For all you followers........if you rent a shampooer any time from today through July 31, you get a FREE bottle of Stain Remover, to pretreat before you shampoo! You have to tell me, John, or Drew that you saw this offer on our blog, though.
The shampooer rents for $19.95 a day (or over a weekend). We only have 5 of them to rent out, and they don't stick around long, this time of year, so be sure to call and reserve one! 706-781-1050.
Cathy
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Vacuum Store's Website
Finally! We have a website! www.vacstoresite.com . I am NOT a techie, and have been putting this off forever. Finally, John just decided to spend an afternoon figuring out how to make a simple site.
So, it's up. And there is something on every page. Now comes the commitment to keep it current, and constantly add things to it, like a link to this blog, a link to my personal blog, a Facebook "like" button, a link to my monthly newsletter, some YouTube links........the list just goes on and on. I can tell that there will never be a time where I say, "Okay, I'm done with the web page!"
Now that we have all these interesting internet things going on, we have a great opportunity to pass on some knowledge about all kinds of floor care and some information about The Vacuum Store itself. Stay tuned to this blog for weekly updates (more often, if I can manage it) and special discounts and giveaways for our loyal customers. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments and suggestions about what you would like to learn.
I'll be posting again on Thursday (6/30). Come back soon!
Cathy
So, it's up. And there is something on every page. Now comes the commitment to keep it current, and constantly add things to it, like a link to this blog, a link to my personal blog, a Facebook "like" button, a link to my monthly newsletter, some YouTube links........the list just goes on and on. I can tell that there will never be a time where I say, "Okay, I'm done with the web page!"
Now that we have all these interesting internet things going on, we have a great opportunity to pass on some knowledge about all kinds of floor care and some information about The Vacuum Store itself. Stay tuned to this blog for weekly updates (more often, if I can manage it) and special discounts and giveaways for our loyal customers. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments and suggestions about what you would like to learn.
I'll be posting again on Thursday (6/30). Come back soon!
Cathy
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Starting fall cleaning.......and why your vacuum won't suck
Been a while since I posted. Had a couple of out-of-town trips, but now hope to be home for a few weeks.
In my house, I have a huge 20'x 20' basement room that is my sewing studio. Over the past year, it has kinda gotten cluttered up with stuff that just had no other home. And a few weeks ago, my second refrigerator and chest freezer that is in the back of my storage room (which is about 20' x 10'......and packed) decided to blow a circuit, and everything inside them spoiled. The onlyl way to get to them was to totally empty the entire room, and jus stack stuff in my sewing room........pretty much filled up the whole space. Got the refrig and freezer cleaned out, did some electrical work, and they are back in place. Now, I am slowly going through everything that was in the storage room and repacking things, throwing some away, putting things aside for yard sale, etc.
Those of you who know me well know that Christmas is a big hobby of mine. I was repacking all my Christmas stuff and John noticed that it was taking up most of my storage room. So today he decided that we needed to clean out my 12' x 11' outdoor shed and make a place for holiday decorations there. Ugh.
Took all afternoon. Filled up his truck with trash. It looks great now! He is going to build high shelves for me to put all the stuff up there that won't fit into those big plastic bins. Things like stuffed reindeer, a sled, lotsa wooden figurines, stuffed teddy bears, etc. Then my boxes can stack under the shelf. I'll probably have 50 boxes of decorations, and probaby 3 big trees that won't fit into boxes, along with my other 15 smaller trees and all the loose stuff. Fun, fun.
I still have a sewing room that is a disaster, so I have to chip away at that a little at a time. But what sucks is that I will get it all done, and then have to dismantle part of it at the end of November, since my son, his wife, and their little girl are going to spend a couple of months here while they get their new business up and running and get settled into a house. Oh well. At least I'll know what I have and where everything is.........
I had 3 customers today call and ask why their vacuum wouldn't suck anymore. As long as it's running well, there are only a few things that could be wrong.....none of them serious. If your vacuum isn't sucking as well as you would like, check the following:
1. Make sure your bag isn't full. If so, replace it. If you have a bagless model, clean off the filters, or replace if necessary (most filters on vacs only last a year, less if you have lotsa animals)
2. Check to see if it's stopped up somewhere. Often, you could accidentally pick up something like a toothpick, and it gets stuck sideways in the hose, creating a sorta dam effect.
3. Replace your belt. Even if it's not broken, it can stretch to the point where the roller brush isn't turning as fast as it could, and causing the vac not to suck.
