Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Kirby Sales Pitch


I remember 50 years or so ago in Venice, Florida, a Kirby Sweeper salesman came to our house on School Street, and tried to sell mom a "Cadillac"of sweepers, The Kirby. I remember mom buying then not buying the machine....we were a family of semi means, and if I was correct that thing costs about $400...I know mom can probably correct me. But long story short, she ended up giving the thing back, and we went Kirbyless for the duration of our lives in Venice. A few years ago, Patricia bought a nice sweeper for around $700...it wasn't a Kirby, but it was a good sweeper, but still had it's problems. So yesterday I get a knock on the door...here it is snowing, and this kid(23 years old) standing there with a package of Orange Smelling cleaning cloths in hand, trying to get his foot in the door.....OK, no game, so I let the guy in, not knowing what the Hell he was peddling, but between me and the dog, I could kick his ass out with little problem....so here comes the "Kirby" sales pitch.

Patricia wasn't home yet, so I let the guy give me a demonstration....and the sales pitch. I was impressed with the sweeper, the sales pitch? Not so much, Kirby is owned by Amway, I wasn't born yesterday, so I took it all in stride. Patricia arrived home over half way through the performance....she is even less likely than me to be talked into something she doesn't want....

Now we have hardwood floors with area rugs...so maybe we don't need a Cadillac of sweepers/cleaners/shampooers....the starting top price for the Kirby is about $2000, if you pay over 1/2 the price you are paying way too much, not that it may not be worth it, but because you can get it for much less.

Anyway, after some wrangling, my wife and I decided to purchase it....I think she thought I wanted it(since I do most of the vacuum work these days), and actually I did, so we got a good deal( I checked out some reviews on the new Kirby's and we did pretty well compared to some as far as price, a few other hard bargain types got theirs for less, but not by much)...so here we are with a Kirby for the hardwood floors and area rugs.....I feel guilty, and I know Patricia wanted an extension for our TV area/Computer....so if this turns out to be a raw deal, I'll have to kick myself in the ass. But for now, I'm ready to start using it and all it's attachments...with 6 weeks of winter, and only a few weeks of basketball left, I should have plenty of opportunities to see if this was a good deal, by the time baseball season begins in late March.....Sucker or Not? Time will tell, but I'm ready to go at it.

So we have done our small part to keep the economy moving....we may be broke, but Hell, the house and floors will be clean.....

I'm off to watch the Kirby DVD and see how all the bells and whistles work.

Back Later>>>>>>>


photo-The Kirby and all the goodies that come with it












20 comments:

Larry said...

We have a 44-year-old Electrolux "Model L" canister, Pat. It's a secondary vac now, but has never whimpered or faltered. All-metal casing and a tough, fabric-coated hose and self-winding cord reel. Like the song says, "They don't make 'em like that any more." [Well, they MIGHT - but I'm too lazy right now to research it.]

PRH said...

Is that the one that looks like a Hot Dog? If so, I think we had one years ago as well.

The money spent on this bothers me, but if it lasts the lifetime, then it will be worth it...but I could have purchased a couple nice self and home defense weapons for the same price.

;)

Anonymous said...

Well, at least some poor young guy out there struggling to make an honest buck can buy groceries this week. When salesmen call here, I always have to decline but I try to be polite. I think to myself that could be my kid, trying to make a buck.

Larry said...

Here is a YouTube video of the exact model, Pat.
http://vidslib.com/index.php?view=6194446

david mcmahon said...

You bought WHAT?

I'm looking forward to the updates!

PRH said...

Keeping my nest clean David! lol...Yep Larry, that's the one I was thinking of.

Deborah Wilson said...

I can't believe this post -

I have almost the exact same Kirby! The price is high. My Mom paid around $2000 for the thing and never could manage to use it (she has Osteoporosis) for she isn't strong enough to push it. So it ended up at my house - permanently. I take it over to her house and use it when I need too, I do the work for her.

The attachments for the most part are in the garage. I find this vacuum to be very annoying. It's complicated to use. I like the fast easy stuff cause I'm in a hurry!

Had I of been there when the sales (lady) did her pitch, I would have talked Mom out of buying it.

