Strolled throught Khols today, have a question

[vacuumfreeeke]

Hey there guys... I took a trip up to Kohls today (everything in that place is overpriced... they are pretty proud/optimistic of their junk when setting prices apparently). I noticed something very strange. They had 2 Hoover stick vacs right beside each other and the boxes were very different. One of them was labeled as the Platinum Collection... the other is labeled as simply the Linx, and that seems weird to me. I know stores have largely dropped the Platinum collection from their shelves.... I guess it didn't sell very well... I like the Platinum box better, but I guess they are just going to pretend this is some new thing that was never part of the Platinum collection now. So strange.... I think the stick vac was probably the best seller in the Platinum collection. Most of the stores still have it, but nothing else. I thought Linx just referred to the kind of battery that was in it. What happened?

Here's a pic...

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

more pics

Here is a picture of the display and how they are covering up the best part of the vacuum with the price placards... It's so stupid! Of course, vacuums are the only things in that place that have prices clearly marked.... otherwise you have to look on some stupid chart or digital price tag or have it scanned at the register when it isn't on the chart which is most of the time.

The only vacuums there I would have considered are the s/p Windtunnel (already have one, but it's probably the best one they sell... I can't believe it's still on any stores shelves as long as it has been out), or any of the "non-ball" Dyson models. I noticed they only had two vacuums without loop style handles and they were both Bissells (I don't like loop style handles... still my favorite vacuums all have them!).

 

[scvacuumguy]

They are both the same thing. LiNX is referencing the Lithium Ion battery in the machine, but both are model BH50010 units which originally began as the platinum stick vac.

I like the machine, they have great suction, a respectable power nozzle and are at a perfect price point (we sell them in our store for $119.99). I have had two warranty repairs on them, both of them Hoover replaced the main body/motor/dust cup of the machine when the machines would not run for a long period of time under a full battery charge.

Sadly, one of those warranty repair machines was my mother's. She wasn't too thrilled.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

There was this interesting looking Electrolux thingy... Bagless.. I like the power nozzle, but the machine looks weird and lacks a fingertip power switch.... it does have a quick release power nozzle and dedicated bare floor tool. The bristles on the brushroll are pretty stiff and chevron style. the bagless system looks cockamamie like most Eurekaluxes... For that price, I'd just as soon have a Dyson. They wanted 449! Wish the hose was 360 degree swivel.

 

[scvacuumguy]

I'm completely astonished at your Kohl's price for the T series bagless. If my eyes don't deceive me, I'm seeing that the 7th vacuum from the right is $179.99. I thought we had them priced high at my store at $99- and that comes with a free 2 year service plan. Guess I need to print out a new price tag for $139.99. Our Hoover Self Propelled bagged is also only $199.99. Guess that goes to show that the big box stores aren't always the cheapest.

I've seen one of those funky Bissell flex tube crazy vacs...a lady brought it in so we could assemble it. After she didn't want to pay our $30 assembly fee (for vacuums not bought from us), she decided to trade it in on a Hoover Signature lightweight. It sat forever before someone decided to finally rid us of that filth.

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi there Bobby,

Electrolux USA has revamped their website (see link below). The Elux unit you saw is now listed there. Sadly, no more Oxygen vacs being sold - not sure why since they were easier to handle than the Oxygen 3 or the new UltraSilencer Power Nozzle vacs.

http://smallappliances.electroluxusa.com/Floorcare-Appliances/Canisters/

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Yes, Chris.... who in their right mind would pay that much for a T series? The price of the Linx stick vac has certainly come down from the original 179, hasn't it?


Kohls has always been higher than other places.... I once bought an OXO mandoline (kitchen tool... slicer thingy) from Target for 50 dollars.... went to Kohls a few weeks later and they wanted 80 dollars the same thing! That's ridiculous!

Thanks for the info, Brian... I liked the Oxygens when they were still Eureka branded.... and I can't stand the burnt orange Electroluxes or the new Versatilitys or the fact that the company is riding on the brand reputation of what is now Aerus... that's insane.

 

[scvacuumguy]

I almost forgot to mention the Kohl's discount. At the front (at least here) they offer scratch off cards, so you can get an additional 15, 20 or 30% off of the purchase. If you use your Kohls card you get another 15% off. I'm assuming their slightly higher prices are then deducted at the register.

Its the same as the $xx trade in offered on a new machine at a vac store. Do they really think that we will be using that Bissell Clearview we gave them $75 for on a trade-in?

 

[ohio_tuec]

Vacuum displays

Seeing the display of vacuums at Kohls (or any other big box retailer) makes me want to cry. There's not one machine pictured there which I would consider owning. When I think of going to Macy's and J.C. Penney's and seeing the then-new Hoover Concepts, Convertibles and later on the PowerMax's, Futuras & Elites compared to what's out there now it almost sickens me. At least you can still see a few rebuilts at mom and pop vac stores. Oh, the humanity!

 

[eurekaprince]

Karl - I don't know about the other vacs, but the Hoover Self Propelled Bagged Windtunnel on display there in the pic from Kohl's is an excellent machine - though somewhat noisy and heavy. For $225, it's the best "suck for the buck" on the market now. To think that when they first came out, Sears was selling them for double that price!

Brian

 

[ohio_tuec]

Alright, fair enough, but compare the Windtunnel to say, a powerdrive Dial-A-Matic, or a Concept One, and well you get my point.
Since day one I've never been that fond of the Windtunnels. Don't get my wrong, they've got excellent suction, but they're also clunky and IMHO (while it may be the industry standard) 12 amps is just waaaay too much current for a vacuum to draw. I wonder if the TTI Windtunnels are as easy to service?

 

[scvacuumguy]

They are fairly quick and easy to service. There are some slight differences between different stores' model specs. Sears models and Wal Mart models usually have wooden brush rolls- Target and Kohls usually have nicer brush rolls, it all depends on the requested wholesale price from the store.

Service wise- they are as easy as they have always been. Nothing really new to service. I think it takes about 30-45 mins of high school labor to have one looking like new.

 

[portable]

Over the years, I've noticed that what we used to call "Department Stores" (Macy's, Kohl's, etc.), rarely have respectable deals for vacuum cleaners. Unless you have a discount card given to you, or they have a "Floor Care" sale (which brings the price down to what everybody else is charging as a regular price anyway), this type of store is not going to get you a break. I would rather give the money to a private shop or store and keep them in business.

 

[gmerkt]

I agree with Karl, as I've gotten the same impression walking down the vacuum display aisle at Walmart. I don't see one I'd want to own and certainly not at the prices asked. The Windtunnel uprights of a few years old I can buy at a thrift store for next to nothing, and sometimes all they need is a new belt and the replacement of a couple of superficial plastic parts.

The Great Depression mentality isn't a genetic predisposition, but somehow that ethic got drilled into me being raised by two parents who had it. I'm not poor but I don't throw money around needlessly either. Maybe that's why I'm not poor. I'm particularly reluctant to spend money on cheaply-made things. I see short product lives in their future.

Kohls. I know about them, but have only been inside one once and not for long. All I could see was acres of women's clothes and no men around, so I got the wrong impression, I guess. I didn't know they sold housewares. I just asked my wife about that, and she informed me that my impression had been wrong.