Are there still retail stores that let you try out vacuums?

[fan-of-fans]

That's crazy those thrift stores won't let you try vacuums. It would be partly understandable if they let you return it if it doesn't work but to not even let you test it with no returns is just dumb. If they hassled me about testing something, I'd say "well then you should let me return it if it doesn't work".

I don't know of any thrift store here that doesn't allow testing of items, some even give a short warranty for a few days.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I happened to go into Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday, had to look at the vacuums of course. I noticed that there are actually outlet strips built into the shelving behind the vacuums, so I guess it was intended that you could try the vacuums out. Never noticed that before, and I didn't see them in any other departments, so it seemed to be purposely done for that section.

 

[n0oxy]

Bed Bath and Beyond

Not sure what vacuums they are selling now but I bought my Miele classic C1 olympus from there, a very nice straight suction canister. I was able to try it first to see what kind of power it had.
Mike

 

[scvacuumguy]

A favorite customer of ours spent over $300 replacing Dyson parts destroyed by screws (and obviously from a retail display). When we asked if he pulled these out of a trash can behind Target or Bed Bath, he claimed his child did it…

That said….

We welcome anyone to come to our stores and try everything out before they buy it- we even have a 10 day return policy . If any vacuum collector friends are vacationing in SC this year, please stop by and visit us- we are a very collector-friendly store. If you call first, I’d love to arrange to be there to greet you.

Www.vacuums-etc.com

Www.vacuums-etc.com

 

[human]

The last time I actually tried out a vacuum in a store, other than just turning one on for a few seconds at a thrift shop to hear the motor, was at a Sears in about 2001 when my (now-ex) wife insisted that we needed to spend $375 on a new Kenmore Progressive canister, sorry plastic piece of crap that it was. Our brief demo included the salesperson dropping some fake cat fur onto a piece of rug for us to vacuum up. If I knew then what I know now about vacuums, I would have torn down her Electrolux Discovery II that we were replacing, given it a thorough cleaning and perhaps a new belt and brush roll. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[tolivac]

REMEMBER when Sears Kenmore vacuums were QUALITY machines-and the demo area was indicated by one of their canisters blowing a beach ball up and down!

 

[suckolux]

Like it was yesterday!

 

[mjhoshaw]

This is somewhat off-topic, but . . .

. . . this thread reminded me of a visit with my parents to a Sears store in the late 60s, where halfway down the stairs to the lower level they had a central vac on display. It was connected and I pressed the correct button to turn it on. I was able to make sense of things and turn it off, and the salesman said I was the only person ever who had figured out how to do that! Memories like that stick around.

Joel