Probably 99% of the time, one of these reasons is why the vacuum won't work well.
Til next time.........
Cathy
In my house, I have a huge 20'x 20' basement room that is my sewing studio. Over the past year, it has kinda gotten cluttered up with stuff that just had no other home. And a few weeks ago, my second refrigerator and chest freezer that is in the back of my storage room (which is about 20' x 10'......and packed) decided to blow a circuit, and everything inside them spoiled. The onlyl way to get to them was to totally empty the entire room, and jus stack stuff in my sewing room........pretty much filled up the whole space. Got the refrig and freezer cleaned out, did some electrical work, and they are back in place. Now, I am slowly going through everything that was in the storage room and repacking things, throwing some away, putting things aside for yard sale, etc.
Those of you who know me well know that Christmas is a big hobby of mine. I was repacking all my Christmas stuff and John noticed that it was taking up most of my storage room. So today he decided that we needed to clean out my 12' x 11' outdoor shed and make a place for holiday decorations there. Ugh.
Took all afternoon. Filled up his truck with trash. It looks great now! He is going to build high shelves for me to put all the stuff up there that won't fit into those big plastic bins. Things like stuffed reindeer, a sled, lotsa wooden figurines, stuffed teddy bears, etc. Then my boxes can stack under the shelf. I'll probably have 50 boxes of decorations, and probaby 3 big trees that won't fit into boxes, along with my other 15 smaller trees and all the loose stuff. Fun, fun.
I still have a sewing room that is a disaster, so I have to chip away at that a little at a time. But what sucks is that I will get it all done, and then have to dismantle part of it at the end of November, since my son, his wife, and their little girl are going to spend a couple of months here while they get their new business up and running and get settled into a house. Oh well. At least I'll know what I have and where everything is.........
I had 3 customers today call and ask why their vacuum wouldn't suck anymore. As long as it's running well, there are only a few things that could be wrong.....none of them serious. If your vacuum isn't sucking as well as you would like, check the following:
1. Make sure your bag isn't full. If so, replace it. If you have a bagless model, clean off the filters, or replace if necessary (most filters on vacs only last a year, less if you have lotsa animals)
2. Check to see if it's stopped up somewhere. Often, you could accidentally pick up something like a toothpick, and it gets stuck sideways in the hose, creating a sorta dam effect.
3. Replace your belt. Even if it's not broken, it can stretch to the point where the roller brush isn't turning as fast as it could, and causing the vac not to suck.
Probably 99% of the time, one of these reasons is why the vacuum won't work well.
Til next time.........
Cathy
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Movie night
John and I decided to play hooky today and leave work at 3 p.m. to go to the movies. Went to see "District 9" at 3:30. My review, in two words..........don't bother.
I LOVE science fiction, in general, and this movie fit the genre to a "T". It was pretty entertaining for about the first 10 minutes, but went downhill from there. I'm a big believer in the concept that you need to care about the characters to have any interest in the story. And I just didn't care. Didn't matter to me what happened, how it turned out, etc. But the popcorn was great, and the pizza afterwards, even better.
Have you been to the pizza place inside Fun World in Hiawassee yet? A subsidiary of Enricos. They have the best pizza around (I think so, anyway). AND....if you present a movie ticket stub, you get $2 off. We can get a large pizza with just about everything on it, and two drinks, for under $20. Yum!
And the best part of all of this was that we left the store a couple of hours early, left Drew in charge, and he had a very successful two hours! Always fun to make money while you aren't evevn working!
Oh, one more plug for the movie theater at Fieldstone Cinemas........Starting this Thursday, every Thursday through the end of October has a "buy one get one" promotion. Buy one movie ticket, and get another free. Sounds like we will be playing hooky more often!
Hint of the day: BEWARE of the fancy "steam mops" you see on infomercials on TV. You know the ones, you fill them with water, they heat up, and squirts steam on your floor, which cleans it. It does work, but there are a couple of drawbacks. First of all, every one of these machines, without exception, that we have seen, are classified as "disposable". Meaning that parts are difficult or impossible to get, or they are so expensive as to make it not worth fixing if it breaks. So if you do buy one, consider the fact that, in general, if something goes wrong with the machine, you will be throwing it away instead of fixing it. The second problem is the steam itself. Think about it..........do you really want to force hot steam into the cracks and crevices of your wood floor? Or into the grout of your tile floor? Over time, this form of cleaning can be very destructive, stripping off finishes, swelling flooring materials, and eroding grout. Just keep this in mind before you get caught up in the latest infomercial.
