the market?  That is bad business for them.  Leave that for the parts department of manufactuer or vacuum cleaner shops.  Take a look at Targets bags, belts, etc.

Mike_W wrote:

Latest on Walmart downsizing. Talked about on this thread and site before.  If smaller is better according to the latest management thinking then by that thinking somethings have to go/get culled and/or replaced by something else.

http://blogs.forbes.com/retailwire/2011/03/15/walmart-testing-express-c-store-concept/

Carmine D.

As I said before my shopping sprees at WM are limited to several a year for one/few inexpensive items.  I hope the women win their class suit and WM changes its ways.

"What's Old is New Again"

Walmart's creating different stores is not new to some of us.  I am old enough to remember retail stores that had different store capacities.  Rose's had different store sizes.  Grant's had different size stores.  What about Sears and Penney's.  They had their regular stores w/everything, plus very small "catalog" stores.  Sears and Penny's smaller stores were for ordering/pick up and usually had clothing.  What about Woolworth's.  Well, they created Woolco.  We also had Kresge's who created Kmart. The idea of having different size retail is not new.  Walmart is doing the same thing.

There is no need to have large stores all over the place.  I remember visiting AZ. and having to choose which Walmart to go to, because they were so close together.  Carmine has made it known that he lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I would suggest to anyone interested, to go to the Walmart website and click on the "store finderr" at the bottom, then enter one of the Las Vegas zip codes within a 15 mile radius.  Look at all the Walmarts in that area.  Unbelievable.  Why does everyone of them have to be the large store. They do not.  That is why some of them are those small Neighborhood Market.  

All of the stores, in my area, continue to stock plenty of vacuum cleaners, bags, filters, belts, and other floorcare.

Ironically Mike all those retailers you reference are either out of business, struggling financially and/or on the brink of going belly up.  With WM having 7 straight quarters of down sales at same stores opened, it's management is desperate.  WM's big profits traditionally are from the largest stores, not the small.  That's why WM was opening 350 Super Stores each year.  But, alas no more.  May I suggest as discussion and thought that WM will shutter its large stores in time in favor of smaller ones.  Especially in areas that are saturated, like Las Vegas.  Reason is simple.  Cut costs and expenses.   Just my opinion and observation.  But... may become reality.   At which time, if this thread is still active, I'll post so.

Carmine D.

Another major retailer may be on the bubble ready to burst:  Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It's had a bounce up due to the shuttering of Linens 'N Things in 2008 but will it last?.  BB&B may, like BEST BUY stores, be a victim of the Internet which led more shoppers to seek out lower prices at on-line stores.  Especially troublesome for BB&B whose web site has been slow to take off with only ONE percent of its company sales and ranking 154th in e-commerce.  Costs are aslo a concern.  Suppliers ship directly to their stores not warehouses and distribution centers.  Harder to cut sourcing costs. 

Carmine D.