If Speed Queen sold through Kenmore

[Chetlaham]

If Sears was still around, would they ever have considered doing business with Alliance? If Sears carried Speed Queens under their own name, would that help get Speed Queen into more homes? I think their top load and front load platform are perfect and could be sold from single knob classic cleans to MOL dual action AWN-542s, all the way up to an wifi enabled perfect wash machines.

There is something about people having luxurious build quality, metal inner and outertubs, reliability, durability, dependability and a long warranty.

Yes Speed Queen machines are more difficult to service, but with longer life a low manufacturing defects Sears could easily afford to replace lemons and push for a new washer (vs repair) after 25 years of service.

Imagine if 80% of new washers in the US were Speed Queens. Imagine if Whirlpool had to go back to the drawing board to compete.

 

[repairguy]

The majority of consumers view only price when making a purchase and it has been this way for many years now.

 

[combo52]

Speed Queen laundry at Sears

Alliance laundry systems does not sell through big box stores and that would include places like Sears

It’s not part of their marketing strategy.

Most repairs on speed queen washers and dryers are actually much easier than just about any other brand.

Yes doing a transmission on a speed queen Toploader is harder than a direct drive but it’s no more difficult than a Maytag or GE or many others.

And Speed Queen front loaders are far and away the easiest front loader to work on just about ever built. Speed Queen being commercial equipment at heart is designed to be repaired easily.

John L

 

[wayupnorth]

Speed Queen is doing what Maytag did years ago. Dealers have a protected area that no other store can sell their brand. Today with big box retailers, Small Mom and Pop dealers have an advantage being able to sell Speed Queen.

 

[Chetlaham]

Right, but are these strategies just keeping Speed Queen out of people's laundry rooms? The average consumer does not know the difference between mom/pop and Best Buy, the buying selection is done on the store's site or on the show room floor- in fact there is an assumption that big box has a wider selection hence why people go there in addition to lower prices. I've seen Bosch and Miele at big stores, and there is a market for high priced goods at the bulk retail level.

I have to disagree, Whirlpool is made for service. Thats one reason why Whirlpool dominates. From the no-tools-to-open hinged control panel to the caulk free tub seal assembly to the motor bracket not being a gillete razor makes service just a bit less involved.

 

[DADoES]

 
Some smaller towns don't have a mom-and-pop appliance dealer.  The only choices here are a Sears Home Store, and a home improvement "tiny-box" store (not more than 50 total locations across multiple states) with very limited selection.  And a couple rent-to-own outfits if those can be counted as retailers.  The closest big-box stores and possible mom-and-pops are 40 to 55 miles distant ... and folks from here are much more likely to hit the big-boxes than seek the mom-and-pops.

My home town and the next town over from it (the county seat) have nothing.

 

[askolover]

Electronic express sells SQ here

 

[pierreandreply4]

july last year when washer dryer was replace

last year when washer dryer needed to be replace i tryed to convince my mom the best choice was speed queen but we went with maytag and speaking of sears i wonder how much sears would of sell speed queen washers and dryers

 

[vacerator]

If is too

little too late, but anything could have been possible. The demise of Sears was as much orchestrated as the rest of the retail/industrial downsizing schemes.

 

[panasonicvac]

Honestly as much as I like SQ and the Kenmore brand, it would seem strange to have SQ make machines for Kenmore. I thought it was already strange that SQ made machines for both Amana and Maytag.

 

[bradfordwhite]

SQ is a niche market machine.  Especially in todays market place.  SQ is today what Maytag or Kitchenaid was in the  70s & 80s.

 

[repairguy]

I believe Sears did sell the Amana line in the late nineties and were basically Speed Queens during the period when Speed Queen was not producing washers and dryers for the residential market.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

kenmore owned by speed queen

It would be nice if speed queen sold to kenmore. Their perfect wash system can have recirculating pumps and windows in the lid. In addition to that, it could have bulk detergent, softener, and bleach dispensers.

 

[panasonicvac]

The other day I just noticed that Speed Queen also made machines for GE which I didn't know about. This now makes me wonder if SQ ever did sold machines under the Kenmore brand before? I'd be very curious to know.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Speed Queen was sold through sears in the early 90’s. It appears they had to be special ordered though. Here’s a picture of a page from the 1991 fall-winter catalog.
Thatwasherguy.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Yeah I've wondered what the small towns do as far as appliances. I remember the town I lived in first as a child had only a Royal's furniture store that sold appliances, and a Sears catalog store. I'm not sure the catalog store even stocked appliances, or if rather you just ordered them in. I don't have any recollection of going there.

I know even the smallest towns here in Florida tend to have the Badcock "Furniture and More" stores. If you look at their circulars you see that the appliances are marked up pretty high. Like almost $600 for a very BOL Whirlpool electric range with no oven window or even a clock/timer. Now I know how they get away with it - 1) easy financing, and 2) in many places, no competition.

I have seen those Speed Queens in the 90s Sears catalogs too. No, I don't believe Sears ever branded Speed Queens as Kenmore. They would be too expensive, Kenmore mostly branded middle of the road stuff like Whirlpool or GE, and sometimes lesser quality even.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Most people I know in small towns just drive to the nearest town with a Lowes or Home Depot, or before they mostly all closed, a mall store Sears.

We do have two appliance stores here, and one of them has Speed Queen. I remember when my parents replaced their washer a few years ago, the store had one set left of the last traditional style top load Speed Queen washer and dryer.

 

[Chetlaham]

How much more expensive was the Speed Queen design when compared to Whirlpool BD, Whirlpool DD and GE Filter Flo? I honestly have no idea.

I always assumed the Filter Flo was the most expensive design because of the of weight and amount of metal used in the machine.


One can wish though. It would have been so sweet to see the design at 20:00 sold in the millions. <3

 

[maytag85]

Reason why premium brands like Speed Queen don’t sell at big box stores is because they cater to small businesses and not greedy corporations. Like John Lefever said it’s not really their marketing strategy. It’s like if Kirby were to sell their vacuums at big box stores (not to bring up the subject of vacuum cleaners lol) since they like Speed Queen cater to small independent stores and dealers rather than big box stores since again they are owned by greedy corporations.