Big Box vacuums - 80s and 90s

[fan-of-fans]

I was wondering what kinds of vacuums Walmart sold in the 1980s and 1990s? The only machines I can remember were green Dirt Devil Featherlights. Did they once sell Hoover Convertibles?

Kmart I can seem to recall better. I know they had Hoover Elites and straight suction Spirit canisters, as well as Eureka Mighty Mites around 1996. Then about 1998-2000 I remember the Fantom Thunder, Fury and Lightning on display. I sort of lost interest after that until they started selling Kenmores after the Sears merger.

 

[thevacuumguy96]

I know back in the 90's Wal Mart used to sell Eureka Bravos and Hoover Windtunnels.

 

[super-sweeper]

They sold Singer Twin-Fans in the early 1990's,My farther purchased one back then,And now i own one too

And i think K-Mart sold the runabout.By Hoover,
And maybe convertibles too,

That's all i remember at the moment

-Alex.

 

[director12]

What does Zach think of this thread, because he bought his vacuums from Wal-Mart and Sears?

 

[cleaningbuff]

In 1985 K Mart was selling Hoover convertibles in Iowa.
I worked at Kmart in Keokuk Ia in the camera and jewelry dept.

 

[briguy]

Cole, I know for a fact that Wal-Mart sold the Hoover Legacy upright hardbody. I bought one new in approx. 1993. They also sold the Regina brand as I bought a Regina Steemer Carpet cleaner about that same time. I also purchased the Eureka WorldVac. I had the soft bag version of it. As was already mentioned they also sold various versions of the Singer System twin fan uprights as well as a plastic canister Singer.

I also remember the Hoover Concept line being at WalMart. They came assembled & the box was a pyramid shape to allow for the handle.

 

[durango159]

My hometown did not a Wal-Mart anywhere near it growing up. So it was almost a novelty to see one on vacation. My family did buy a Dirt Devil 103 hand vac at a Walmart in the 1990's, but I don't think I was on that trip, or don't remember any vacuums that Wal-Mart had.

Kmart always carried their exclusive Hoover Runabout line. Typically it was a soft and hard bagged model Elite. Also they had an Encore style straight suction canister that was a blue Hoover Runabout. One time in a Kmart I saw a Hoover Futura I believe 850 canister vacuum with power nozzle. It was in the box on the top of the shelving units. I did not get a good look at it other than knowing it was a black suction unit with Hoover Futura headlighted power nozzle. It was a one time occurence, I never saw it in any circulars or other Kmarts- not that I could go to the vacuum section anyway. Around 2001 Kmart sold a Hoover PowerMax Runabout canister S3614. It was a black Hoover PowerMax that had the pink Runabout logo, on/off switch for power head on handle, suction regulator slide on wand, covered tool storage, belt view window, Micro filter. My parents have one. This was while many other Big Box stores were selling the Hoover Windtunnel S3630 canister.

When the S3630 bagged Windtunnel canister hit the market=several big box stores had them to include: BJ's Wholesale, Kohls. Best Buy, Sears, Bradlees and possibly others that weren't in my area.

Growing up my parents never took me to the vacuum isle in stores. I really loved walking past the department in Sears but I never got a chance to walk through it We always shopped at Clover's, Wanamakers, Sears, Macys, Strawbridges but I didn't even know most of these stores carried vacuums without seeing the Sunday paper ads. I use to love Macy's in the 90's. They would run about a 60 page ad every couple of weeks. A lot of times Macy's ads would have a 2 page section on vacuums, advertising a Trade in Sale. I saw Hoover Futura, Hoover Spectrum, Eureka Bravos and Eureka WorldVacs in those ads, if only I could've gone to the store.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Electrolux

Did Wal-Mart EVER sell Electrolux? I remember K-mart & Sears sold Electrolux vacs during the late 1980s & early 1990s; but I don't remember if Target or Wal-Mart ever did.

My guess is that Sears sold the Regency & 2100 canisters, & Discovery uprights.

