Hi Carmine,
You're right. I remember trips to our local Sears in the late 50s and the vac department always had a truckload of models. They sold lots of cans though I recall seeing few Kenmore uprights circa that point in time in homes in my neck of the woods.
Maybe the McCall's article was a marketing tool. Electrolux, Singer, Eureka, Hoover, Landers, Frary, Clark and Westinghouse and Lewyt did a lot of advertising in women's magazines. I've no recall of Kenmore vac advertisements in ladies mags. Kenmore had the famous -- and also free -- Sears' catalogue for its advertising platform. Lots of people used to love to thumb through "the wish book."
Venson
Hello Venson:
You're right.
Over the last half century plus some, SEARSs vacuum sales popularity rose and fell. Uprights have never been its forte even with Consumer Reports favorable ratings in the past decade right along side HOOVER. SEARS canister sales on the other hand have in the past decade been praised by CR as capturing almost 25 percent of the new cann market every year. Although this CR claim has not been made [or at least I have not seen it in print as I once did] in most recent years. I suspect the rise and fall of SEARS vacuums mirrors its yearly overall successes/failures. In recent times, even times better than these now, SEARS has struggled to stay competitive with other retailers.
Maybe SEARS should bring back its free catalogue which died an ignominious death long ago.
Carmine D.