Til next time........
Cathy
I LOVE science fiction, in general, and this movie fit the genre to a "T". It was pretty entertaining for about the first 10 minutes, but went downhill from there. I'm a big believer in the concept that you need to care about the characters to have any interest in the story. And I just didn't care. Didn't matter to me what happened, how it turned out, etc. But the popcorn was great, and the pizza afterwards, even better.
Have you been to the pizza place inside Fun World in Hiawassee yet? A subsidiary of Enricos. They have the best pizza around (I think so, anyway). AND....if you present a movie ticket stub, you get $2 off. We can get a large pizza with just about everything on it, and two drinks, for under $20. Yum!
And the best part of all of this was that we left the store a couple of hours early, left Drew in charge, and he had a very successful two hours! Always fun to make money while you aren't evevn working!
Oh, one more plug for the movie theater at Fieldstone Cinemas........Starting this Thursday, every Thursday through the end of October has a "buy one get one" promotion. Buy one movie ticket, and get another free. Sounds like we will be playing hooky more often!
Hint of the day: BEWARE of the fancy "steam mops" you see on infomercials on TV. You know the ones, you fill them with water, they heat up, and squirts steam on your floor, which cleans it. It does work, but there are a couple of drawbacks. First of all, every one of these machines, without exception, that we have seen, are classified as "disposable". Meaning that parts are difficult or impossible to get, or they are so expensive as to make it not worth fixing if it breaks. So if you do buy one, consider the fact that, in general, if something goes wrong with the machine, you will be throwing it away instead of fixing it. The second problem is the steam itself. Think about it..........do you really want to force hot steam into the cracks and crevices of your wood floor? Or into the grout of your tile floor? Over time, this form of cleaning can be very destructive, stripping off finishes, swelling flooring materials, and eroding grout. Just keep this in mind before you get caught up in the latest infomercial.
Til next time........
Cathy
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Adventures in puppy bathing
Just picture this..........two 55 pound dogs who need baths before they go to the vet for annual shots. And me, procrastinating so long that I end up getting up at 6 a.m. to do this. ugh.
The last time I tried this, in the regular bathtub, it was a struggle. So I got the bright idea that if I used the laundry tub in the laundry room, I wouldn't have to get down on my knees, and wrangle slippery dogs. So, I assemble soap, towels, new collars, etc...........
But neglect to realize that I have to corral the dogs, wrestle them to the floor, and then pick each one of them up.........squirming all the way, of course, because they know what's coming and are NOT happy.
I put the baby gate across the steps so they can't get far. And start with Wendy, the alpha dog. Of course, Betsy knows I'm up to something, and is barking her head off, like I'm trying to kill her sister. I get Wendy into the tub, and she just stand there with her head down, looking at me like she's so disappointed that I would do this to her. Get her scrubbed, dried off, and loose again.........and Betsys's no where to be found. She's hiding behind a trash can in my sewing room, thinking that because she can't see me, I can't see her.......with her big body all over the floor.......lol. I drag her to the tub, her whining all the way.......and I swear Wendy was smiling!
So, I get 'em all cleaned up, and realize that I don't want to let them loose or on their tie-outs, because the first thing they will do is roll in the dirt. So back in their crates they go, and they are not happy.
Managed to get them to the vet and only one (Betsy) got car sick, which is an improvement. Glad I only have do take them there a couple of times a year!
Hint of the day: Vacuum bags. Watch what you are buying. Beware of bags at the dollar store, they tend to be just paper, and will let a lot of fine dust get out into your room. But, also beware of the super-expensive bags that feel like cloth, that's overkill. You can fine nice, micro-filter bags for usually less than $15 a year. And when they say they are "99.7% effective at keeping everything inside the bag....." that's good enough. It's honestly not worth paying twice the money for the extra 0.3% (and I'm not sure those claims are accurate, anyway).
Till next time..........
The last time I tried this, in the regular bathtub, it was a struggle. So I got the bright idea that if I used the laundry tub in the laundry room, I wouldn't have to get down on my knees, and wrangle slippery dogs. So, I assemble soap, towels, new collars, etc...........
But neglect to realize that I have to corral the dogs, wrestle them to the floor, and then pick each one of them up.........squirming all the way, of course, because they know what's coming and are NOT happy.
