Kelly's Korner - Ch-ch-changes...

Hey, All!

I am back from a wonderful two weeks of vacation and enjoyed every minute of it.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year.

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This time of year is a good time to reflect on what has happened in the past year and look forward to what's coming in the new.  Here at W L May, there have been changes and we are looking at more.

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Changes aren't easy, but it is a daily part of life - it would be pretty boring if everything stayed the same forever.  This year we have had some major personnel changes - people leaving that have been here for years and moving on to bigger and better things.  New people have come in and we are working hard to help them learn this business and to help you.  It will take some patience.

We've seen some changes in the major freight carriers rates.  We tried to absorb this, but now are having to institute a flat rate shipping fee.  You all should have been contacted by now, but if you have questions, please call.

The people behind the scenes here have been working hard on a new operating system and website that should be up and running in the next few months (fingers crossed!).  From what I've been told, it will be way more user friendly and help everyone's job go much smoother.  We are all looking forward to seeing this in action.

WL May sales force

W L May's first and foremost priority is you, our customer's happiness and growth in their businesses.  We care about you and what your needs are.  We bring you industry changes and news with our Facebook page and our blogs.  Opportunies for technical training and new business practices with our association with the manufacturers and the United Servicers Association.  And by having our sales team and support staff here to listen and help you with whatever you need.  If you have questions, concerns or suggestions on how we may help you better, call or email us.

I hope all of you have a wonderful and profitable New Year and remember that we here at W L May are here for YOU!

Kelly's Korner - Thoughts and Notifications

Hey, All,

Today will be my last post until after Christmas.  I will be on vacation from December 14-27th doing my usual holiday/birthday stuff.  Making miniature Almond Joys and my special Chex mix, cleaning and rearranging and just taking some time to relax.  That is, of course, if the whole of Portland doesn't float away in this rainstorm we are having!

This is the street in front of
my girlfriend's house - you
can't even see the sidewalk or
curbs!

According to the weather people, we are supposed to be getting about 4" of rain in the next few days and we have lakes where there should be streets and sidewalks.  No matter what the weather is where you are - please be careful driving.  Better to be late than not there at all.  Take the time to appreciate your friends and family and what you have.  Lots of people have way less.

Told you it was raining lots!

If you are having adverse weather in your area, it pays to be prepared.  Make sure you have flashlights, candles, maybe an alternate heat source, and food that doesn't require cooking - break out the camping gear! If your power goes out, shut down all electronics - flipping breakers will work because you have all your's marked, right?  Power outages and surges can fry the electronics in your appliances, too - not just the TV and computers.  Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed - it will help keep food cold longer.  If your gutters are overflowing, you may get wet, but get all the debris out.  Get out and clean the leaves out of the streets and unstop the stormdrains.  Stay away from downed power lines.  Most of all, use common sense and stay SAFE!

We will be celebrating Christmas in the new home of my newlywed nephew and his beautiful wife.  We've had a few new additions to the family this year and we love them all.  I'm looking forward to some nice down time.

Have a very safe and Merry Christmas!







Please note that W L May will be closed December 24-27th and December 31-January 3rd.  Nice long holiday weekends for us!

Throwback Thursday: News Recap December 3, 2015

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. So without further ado:

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

• Even though it is the season for kitchen appliances, you may be looking for a project outside the kitchen. Dryer ducts usually need some cleaning. LINK
• Consumer Reports gave us some tips for keeping your white laundry items white and bright. LINK
• Some common refrigerator problems have simple fixes. And for some problems you should call a professional. LINK
• A Seattle program is recycling refrigerators to benefit the Food Bank. A good option if you need to get rid of an appliance. LINK
• CNet has gathered a nice collection of laundry tips for your consideration. LINK
• CNet also had a tutorial on cleaning your front load washer. LINK

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

• In an ongoing vandalism dispute, Samsung dropped charges against LG's leadership. South Korea continued to press the charges and now the prosecutors are calling for jail terms. LINK
• GE's CEO testified in the Electrolux/DOJ GE merger trial. LINK
• DOJ prosecutors predicted a 5% price increase on ranges if Electrolux and GE Merge. Meanwhile, Electrolux said no price increases are likely. LINK
• GE's CEO may have misspoke in the trial as Electrolux asked to have some of his statements retracted from the record. LINK
• A stock analysis of Whirlpool provided a nice snapshot of the company. LINK
• Electrolux asked the judge in their trial to limit the scope of the antitrust case. LINK

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

• Can you imagine life without a dishwasher? In India, some people are just learning about this wonderful appliance. LINK
• A clever washing machine hack creates a feather plucking device for the holiday turkey. LINK

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

• SF Weekly exposed the downside to all those cool microfiber fabrics. Microfibers are showing up in fish. LINK
• Banks are planning to deal with the Internet Of Things. LINK
• Clapway.Com told us how lasers can be used for refrigeration. LINK
• CityLab told us about a washing machine that recycles 95% of the water involved in a load of laundry. Detergent is also recycled in the design. LINK
• Tide announced plans to include promotional laundry pods into every washer sold in America. LINK
• Technology Review told us about a new app that plans to use sound to diagnose problems in heavy equipment-including appliances and HVAC products. LINK

We close with a few just for fun stories:

• We heard about a kitten locked in a washing machine-and the happy ending that followed. LINK
• FoodTank gave us the history of leftovers. LINK

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

Kelly's Korner - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Hey, All!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we had about 25 people at my sister's, everyone talking at the same time, lots of good food and good times.

But I want to remind you of a few things:

It is still not advisable to use the self-clean feature on your oven - with less than a month till Christmas, if the computer boards go out, it may not be possible to get them fixed before Christmas.  Repair technicians are still fully booked and it may not be easy to get someone out to look at your appliances as fast as you want.

Furnace check-up:  It has been really cold here and I'm sure in other places.  If you haven't had a fall check-up on your furnace, get it done now.  Make sure that everything is running smoothly and you have a fresh filter in place.  (hint:  if you want your whole house to smell good, drip a few drops of your favorite essential oil on your filter - pine, lavender, cinnamon, etc. - and the smell will go throughout the house when the furnace is running).

Water pipes:  Now this is something that came to me in the middle of the night - make sure your garden hoses are unhooked from faucets and drained and stored for the winter.  Mine is not, but the #3 son is on it today!  Water freezing in the hose can cause weakening and burst hoses.  Also, wrap or get those styrofoam faucet cover doohickeys for the outside faucets.  A burst water pipe is NO fun!

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Don't forget your pets - if it is too cold for you to be outside, it is too cold for pets, too.  If you have dogs that sleep outside, make sure they have plenty of bedding out of the wind and wet.  And if it is freezing out, make sure their water bowl is not frozen.  It is tough this time of year for the wild creatures and they like to find warm places to sleep, too.  Make sure your crawl spaces are secure and not home to our furry and feathered friends.

Seems like there is always something to do, no matter what the season, huh?  Gutters to clean, leaves to rake - take care of your home so it can take care of you.

Have a great week!