Kelly's Korner - KitchenAid Mixers

Hey, All,

The other day my sister posted a picture of her new orange KitchenAid mixer that her husband and daughter bought her for her birthday.  She is loving it.  The one I have my dad bought my mom back in the late 60's early 70's and it is olive green.  Still works like a champ.  Mom used to do cakes semi-professionally and our friends would come from miles around when they found out she was making a cake as they LOVED her frosting - in fact, one girlfriend of mine just got a bowl of icing for her birthday - no cake - as the frosting was her favorite.

Why am I talking about a small appliance today instead of a major appliance?  KitchenAid is a Whirlpool brand, and while W L May does not carry small appliance parts, we do carry parts for the KitchenAid mixers.  In fact, the name KitchenAid came from one of the wives of the executives of Whirlpool when she declared,  “I don’t care what you call it, but I know it’s the best kitchen aid I’ve ever had!”

The first KitchenAid stand mixer came out in 1919 and were sold door-to-door by women.  Because of the high cost most stores would not sell them.  They went through many design changes but since the 1930's the look hasn't changed much.  They come in a wide variety of colours to please everyone. But the best thing about this mixer that it is a workhorse.  I don't think mine has ever had any parts replaced in the 35+ years we've had it.

This mixer is so versatile - not only can you whip up your favorite cake or cookies but you can mix and knead bread dough.  And you can buy attachments for it for juicing, grinding meat, stuffing sausages, making pasta, food processing and many more.  While the attachments are a bit pricey, if you use them alot, it is a lot cheaper in the long run than buying  separate appliances and saves a lot of space on your counter and well worth it.

KitchenAid mixers are the single, most registered item ever and a definate must-have in your kitchen if you do a lot of cooking.  I wouldn't trade mine for the world.  Not only for the sentimental valve because of all the memories of Mom making cakes and helping her with that, but because if I only had one small appliance, this is it.

So if you would like one for Christmas, get it on your list now - post pictures and ads all over the house so your loved ones get the hint!

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.-Scott Adams

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Friday Morning Videos: GE Refrigerator Defrost System

Rich from Western Appliance Repair in Boise posted this short video explaining how a defrost heater in a GE works. Great for showing customers or trainees.



For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Throwback Thursday: News Recap September 3, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. A lot has been happening so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Eat Drink Better explained how to clean refrigerator coils. LINK
• The Napa Valley Register checked in with their suggestions for refrigerator organization. LINK
• There was some advice for installing a washing machine and gas dryer from the Las Vegas Review Journal. LINK
• Kitchen Conservation had some tips to use up practically any leftover. LINK
• University approved laundry programs are happening for freshmen. LINK
• If your washing machine has stopped working, this article gives a few tips on staying fresh. LINK
• Consumer Reports checked in with their recommendations for dealing with those smelly camp and sports clothes. LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• Workers at the Roper factory have concerns about the possible sale of GE's appliance division. LINK
• With Quirky out of the picture, Electrolux emerges as GE's main suitor. LINK

We found several articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• California's drought conditions have called for massive water conservation. Experts recommend reusing dishwater to water plants. Dishwashers aren't generally designed for that, which is problem for this Fresno Bee columnist. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• Handyman Club explained why isn't there just one screwdriver for all applications. LINK
• Handyman Club of America had a history of toolcases. LINK
• In the rush to get Internet connected appliances to the market, the BBC hopes that manufacturers remember security. LINK

We close with a few stories that are just for fun:

• 22Words posted a kid doing a pretty good spider man impersonation. Then he goes one step further. Pretty amazing! LINK
• From Thailand comes this colorful and artistic Frigidaire ad. Don't worry, language is not an issue with this one. LINK

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Speaking of Back To School

Flicker/CC

With the passing of Labor Day, it's time for the "Back To School" season. If the kids in your neighborhood are not already back in school, they will be soon. Please be careful as you are making your service calls, there's certain to be more bikes and miniature pedestrians on the road then you probably were seeing over summer break.

As Kelly mentioned in yesterday's post, we are also training some new parts people here ate W.L. May so we are in a back to school frame of thought as well. Its always exciting to share our knowledge and experience with newcomers to our industry.

Should you be thinking about going back to school too? Lets face it, no matter how much of a whiz-bang servicer you might be on the classic Maytag laundry products, or the old GE refrigerators, those machines are getting less and less common. More and more machines are coming onto the market that have made radical changes from some long running designs. The old rules just don't apply any more!

The new machines offer you both new challenges and new opportunities. Service calls on the newer machines frequently involve more expensive components. This means you have less room for errors but also the opportunity for greater profits. The changes will also, over time, make the skills of those who keep up with all of the changes more valuable. This alone is a powerful argument for going "back to school".

Business and marketing is also changing rapidly with the digital age, and those changes affect both your customers expectations as well as how you react to this new type of customer. United Servicer members are on the front lines of change and would like you to join them in tackling the challenges of the 21st century appliance repair industry.

W.L. May Co., in partnership with The United Servicers Association is offering you the chance to stay current with you skills with the fall Regional Service Training Institute. We have worked to offer training sessions regionally to limit the amount of travel involved for our more rural servicers.

Here are the dates and the types of training being offered at each RSTI:

• Sacramento, CA- September 25-26th-  Bosch, Electrolux, & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes 
• Salt Lake City, UT-October 9-10th- Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes 
• Portland, OR-November 6-7th-Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes

Please make a note there will be no Samsung training in Sacramento.

Registration for the event is $199.00. You registration fee includes all training and materials, five hot meals, and the opportunity to discuss challenges facing your company and the our industry, with knowledgeable peers who are outside of your competitive service area. 

More information  and to register visit the United Sevicers Registration site. Often these events sell out, and seats are filling up fast. Don't be the company that doesn't know how to fix one of those "new machines". Keep up with your competition, as we all move forward with new marketing and business management techniques for the digital age. Sign up NOW to make sure you are not "that company".

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - New Employees and the Learning Process

Hey, All,

As in any place of employment, there are people starting a job and some leaving (NO, I AM NOT LEAVING!) and we here at W L May are not in any way immune to this.  We do have employees that have been here for 30+ years!  And they will tell you that this job is a constant learning process.

We have a couple of newbie salespeople that I have been helping to train and the first thing we tell them is that they will NEVER know everything.  And not to denigrate the fast food industry because I have put my time in there - but this isn't burgers and fries.

Creative Commons license on image.

Think of it this way.  Over the decades, fads, fashion and technology has changed dramatically.  You can see this every day in the car you drive and the phone you use.  The same is true for appliances.  In its day, the old wringer washer was a break-through in modern techology.  Now it is a museum piece.  And they are not all the same.  Parts that will work on a Model T Ford will not work on Chevy Camaro, right?  So when I am training, the constant theme that I tell my trainees is to ASK QUESTIONS!!!  If they are not 100% sure what the customer is looking for - keep asking. We get people calling in all the time that want a shelf for their refrigerator or a belt for their dryer and think they are all the same.  NOT!

So if you call in and get one of our new people, please be patient with them and their questions.  They are in a constant learning process and don' t know the machines and customers like us veterans do and they do want to get you the part you need.  And believe me, I learn something new everyday and I will be the first to admit I don't know everything.  Welcome to the W L May family, Liz and Lloyd!

Have a great week!

Happy Labor Day

W.L. May Company wishes You and Your Family Happy Labor Day