What's wrong with a $50 Vacuum?

Why would anyone want to spend a lot of money on a vacuum?  Times are tough and we all need lots of things for our household so spending hard earned cash on a vacuum cleaner just doesn't make sense, and it's not fun either.   I have people who come to my store and pull up in new Mercedes or BMW and then get supplies for their $50.00 vacuum. Could their priorities be a little mixed up???   I think most people feel that one vacuum is as good as any, so why spend a whole lot???

I want to be clear about what you get out of a cheap vacuum.  Yes, it picks up dirt and out of the box, brand new, it might even seem like it is powerful.  You'll notice though that after six months it will take a nose dive.  It will decline in performance quite a bit and also let dirt back into the air.  The air is now contaminated for hours and your whole family will be breathing it in.  If you've read my other posts you know how unhealthy that is.  Cheap vacuums clean for appearances, not for health.  You also will have to buy them frequently so remember...that adds up!  It effects our wallets and it also effects our land fills. 

On the other hand, If we make a smart choice for a vacuum cleaner, we will be cleaning more effectively.  The floor will be cleaner & so will the air we are breathing.  We will be removing toxins out of the house and providing a healthier environment for our family.  We will actually save money in the long run and will be taking better care of our beautiful earth.   I'm being sincere about this.  Next time you need a vacuum try a better one and see if it makes a difference.  Just a word of caution though, it's not better just because it cost more.  Make sure you get help from a professional you can trust and buy one that takes care of your needs.  Let's clean for health....and a good vacuum will help that cause tremendously.

Get rid of the dust, it's a breath of air.

We have been testing the air quality everyday to get an idea of what we are breathing in.  The average amount of particles floating in the air is about 700,000!  Sometimes when the farmers are burning their fields it goes up to 2 Million or more!  No wonder some people have severe allergies or some other kind of respiratory issues.  It's not just the dust that is getting to us.  Attached to the dust are chemicals and pesticides which we take into our systems by simply breathing.  That's why it is so important to breathe in fresh air.  At least as fresh as possible.  I encourage anyone who wants to clear the air to think heavily about a good vacuum and air purifier.  Sometimes it's easy to skimp on a vacuum cleaner.  After all, who likes spending money on a vacuum?  It makes a big difference though, especially when you want to get rid of the dust in your home.  At my home, we use a zero emissions vacuum and an air purifier in every bedroom.  We run the air purifiers while we sleep (while we are doing our deepest breathing) and what a difference it makes!  I'm not offering a cure to all our allergy problems but I am confident that if we get rid of the dust, by deep cleaning our floors with a good vacuum and clear the air with a good air purifier,...we will make a substantial difference in the cleanliness of our homes and don't be a bit surprised if someone in the family starts seeing a difference in their health too.  So, get rid of the dust!  It's a breath of air.     

Have you heard of a Pellet Grill?

I have really been enjoying my new Green Mountain pellet grill.  Honestly...I was skeptical.  Not any more!  It's good eating and I've never had a grill be so easy to cook on.  All I have to do is turn it on and select a temperature.  A few minutes later I'm putting meat on the grill.  It uses hardwood pellets that are made up of oak, hickory and maple.  The flavor is fantastic!  You don't have to worry about burning or charring the food either because it has a indirect heat plate.  That means the flame is not directly under the food.  Now that I've been using a Green Mountain grill, I'm hooked and will continue to have fun with it.  If you would like to see how easy it is or you have other questions...come by and we will fire one up and play with it.

