Kirby is a very old name---beloved by some and loathed by others. Since their inception, they have served their purpose of getting dirt off your floor(s) and other surfaces into some kind of bag.
Their whole business/sales model may be outdated but people are still going to buy them. As a collector, I have 8 but never bought one new in the box. I work in an arena of mostly women aged 23 and up to in their late 70's. Nearly all have heard of Kirby for one reason or another. The more mature ladies have either owned one, currently own one or their mothers did. The younger ones are aware because their mothers owned one or currently own one.
To attract younger buyers Kirby has seriously got to rethink the vacuum and their approach to the vacuum. I was in a friend's vac shop today and he was showing me with great pride the Miele Triflex hx-1 as compared to the same type made by Hoover and Dyson. That is the kind of vacuum the young folk.........the current and future buyers of vacuums are going to get if they want to spend $400+ for a foreign-made vacuum, IMHO.
Tania, (of Tania fame via the VCCC newsletter), and I were discussing the cleaning methods of younger folks last month when I was visiting with her. We as the older crowd and vac people love our different models of vacs and utilizing them for the different things they can do when cleaning. No one I talk to below probably below the age of 40, ever uses a dusting brush or crevice tool let alone an upholstery tool! We learned from our mothers and grandmothers how to clean ie: be it an upright or canister we knew how to dust using a dusting brush, how to clean woodwork, ceiling fans, crown molding, baseboards, bookcases, credenzas, etc. using the various attachments available.
Those days are gone as are the door-to-door salesman. Say adios to Willy Loman, ("Death Of A Salesman"), hello Amazon, and online buying with battery-operated plastic vacs.
I'm just grateful that I came from the era that I described! I enjoy using all my vacs and Kirbys. I do hope that Kirby remains for the long run. I'm glad we are a group that appreciates vacs from the past. It is nice to see the passion for Kirby. I have to admit I was so concerned that they might be dumbed down that I did buy a NIB Avalir II. (My first Kirby NIB and a great deal!)
Let's hope for all good things for the future of Kirby.