Listen to Jeff Warner explain why we’re closed on Thanksgiving, by Jeff Warner.
Category Archives: Holidays
Are Vacuums Good Gifts?
No, it’s not just the thought that counts. Vacuum consistently rank among the least desired gifts on surveys of women on a romantic holiday like Valentine’s Day.
Home Appliance Blog groupies are well aware of my obsessive love of our vacuums, but I care even more deeply about the safety and well-being of our customers. And buying a Valentine’s gift related to an unpopular household chore is probably not the best decision.
Don’t get me wrong. Our vacuums, including top brands like Miele and Dyson, are the best out there. They are highly requested gifts…364 days out of the year. It’s just not that romantic.
So this year, Warners’ Stellian Appliance decided we could no longer with clear conscience take the money from (let’s face it) men about to meet their Maker and are banning the sales of vacuum cleaners intended as Valentine’s Day gifts.
The campaign, “No Vacuums for Valentine’s Day,” aims to spread awareness about the dangers of this terrible gift to save hapless gift-givers from themselves, before it’s too late.
And if a customers stubbornly insists on purchasing a vacuum as a romantic Valentine’s gift, he or she will be asked to sign a waiver promising to act as the primary user of the new vacuum.
Now THAT’s romantic 🙂
Get Your Oven Ready for the Holidays
Just like you might get an oil change before going on a road trip, you might have considered cleaning your oven before hosting a holiday party.
Here’s some advice:
Don’t.
Every holiday we get a panicked call from a well-meaning customer who ran the self-clean on her oven and afterwards, the oven didn’t unlock (in this cautionary tale, Northland Service was able to unlock the oven in the nick of time). Of course, this isn’t what’s supposed to happen; the self-clean mode should just work like a charm.
But we all know that things don’t always turn out as they should, and if it’s going to malfunction, Murphy’s Law dictates that it will be right before your in-laws show up.
How to Clean Your Oven
Instead, follow my tips on how to clean your oven manually. You don’t even need oven cleaner.
And then you can use your self-clean function AFTER the holidays.
What to Do If Your Stove Dies on Thanksgiving
Many stoves choose to stop functioning right around the time you’ve finally finished thawing, brining, trussing and stuffing that huge bird on Thanksgiving morning.
Now your oven very well might be dead, but sometimes you just need to give it the ol’ Fonzie treatment.
Oven Troubleshooting
Now, I’m not actually suggesting you punch your juke, er…range; but try shutting off your circuit or unplugging your appliance for 20 minutes. It’s always the first advice I give customers before we attempt service – and it’s worked before! Best case scenario, you’re back in business once you plug it back in or reset the circuit.
If you have a gas range and the cooktop is working but the oven isn’t, flip the regulator switch (which automatically cuts off the flow of gas at a certain pressure).
If you’re still getting an error code or the unit is still dead, you’re probably going to need service. You can call us on Friday at 651-222-0011 (opt. 4).
But at least you tried. In a pinch, fire up the grill.
Celebrate Your Independents: It’s not a typo; it’s a movement
I’ve already received two messages since we started running commercials encouraging viewers to “Celebrate Your Independents.”
That is — of course — because the Fourth of July is Independence Day, not Independents Day.
(God love these people; these are my people. I commonly contact businesses to bring their attention to possible errors [though I generally do it with a large dose of sensitivity as I am keenly aware that fellow local businesses squeak by on fewer resources than their national counterparts].)
But we aren’t asking you to buy from us because it’s July 4 on Monday. We want you to understand the value of independent businesses, so we’re participating in the Celebrate Your Independents promotion.
During the month of July, select local, independent retailers and restaurants have teamed up to provide money-saving offers and a chance to win $1,250 in gift cards in exchange for your support and your ear. We want you to know the importance of buying local!
Multiple studies have shown that dollars spent at local, independent businesses generates at least three times more direct local economic benefit a dollars spent at absentee-owned chain businesses. Plus, these are the retailers, restaurants and service providers that lend support to your childrens’ schools, your places of worship and our neediest nonprofits because it’s their communities, too.
So among all the picnics and patriotism of this holiday weekend, take care to Celebrate Your Independents, as well.