Will bags make a comeback?

[jo]

Yes, with the reduction of vacuum sales and service stores that I’ve noticed occurring all over, younger generations are not going to know about them and the higher end models that exist. If their parents are buying plastic disposable vacuums at big box stores and throwing them out when they fail, clog, or wear out and just go to the big box store to get another and only see Dyson as the highest end brand then that’s all they will ever come to know for vacuums. Unfortunate. But in the end, someone will do, like Dyson did, and want to build a better longer lasting vacuum. And also one that’s serviceable. The cycle will repeat itself and I feel that it could be soon. I do think the companies that make these higher quality higher end products should up their advertising to better educate the public of their existence otherwise they will die their own slow death due to failure to educate the younger generations.

My niece didn’t have a vacuum for the longest time...just a broom and a dustpan and those annoying swiffer pads. There was something she needed to clean better and finally said she really felt like she needed some sort of vacuum but is on a tight budget. Her Mother gave her an extra she had and I told her to use it because then she wouldn’t have to waste money on those disposable swiffer pads which just drag and push bigger dirt around and still needing to go back with a broom and dustpan...the vacuum gets both the dust and dirt for a quicker more thorough clean up. Plus she can now clean the little area rugs she had rather than having to shake them out outside.

 

[myles_v]

This gets to a deeper problem with our society. Discount stores like Walmart and Kmart have demanded cheaper and cheaper products from manufacturers, because it's easy to sell a wide variety of cheap products to consumers under one roof. Walmart doesn't need skilled sales people to convince consumers to spend $40 on a Bissell. It's the whole reason Royal created the Dirt Devil brand; it allowed them to produce cheaply made machines that were cheaper to buy without tarnishing the Royal brand. Now, it's clear to see which business model was more effective.

This phenomenon has occurred in all sorts of industries, from cooking appliances to clothing. Consumers want cheap products, but that comes at a cost. It results in smaller specialty retailers being driven out of business, trash piling up in landfills, and consumers being trained to consume excessively. This issue is being compounded by the prevalence of electronics that inevitably become obsolete due to advancements in technology. This has trained many consumers to be used to replacing objects more and more frequently. People replace their $1000 cell phones every year, so they don't see a problem with replacing their $50 vacuum cleaner ever year as well. Stores like Walmart are selling products that are made poorly at a low price, so consumers believe that this is all that's available. They don't realize that they can buy a better made vacuum cleaner for $600, but most wouldn't care anyways. That's the unfortunate reality of our modern society.

Back to the topic of bags, here in the US it is relatively difficult for most consumers to find bagged vacuum cleaners unless they visit a vacuum store or order online. The Walmart locations near me only sell one model of bagged vacuum cleaner, the Target locations near me carry zero bagged models. I don't think bagged machines will become mainstream again unless there's a real breakthrough that causes consumers to switch. Presently, consumers who want bagged vacuum cleaners can acquire them, but most don't care enough to do so. We are entering a point in time where a new generation of consumers are furnishing their homes as they move away from family. Many people who are part of this generation have never used a bagged vacuum cleaner, some aren't aware of their existence. I recently explained how bagged vacuum cleaners work to someone who had zero understanding of the concept. They thought that you had to wash out the bags after every use.

A new company that provides features that customers want could possibly cause the market to shift back to bags. It would require aggressive advertising and consumer education, and they would need to find a real benefit of bags to push. People simply don't see a problem with bagless vacuums right now, until that changes the market will likely stick with bagless machines for the most part.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Also this reminds me of something I heard about a year ago. I was at Walmart in the vacuum aisle and an older couple was looking at vacuums with a sales associate.

The sales associate actually told them "You never want a bagged vacuum, always get bagless." Then he said he had a Bissell such and such and it really sucks well.

I really, really wanted to walk up and say "Um, I beg to the contrary, have you ever cleaned the filters in your Bissell bagless vacuum or do you know it has one? I'd say you should get bagged if you want it to keep working. In fact I'd suggest you go somewhere else or order online."

Of course that sounds horrible and of course I didn't say anything. But I walked away thinking, people these days have no idea what a real vacuum is. LOL

 

[tolivac]

Don't walk but RUN past the WalMart vacuum displays!!!!To much colorful bagless PLASTICRAP there!!!!Same with most other stores!Go to a vac shop or DTD and buy a REAL BAGGED vacuum!

 

[myles_v]

tolivac...

Thankfully most of us know that. Really, I try to avoid Walmart for any products that I'd like to keep for a long time. Vacuums, kitchen tools, clothing, etc. But unfortunately the average consumer doesn't care. Neither my boyfriend nor his mother realized vacuum stores existed.

 

[tolivac]

I am wondering with this corona thing going on if folks will want vacuum bags instead of dealing with the unprotected dust and cleaning filters.Just a thought.

 

[n0oxy]

several things

It's interesting that Electrolux is big in Finland. For some reason they decided to pull out of the United States market, they discontinued their own brand of vacuums and sold their Beam, Sanitaire and Eureka lines. I have the Electrolux Ultra One canister, it's an awesome machine, a shame they are no longer made.
Most people I know have some idea that higher end vacuums are available, they're just not willing to pay for one. What they don't think about is that the amount they will spend on replacing their vacuums over several years will equal the cost of one vacuum that is much better made. Brands such as Miele and Sebo will last much longer than anything you can buy in a big box store.
In the central vacuum industry, there are still a few machines that are bag only but many now use a hybrid design so they can also be used bagless although I would never suggest doing this. The only bagless machines I have use water filtration and I have no interest in getting anything else that does not use a bag.
Mike