I put the baby gate across the steps so they can't get far. And start with Wendy, the alpha dog. Of course, Betsy knows I'm up to something, and is barking her head off, like I'm trying to kill her sister. I get Wendy into the tub, and she just stand there with her head down, looking at me like she's so disappointed that I would do this to her. Get her scrubbed, dried off, and loose again.........and Betsys's no where to be found. She's hiding behind a trash can in my sewing room, thinking that because she can't see me, I can't see her.......with her big body all over the floor.......lol. I drag her to the tub, her whining all the way.......and I swear Wendy was smiling!
So, I get 'em all cleaned up, and realize that I don't want to let them loose or on their tie-outs, because the first thing they will do is roll in the dirt. So back in their crates they go, and they are not happy.
Managed to get them to the vet and only one (Betsy) got car sick, which is an improvement. Glad I only have do take them there a couple of times a year!
Hint of the day: Vacuum bags. Watch what you are buying. Beware of bags at the dollar store, they tend to be just paper, and will let a lot of fine dust get out into your room. But, also beware of the super-expensive bags that feel like cloth, that's overkill. You can fine nice, micro-filter bags for usually less than $15 a year. And when they say they are "99.7% effective at keeping everything inside the bag....." that's good enough. It's honestly not worth paying twice the money for the extra 0.3% (and I'm not sure those claims are accurate, anyway).
Till next time..........
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wal Mart
.....will open here on 8/19. I can't wait!
It seems like every day I have a customer or two come in my Store and make the comment that we must be sad that Wal-Mart is coming, as it will hurt us. On the contrary.....
We were here before Home Depot and Sears, and they both sell vacuums. HD does absolutely no service (you have to either return your defective machinery to the store, or mail it back to the company). Sears charges a $39.95 deposit for anything not working, and then that is applied to the cost of the repair, if it isn't warranty. In both cases, if you have to mail off your product, the turnaround time is about 3 weeks.
When each of these stores opened, we saw a 20% increase in revenue that year. The only vacuum cleaner that the three of us have in common for sale is the Dyson, and they are price-governed, so the price is the same at all of our stores. Otherwise, we choose to sell diferent products. So I don't directly compete with either of these stores, we offer different things. The same will happen when Wal-Mart is here. My vacuum sales will not change dramatically.
What will go up are are sales on supplies and parts. The way Wal-Mart works, is that they negotiate a ridiculously low price from a vacuum manufacturer on several million vacuums. At the same time, they also negotiate for bags, filters, and belts for these vacs. Once those vacs and parts are gone, they tend not to restock, unless they get another good deal. So, except for a few very common parts and supplies, Wal-Mart doesn't carry much. So, you might buy a Dirt Devil vacuum from WM this week, and go back in 3 months to get bags, but they are out and won't get more. We try to stock every bag, belt, and filter that we know is out there.......and if we don't have it, and they still make it, we can get it. So the more vacuums WM sells in Blairsville, the more potential customers for "after the sale" items there are out there for us.
Service is the other issue. John has been doing this for 26 years, so if it is fixable, he can do it. We actually make more doing a $7.50 belt change on a Bissell, than we would if we sold the vac in the first place!
In the newspaper this week, it was mentioned that WM expects between 20,000 and 40,000 shoppers the first week! Most of these people don't live here, so the traffic in the county will increase. It's good in one way, because all of us small businesses will get more exposure and potentially more customers. But, as the writer to the newspaper mentioned, intersections such as the one at Pat Colwell road and 129N, just aren't capable of handling the traffic (no light)......so I have a feeling that will be a mess.
Also, the fact that there are 300 employees at WM has to be a plus for this area. It's only 3 miles from my house......and John says that if he can't find me, he knows to look there.......lol.
Hint of the day: Filters on bagless vacs. Did you know that some bagless vacs that have replaceable filters, have washable ones? Even those like the Hoover, Bissell, Royal, etc., that come with those pleated HEPA ones that are not washable, may have replacement filters that are? Be sure and read the package carefully the next time you buy a filter for your bagless machine. You will be much better off buying a washable filter for a couple extra dollars, than buying the disposable kind every year!
Have a great day!
Cathy
It seems like every day I have a customer or two come in my Store and make the comment that we must be sad that Wal-Mart is coming, as it will hurt us. On the contrary.....
