Stanley the reemer at Costco

[Dwain Ray]

Was at Costco today and saw this, Stanley the reemer is advertising at our local Costco. But the closest Stanley reemer is 1.5 hours away??? Is this national ?

 

[hogjowl]

This would have been interesting if it showed prices

 

[Mikey P]

A free churro with every doormat...

 

[Cleanworks]

Great marketing if they can keep it up.

 

[hogjowl]

They’ve always been a step ahead

 

[Dwain Ray]

The less repeats you have, the more ya have to spend for " fresh meat "

 

[hogjowl]

True but they’re masters at marketing

 

[Dwain Ray]

True but they’re masters at marketing

They have to be to survive

 

[Jim Pemberton]

These are/were the biggest carpet cleaning franchises 40 years ago:

Chemdry
Coit
Domesticare
Duraclean
Rainbow
Servicemaster
Servpro
Stanley Steemer

(I know I likely missed some, but I want to get out of here as soon as the fog clears this morning)

Most of them migrated to become restoration organizations, with carpet cleaning having become an afterthought. Some no longer exist, or are now small.

Stanley Steemer, while also now in the restoration business, seems to be the only one who has stood the test of time and who still out markets everyone else.

They promote hard surface and air duct cleaning as much, if not more than carpet cleaning, and look to be entering the in plant rug cleaning industry with strong commitments there too.

Most cleaners find them to be unlikable, but when they run an ad, everyone’s phone rings.

 

[BIG WOOD]

These are/were the biggest carpet cleaning franchises 40 years ago:

Chemdry
Coit
Domesticare
Duraclean
Rainbow
Servicemaster
Servpro
Stanley Steemer

(I know I likely missed some, but I want to get out of here as soon as the fog clears this morning)

Most of them migrated to become restoration organizations, with carpet cleaning having become an afterthought. Some no longer exist, or are now small.

Stanley Steemer, while also now in the restoration business, seems to be the only one who has stood the test of time and who still out markets everyone else.

They promote hard surface and air duct cleaning as much, if not more than carpet cleaning, and look to be entering the in plant rug cleaning industry with strong commitments there too.

Most cleaners find them to be unlikable, but when they run an ad, everyone’s phone rings.

You left out Sears as one of the big dogs 40 years ago. Nothing important, just thought about that failure of a franchise

 

[Mikey P]

When Saiger, Zipper and I visited the Tampa Bay location with CJ, as well as his new shop, along with meeting his guys at a RMHC cleaning, and meeting the SS guys at a Minnesota RMH, I'm left with a favorable impression of the organization.

Overall they serve a need that most of you , and I, have any desire to compete with.

 

[hogjowl]

Darcy!!!

 

[Mikey P]

Darcy!!!

the comma after you is wrong.

 

[Cleanworks]

They have to be to survive

Someone once said, "there's a sucker born every minute".

 

[Jim Pemberton]

You left out Sears as one of the big dogs 40 years ago. Nothing important, just thought about that failure of a franchise

Thank you!

My father worked with their earliest version, which was owned by one individual who had offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England. His name was Bob McCaffery, and the company was RGM Services.

The next phase was a group, name forgotten, who opened in towns and subcontracted to people.

Then a group of ex-Stanley Steemer people created the franchise along their lines. That one still has some offices around, but the Sears name isn't quite what it used to be, and at least in my area, none do very well any longer.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Thank you!

My father worked with their earliest version, which was owned by one individual who had offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England. His name was Bob McCaffery, and the company was RGM Services.

The next phase was a group, name forgotten, who opened in towns and subcontracted to people.

Then a group of ex-Stanley Steemer people created the franchise along their lines. That one still has some offices around, but the Sears name isn't quite what it used to be, and at least in my area, none do very well any longer.

Is Sears still out there? I thought they just closed all their franchises and did away with the name

 

[Nate The Great]

We still have a local guy who has a Sears franchise.. He held it a little while.. I remember him when I was young.. Recently crashed one of his vans..

 

[hogjowl]

I met a local Sears guy at a gas station, probably 20 years ago. He’d just opened his franchise. He was so cocky. I don’t think he managed to even make it a year.

 

[hogjowl]

Virtually every young guy enters this business with the idea of low pricing his way into success.

 

[Rob Grady]

I bought two Butler vans from the Sears franchise that went out of business in Hamilton Ontario. My introduction to employee operated vans.

 

[Brian H]

One of the big names from years ago was Adler and Sons. They operated in about 35 markets in the U.S. and Canada where they represented a lot of major department stores, sometimes operating under the names of competing companies in the same town. I ran the J.C. Penney location in the Detroit area. In other cities they went by Sears, May Company, Boston Store, Macy's, G Fox & Company, Carson Pirie Scott & Company, Eatons and The Bay are a few I can remember. There was one location (their headquaters) in New Jersey that went by 3 or 4 different names. For their office staff, you answered the phone differently, based on the incoming line.

This was the company where I got my start. I trained for less than 3 weeks total, 1 week cleaning, 1 week in a regional office and a couple of days in the corparate office. They cut me loose in after that and all I ever had was weekly check-ins with the HQ staff. I churned through so many cleaners in that job, partially because I didn't know what I was doing and partially because the pay sucked. I would train a guy for a few days and send them out with a route after that. I cringe at the thought of the inexperienced people I sent out to peoples homes.