The fact that I'm not so good in the kitchen doesn't mean I can't appreciate some good kitchen gadgets. But after stopping by the Kenmore booth at CES, I realized that the kitchen of the future will have more than just awesome tools; your fridge will actually know how to text you. We're one step closer to having our very own Rosie! Find out more about the smart appliances we found in Las Vegas in the video below!
Americans like classics from cars to appliances and even in their fashion so it's always interesting to us to see what great American brands have the loyalties of shoppers. According to BrandKeys who styles themselves as the world leader in consumer loyalty metrics the brands that have captured our hearts and pocket books are in fact purveyors of great fashion classics. The top four brands in their 2008
Customer Loyalty Engagement Index are:
1. L.L. Bean
2. J. Crew
3. Eddie Bauer/Land's End (tie)
4. Sears
We couldn't agree more actually as L.L Bean's duck boots, Eddie Bauer's goofy sweaters, Land's Ends canvas totes, J.Crew's colorful cardigans and yes Sear's stylish appliances are all fashionable classics to which even the most chic remain loyal. In fact our household owns all of these items.
The washer at our house has been on the fritz for a while. It's an obscure, European brand, and while it has some awesome features (requires hardly any detergent, frontloading, highly water- and energy-efficient), the fact that there's only one repair company in the entire San Francisco Bay Area that will service it, and that the repair company routinely charges $150 every time we have it fixed, is making me consider changing machines.
I was further tempted when I read about the Barolo Kenmore washer. This 4.0 cu. ft. front-load washer uses SteamCare technology, which pretty much eliminates the need for pre-treating. The washer is also Energy Star-qualified, using 77% less energy & 73% less water than other machines. On average, it only uses 151 Kilowatt hours per year, as compared to the 420 kilowatt hours/year used by the top-loading Kenmore Elite Oasis machine.
This machine isn't cheap—it's several hundred dollars more expensive than most other washing machines, though it's $100.00 off through October 4th, selling for $1599.99.
But you know what's most cool of all? Dr. Jane Goodall is endorsing them.