We were here before Home Depot and Sears, and they both sell vacuums. HD does absolutely no service (you have to either return your defective machinery to the store, or mail it back to the company). Sears charges a $39.95 deposit for anything not working, and then that is applied to the cost of the repair, if it isn't warranty. In both cases, if you have to mail off your product, the turnaround time is about 3 weeks.
When each of these stores opened, we saw a 20% increase in revenue that year. The only vacuum cleaner that the three of us have in common for sale is the Dyson, and they are price-governed, so the price is the same at all of our stores. Otherwise, we choose to sell diferent products. So I don't directly compete with either of these stores, we offer different things. The same will happen when Wal-Mart is here. My vacuum sales will not change dramatically.
What will go up are are sales on supplies and parts. The way Wal-Mart works, is that they negotiate a ridiculously low price from a vacuum manufacturer on several million vacuums. At the same time, they also negotiate for bags, filters, and belts for these vacs. Once those vacs and parts are gone, they tend not to restock, unless they get another good deal. So, except for a few very common parts and supplies, Wal-Mart doesn't carry much. So, you might buy a Dirt Devil vacuum from WM this week, and go back in 3 months to get bags, but they are out and won't get more. We try to stock every bag, belt, and filter that we know is out there.......and if we don't have it, and they still make it, we can get it. So the more vacuums WM sells in Blairsville, the more potential customers for "after the sale" items there are out there for us.
Service is the other issue. John has been doing this for 26 years, so if it is fixable, he can do it. We actually make more doing a $7.50 belt change on a Bissell, than we would if we sold the vac in the first place!
In the newspaper this week, it was mentioned that WM expects between 20,000 and 40,000 shoppers the first week! Most of these people don't live here, so the traffic in the county will increase. It's good in one way, because all of us small businesses will get more exposure and potentially more customers. But, as the writer to the newspaper mentioned, intersections such as the one at Pat Colwell road and 129N, just aren't capable of handling the traffic (no light)......so I have a feeling that will be a mess.
Also, the fact that there are 300 employees at WM has to be a plus for this area. It's only 3 miles from my house......and John says that if he can't find me, he knows to look there.......lol.
Hint of the day: Filters on bagless vacs. Did you know that some bagless vacs that have replaceable filters, have washable ones? Even those like the Hoover, Bissell, Royal, etc., that come with those pleated HEPA ones that are not washable, may have replacement filters that are? Be sure and read the package carefully the next time you buy a filter for your bagless machine. You will be much better off buying a washable filter for a couple extra dollars, than buying the disposable kind every year!
Have a great day!
Cathy
Monday, August 10, 2009
It's Monday
....and the start of another work week for many of us. Ever get the Monday blues? Seems like the weekends just aren't long enough. Oh well, we just have to dig in and go to work anyway.
Hint of the day: Ever feel that your vacuum cleaner just isn't sucking up stuff the way you think it should? Did you know, that it might be something as simple as a stretched-out belt? Most people totally ignore their belt on their vacuum cleaner, until it finally breakds. But most manufacturers recommend that you change your belt once or twice a year. Why? Because they stretch, and without the tight tension, your roller brush won't spin as fast. Stuff you pick up won't have the velocity to get into the vacuum, and often falls right back out on the floor. Here's a way to check to see if your belt is stretched, without taking the cleaner apart. Lean the vacuum backwards so that the roller brush isn't touching the floor. Turn it on. The brush should spin fast. Then, lower the brush to the floor. The brush should still sound the same. If it slows down (and you can tell by listening), it's time for a new belt. Many people just assume that their vacuum cleaner is worn out, when in fact, a belt change is all they need.
Have a great day!
Cathy
Hint of the day: Ever feel that your vacuum cleaner just isn't sucking up stuff the way you think it should? Did you know, that it might be something as simple as a stretched-out belt? Most people totally ignore their belt on their vacuum cleaner, until it finally breakds. But most manufacturers recommend that you change your belt once or twice a year. Why? Because they stretch, and without the tight tension, your roller brush won't spin as fast. Stuff you pick up won't have the velocity to get into the vacuum, and often falls right back out on the floor. Here's a way to check to see if your belt is stretched, without taking the cleaner apart. Lean the vacuum backwards so that the roller brush isn't touching the floor. Turn it on. The brush should spin fast. Then, lower the brush to the floor. The brush should still sound the same. If it slows down (and you can tell by listening), it's time for a new belt. Many people just assume that their vacuum cleaner is worn out, when in fact, a belt change is all they need.
Have a great day!
Cathy
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