But maybe you and Patricia will enjoy it.

If you guys figure out how to use it, send my Mom a note!

lol

PRH said...

Deb...your mom paid full price...sometimes the sales gerbils are pretty damn demaning. This kid was pretty much a push over...if I get the hang of it, I will let you know....don't know how many attachments I will use, but will give it a try and figure them all out, not saying I'll use them all...but will learn how anyhow.

Deborah Wilson said...

One thing to add about the Kirby - it is a very good one - and very powerful.

(Mom didn't get an instructional dvd with hers - I guess I could pick one up/order one at the Kirby store in Mableton.)

Shrinky said...

I know what it's like to be a frozen young door-to-door salesman, well, woman. On behalf of us all, I salute you kind Sir! And as for the vac, if it does what it says in the manual and comes with a warrenty, sounds like you've got what you've paid for. Can't expect fairer than that, can you? Enjoy!

Jerry in Texas said...

I just tried out my brand new Oreck vacuum. My other one died and I had to get something quick. It picks up as good as my crappy old one, and is VERY light. We'll see how it does out here on the dusty old farm.

My Mom bought a Kirby years ago. All my sisters hated it because it was so heavy. Maybe it'll give you a good workout. Enjoy!

Susan English Mason said...

I'm not sure what to say - I hope your expensive new vacuum really sucks?! That sounds wrong, but it would be right, right?

PRH said...

So many comments about a "sweeper"....lol! I may have to change the format....

"A day at house cleaning central...."

Thanks All....just used it on the area rugs and hardwood...now time to figure out how the Hell to place those attachments on right????

TexasFred said...

Off topic, that music player you have is freaking awesome!!

PRH said...

Fred...easy to download and cut and paste....I've got to add a few dozen more songs. Just been too damn lazy this past couple of weeks{or too damn busy}.

Anonymous said...

I have a 22 year old son that is a great kid that needs direction and motivation. he moved 2500 miles away from home for a job that was not as promised. Kirby has become his focus and is saving his life. he has found sucess and value in himself by selling door to door as his grandfather did when i was a child. thanks to all who give our young people an opportunity to finsd a craft or tallent in selling.

paul Mayer

Portland oregon

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LeGivorden said...

I just got a job as a Kirby dealer, And I am not shitting you when I say I stand by the equipment I sell to people. I currently don't own a Kirby my self but my wife and I want one because it is so good at what it does and the company ensures that this is a product that we could one day pass on to our daughter. yes it is expensive, but when you have thousandths of dollars invested into your furniture and carpets you really wan't something worth its price tag to protect them and help extend their life to save money in the future.

In short investing in a Kirby is a smart choice to make. Us dealers only get paid well when we make a good sale. You might read some horror stories about some dealers but those guys are just idiots and don't last long because of their methods, I seriously try to get to know my clients, and even become friends with them just yesterday I got a call from a woman I sold a Kirby to on my first day a few weeks ago inviting me and my wife over for diner it was great and we had allot of fun. If you get a bad dealer just get his companies phone number and throw him out and call them, our office crew is small but we are like a family and we want our customers to be happy so so we would get rid of the bad egg and do our best to send out a good dealer and work hard to find a great price for you with out breaking your pocket book.

The family already had a great Kirby that was given to them by the husbands grandmother, so that really shows the quality of the product they traded it in for our newer model the Sentria and was thrilled by the price we gave them. they only have twelve payments of sixty dollars to pay off the vacuum but said that the would probably get it paid off sooner.

It's not a cheap machine but it is all american made like a Harley Davidson or Zippo Lighter and it is built to last you a lifetime so its your money well spent.

LeGivorden said...

Deborah Wilson, Your mom should have gotten all of the instructional stuff with her Kirby as well as been shown how to use it by her dealer. I'm sorry she didn't get the dealers number because I would have told you to call the office and had have them drop that stuff off. the Sentria has a tech drive on it just push the little red "D" switch and the thing will practically walks itself across your floor. I can literally push it with one finger and it goes just fine for me.

Anonymous said...

Very well said! Many people have found success in the Kirby company! Including myself and everyone around me. your son is smart.

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