Can someone please post any ads/cataolgs that include Electrolux?

I remember my mother bought a Marquis back in 1988 from Fingerhut.

Why were Electrolux vacs sold at dept. stores?

 

[bagintheback]

What I'd really like to see is pictures! Does anyone have any pictures from the time period stated?

 

[kirbyvertibles]

well since i'm old as dirt, I remember in late 80 and early 90's when I was a tot K mart was the place to go to see Hoover concept I and II, powermax, convertibles, spirit, sprint, elite, legacy, dimension, futura, powerdrive, eureka F-G, rotomatic powerteam, excalibur, hot shot, imperial, boss, regina steamer, house keeper, elektric broom, dirt devil broom vac, classic, mvp, fantom thunder, fury, lightning, bissell powerglide direct air thing and their early steam cleaners, and the first edition lift off called the bissell plus, that's all i can remember. I was like 4 then. We didn't get a walmart till years later but we had a general dollar store that sold the very low end Singer twin fan called the Singer System for $50.00

 

[mieles7]

I have a Hoover Power Drive, one of the last elite style machines I believe. It is probably my best cleaning vacuum.

 

[rugsucker]

Electrolux in stores

This was the time of the"New era of excellence"with new Elux managment and new IDEAS in place of the old ones that worked quite well!Elux was in not WalMart but Sams club.There was a program in which the local branch could place a salesman in Sams to demo and recieve a commision.This is when a different colored line was added for good,better,best pricing.The DTD machine would be higher price and the customer complaining to salesman that it was cheaper at Sams could be told'It is a different color and doesnt have a bumper on floor tool!'The salesmen were not happy and this led to fewer branches and salesmen and AERUS.Elux was in Sears about 88 and in at least 1 catalog(I may have).Elux found that Sears wanted to dictate everything of the relationship and it didnt last.They were also in MontgomeryWard as I recall.

 

[raycarter]

I remember fondly the Hoover Convertibles that K-Mart carried during the 1980s; model U4393 (the basic model in Jade Green and Oyster White), the model U4395 (the midrange model in Deep Rust Brown and Desert Beige) and model U4397 (the deluxe model in Honey Beige and Desert Beige with Ebony Brown trim.) For each Convertible model, there was also a corresponding Spirit canister model whose basic, midrange and deluxe models matched the color schemes of the uprights.

 

[kirbyfan99]

I have pictures of the Kmart hoovers, and I own one of those machines. here you go. Hoover model u4393, the Kmart bottom of the line 4.8 amp hoover convertible. I don't own this machine, I found the image on google images.

 

[suckolux]

I remember the Lux at Wards, 90?? not much later they had the prolux?? at Sam's and the plastic bodied caninster, very bol and cheap.

 

[kirbyfan99]

Top of the line kmart Hoover 6 amp deluxe convertible with power surge

 

[kirbyfan99]

I forgot to add in my last post, the deluxe convertible is model u4397

 

[kirbyfan99]

middle of the line kmart hoover 5 amp custom convertible model u4395. pictured is my u4395 next to my Kirby sentria.

 

[electrikbroomgu]

Walmart

I have a NIB 1986 Regina Powerteam broom from Walmart along with a red Dirt Devil hand vac and a Hoover twist hand vac. I seem to remember having a Eureka Bravo II box with Walmart's sticker at one time but that box got trashed years ago.

I do remember seeing Hoover Elites, Eureka Bravos, Singer uprights and the Oreck style Regina Electrikbrooms when my store opened in 1994 in Rome, NY. I think they also carried the Hoover Quikbrooms and the Eureka knock offs. My friend ken and his wife were looking for a canister vac with power head and he really wanted to find a metal body Eureka B style bag machine but by the end of 1994 these type of stores weren't carrying them. He ended up with a blue plastic body Eureka V bag Powerline with gray hose and blue power head and kept that for years. Too bad we didn't think of checking out the local vac shop at the time but then he didn't want to spend a lot of money.