Money changes behavior

Why does this happen?  I have two friends who turn into snobs every time we go to a restaurant.  They treat the waiter or waitress horribly!  I think their psyche says: "I am paying money, you are serving me...so, I am going to treat you however I want.  It drives me nuts!  I started to think about my own customers and how they treat me and I have to say, I am blessed with many good customers who treat me very well however, on occasion, I see this ugly attitude show up.  There is something that happens to people when they see themselves as paying customers, and their attitude changes.  Their behavior is different than what their friends and family see.  They figure they can treat someone anyway they want to as long as they are the customer.  My question to everybody reading this is: Is this OK behavior?  I don't think it is.  I do not think just because I am spending money somewhere it means I can treat someone like crap.  We all deserve respect and dignity.  When we deal with other people we give them that.  How is it when money is involved we throw all those principles out the window???  I have to admit...I don't get it!  Money should not influence the situation.  Being a customer means we get a service or product for a price, but it shouldn't change our behavior.  Who we are or how we act should be the same no matter if dollars are exchanged or not.  Why do I bring this up?  Watch yourself & your friends when you are in a store.  Is their behavior the same as usual?  If not,...why?  My personal thought is everybody deserves respect weather it's the girl making my coffee or the boy bagging my groceries .  As a customer, if I give this to someone who does not give it back to me....I will take my business somewhere else.  End of story.  Just because I am spending money however, does not give me the right to change my behavior.  What do you think?

Grandfather's Passing

My Grandfather, Larry Rydel, sadly passed away October 27, 2010. He was the founder of our company and was a heck of a guy too.  I've been trying to write about him since then, but I've had a hard time expressing myself.  It's like my mind is flooded with thoughts and feelings about him, and I just don't know how to express those in paragraph form.  Maybe when they're done swimming around in my head I will get them out.  In the meantime, I know that many people did business with him and enjoyed it.  I would always hear experiences from from my customers about him and the things he would do in helping them.  He loved to joke, so not only would he help people but you better believe he would make them smile & laugh if he could.  Maybe that's why so many people remembered him after he retired.   Anybody who did business with him would know that he viewed people as far more important than their money.  He treated people right and people kept coming back to do business with him.   Because we all keep getting older I don't hear as many experiences as I used too about him but if anyone reading this remembers him please leave a comment.  I would love to hear it.

The Customer is always right....right?

I know exactly where this saying came from.  It was from a savvy business owner who was trying to effect the attitude of his employees.  The last thing you want to do as a company is argue with your customers.  I remember one time we had a customer come into our store to look for a new vacuum.  My customer was telling my employee that her last vacuum was a "Rydel" vacuum.  My employee corrected her and said No, we are Rydel and we don't make vacuums, we just sell them.  Well, my customer was quite sure that she owned a Rydel vacuum and my employee felt it was real important to set her straight that she didn't.  In the end, we lost the sale.  Do you want to guess why?  This should have been one of those cases of "the customer is always right!"  Who cares if she thinks she has a Rydel vacuum!  Just move along and be helpful.  Now,...Is the customer always right?  No Way!  If you deal with the public in your job, you know this, but....the attitude is right.  If you are in customer service or sales, this attitude can go a long way in helping you, because even if the statement isn't correct, the attitude will help you gain and keep your customers.  If you think about it, our attitude or outlook on life can make such a difference.  Isn't that true?

The Big Green Egg

We recently started carrying The Big Green Egg.  I've been asked by some people why we have this kind of product in our store.  What's this got to do with healthy homes?  Well, let me say that so far it has been a pleasure to have the worlds finest smoker & grill in my store.  I had the opportunity to retail them and was reluctant at first to do so, but after using one and cooking on one, I realized we needed to make these available for people in our town.   I think it fits perfect into a healthy home concept.  When most families barbeque, they usually eat better.  There's more fresh food being prepared.  Not just meat,...it usually includes veggies, salads, seafood, etc.  It also brings family & friends together and creates a good time for all.  In a day & age of eating out and so much processed food being consumed, I think this is a great product to include as part of our healthy home line-up.  I'm so happy to have it!

The Big Green Egg is more than a BBQ, grill or smoker.  It is a device that will let you get so creative in cooking different foods.  It will awaken the chef in you and those "good times" around your household will become more & more plentiful because you will want to cook more often with it.