Stopped into a Sears today...found out that WHIRLPOOL is being dropped there!

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

S

superocd

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 14, 2016
Messages
200
Location
PNW
Found this out while I went in there for a couple of Torx bits. While I was chatting with a clerk, I was told that Sears will no longer carry Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air or Amana, but Whirlpool will still manufacture Kenmore appliances for right now.

Surely this is related to their troubles. Nobody just "drops" Whirlpool just because. They're #1 and have been for some time.

I guess GE, Frigidaire (Electrolux), LG, et. al. are still going to be sold there.

I'm in shock. No more WHIRLPOOL at Sears??? No way! Whirlpool got a kick start by partnering with Sears way back in the day, didn't they? Wasn't the first fully automatic washer they built branded a Kenmore before their own namesake?

Hell has frozen over.
 
Sears

Our local mall Sears closed down several months ago. Nobody missed it, including me. They're irrelevant today and they're way, way past needing to shut down. Amazon is the new (and better) Sears, Amazon's website is the new Sears catalogue.

Does anybody here remember the Spiegel catalogue? My parents never bought anything from them but an aunt did and I used to like to look through the catalogues when we went to visit.
 
I don't recall that I've ever looked in a Spiegel catalog; if I did, it was decades ago. However, I recall that they used to be big-time advertisers on game shows.
 
Well honestly

That makes sense. Originally all you could buy at Sears, were Kenmore appliances. Considering that WP makes most of Kenmore's...seems rather redundant to sell both brands. It will help their own brand sales. I think it's a good move. The should stop selling LG's as well since LG makes most of their front loaders and Elite fridges.
 
I remember how late in the game Sears was about selling Maytag, whereas Montgomery Ward was who really needed to!

Then no sooner than you got Maytag at Sears (remember the Sears commercial showing the Maytag Man standing in front of a Sears store?) Mont. Ward added Whirlpool (got my folks' ice & water side x side!)...

-- Dave
 
Our Sears carries hardly any of them to begin with. Most Whirlpools are largely redundant to Kenmores. Probably a strategy because you can't comparison shop Kenmore. Additionally if they look to sell the Kenmore brand having it's sales look t be increasing is good for them,
 
I believe some of the ranges were Caloric and some were GE. Their TV and hi-fi stuff was made by Warwick until Sanyo took over in the mid-1970s. Note that at the time Fisher became the Sears house brand for stereo equipment, Fisher was owned by Sanyo. Back in the 1930s, many Sears Silvertone radios were made by Colonial, many of which are very nice radios.
 
I think Frigidaire makes most of the Kenmore ranges and ovens now. Last I heard most of Kenmore washers and dryers are not by Whirlpool anymore. Whirlpool does make most of the Kenmore side by side fridges and some french doors. LG makes some of the TOL side by sides and french doors. Frigidaire and Haier make most of the top freezers, and Frigidaire makes most of the freezers. Not sure about the dishwashers.

Of course a lot of Whirlpools are basically rebadges under various names. A Kenmore side by side is the same as a Whirlpool which is the same as an Amana which is the same as a Maytag which might be a little fancier. I was at an appliance store and saw an Amana next to a Whirlpool and couldn't tell any difference.
 
LG makes all their front loaders and some top loaders.  Some TLers are also made by Samsung.  Some of their TLers are made by Whirlpool too.  Most of their dishwashers are Whirlpool and except for one model, all their Kenmore Elite dishwashers are KitchenAids.  Their lower-end dishwashers could be Frigideaire and maybe LG, although I don't investigate their low end dishwashers.  I doubt many of y'all are aware, but a lot of the "differentiators" between Kenmore brand and the comparable producer are some features and many times software changes. That is exactly why I chose my Kenmore Elite dishwasher over comparable KitchenAids.    Some of their ranges used to be made by GE but I think most are made by Frigidaire and Elux.   Even among Whirlpool brands, differences may be slight cosmetic and software differences. 
 
Sears Appliances

Are currently made by many companies, but WP is still the largest supplier of Kenmore branded appliances.

 

From the 50s through the early 80s most KM G&E ranges were built by Roper.  I never saw a KM range that was made by or in the Caloric factory in Pennsylvania. In the 80s and on KM ranges were built by GE, FD and WP and a few others for odd models.

 

In the 60s and 70s Sears Silvertone electronics were made by Warwick electronics [ owned by Whirlpool Corp. ]

 

About 90% of KM DWs are built by WP, with FD, GE filling in on the cheaper mostly builder models, SS and LG never built any KM DWs, Sears did source some higher end DWs from Bosch about a decade ago, they were the usual Bosch disaster, LOL.

 

John L.
 
I helped my friend buy appliances about a year ago and she used Sears exclusively so I got pretty familiar with their products.

WP is def their largest supplier, and they currently also use Frigidaire (Electrolux) and LG. GE used to make one of their laundry centers, but now the larger one is made by Frigidaire and the smaller one by WP. So right now they do not have any GE supplied appliances.

Dishwashers are mostly WP (including KitchenAid clones) and their low end dial model is Frigidaire, along with an ADA certified SS interior model.

Ovens are Frigidaire.

Fridges are WP for the majority and LG for the Elite models.

Washers...1 TL Elite model is LG and the other is the ginormous 6.2 cu ft WP design. All other TL washers are made by WP. Front loaders and all LG except for the cheaper one, which is made by Frigidaire.

It's easy to tell the manufacturer if you download the operating manual. On the cover it lists the actual model number. So you just have to look up the code in the beginning.

It was kind of fun doing all the research. haha. For an appliance geek. :-D
 
Yes, only Kenmore

until the mid/late 1980's. Then their "Brand Central" appliance dept. debuted.
They were even selling Maytag. I think they were trying to stay ahead of the emerging big box stores. Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. Sears also still serviced what ever they sold.
 
Actually Appnut, Whirlpool is making some of their high end cooking appliances again. I was in a Sears last night and saw a new downdraft slide in gas range that looks like the current KA ranges.

WP is still making their top loaders but I don't think any of their fl washers. They are still making some mid range and high end of their dishwashers . It is not as easy anymore to decipher who is making what with Kenmore.

Nearly all the mainstream manufacturers are making appliances for Sears.
Whirlpool I believe is still making some their refrigerators also.

I know what you mean though and am in total agreement. Whirlpool was at their best when their relationship with Sears was strongest.

It's a real shame we will never see the likes of new lighted panel Lady Kenmore washers and dryers again.
 

Similar threads

S
I never had such poor customer service before in my life than what happened at Sears today...
2
Replies
32
Views
33
surgilator1
S
Unimatic1140
An Open Discussion about Copyright, automaticwasher.org/vacuumland and the Internet
2
Replies
31
Views
32
aldspinboy
aldspinboy
jetcone
I WANNA LIVE!!
2
Replies
24
Views
25
alr2903
A
programcomputer
About Lewyt Vacuum Cleaners A History of sorts......
Replies
8
Views
9
SactoTeddyBear
S

Latest posts

Back
Top