One Cycle Wonders
These one cycle machines would appear to draw a lot of people into Sears, particularly economy conscious customers and landlords. Its all people really wanted/needed.
I tried to buy one in the early 2000s, and I've seen the same happen with others in the countless hours I browsed the Sears sale floor- They would refuse to sell you a Galaxy. First thing the sales man would bring up is the one Speed motor. "If you have anything other than towels, it will chew em up" The sales man would then talk about how the models a few steps up came with a normal cycle (vs regular, heavy duty and PP) and how they have never received a complaint regarding torn clothes vs those that made the mistake of buying one of the low end models. He would then ask how many loads a day do they do, what type of machine, if it was at a laundry mat, ect and how it would not actually fit into the galaxy but fit in a two speed MOL model. He would then use that as a point to start off with the DA agitator, how it would not only accommodate more normal day to day loads but also get everything clean since cleaning actually took place at the bottom of an agi (or the fins of a FL if the customers were laundry mat users). The corkscrew would push clothes to the bottom then pull them up, where as in the BOL models everything would get shredded and over cleaned on the bottom while the clothes on the middle and the top would just sit jiggling in the water.
The goal was to talk to the consumer into just starting to consider their foundational options on an MOL machine, one with at least 3 cycles (heavy duty, normal, PP/Del), bleach dispenser, two speed motor, DA agi and a porcelain coated top. He would re-iterate that he would never buy anything lower than the MOL he was pointing to, how users would often re-turn low end machines due to unmet expectations, and how after a few years the tops would just rust out. He would make every excuse as to why the BOL machines would not meet the expectations of everyday use and was not even sure why Sears sold them.
The sales man would then go on to explain all the perks of going up the line. How the white porcelain tub would be more gentle on clothes and outlast the sprecle tub which would sometimes chip and rust, how a fabric softner dispencer was often compelling as people were busy and would forget to add it at the right time. ATC was a major bragging point- to cold the water and detergent would not work- to hot and it would waste energy without having any added benefit over 70*C cool water. Spill guard top, sound pack, 3 speed motor, extra rinse, infinite water level, delayed bleach, auto dispensers, direct drive... one that kind of made me laugh was a couple looking for a basic washer where they told the sales man they line dry their clothes and he immediately said they would need a TOL model that actually had that option on the speed selector (which they did, Fast/Slow or hang dry).
Some of what they said was true, some if it obviously BS. But any encounter with a sales man was about establishing authority, building trust, displaying knowledge, educating the customer on the store's terms, then making them look silly about their initial consideration, constructing the idea that only a mid range model would make them reasonably happy, tantalizing upper end models, and creating the perception the sales man was indeed being reasonable because he wasn't pushing the absolute TOL. It was a well played psychological technique that worked hand in hand in the model line up concept of Kenmore.
Of course that eventually came to bite and backfire for Sears when customers began to think on their own- set on buying what they really came in for- becoming irritated when a simple 10 minute open and shut sale turned into a 90 minute "you really don't want this" exchange. That and the Calypso blunder really woke people up when forcing everyone to buy a Calypso turned into the whole store overflowing with returns.
Personally, Sears should have just drilled out the panel for a water level knob, put the jumpers in the Molex Connector for the extra cycles and knob selected water temps and sold the machine for the asking price. Add a DA and fabric softner to the next model up. Sears would have won a lot more customers heading into the financial crisis and beyond. Remember that even the most BOL Amana at HD today has a DA and water temps.
