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Post# 541734   9/5/2011 at 05:09 (4,588 days old) by retromania (Anderson, South Carolina)        

I love the photo of the old Westingouse washer in the Bamberger's ad. Does anyone know if Bamberger's is still in business?




Post# 541735 , Reply# 1   9/5/2011 at 06:28 (4,588 days old) by HiLoVane (Columbus OH)        

No. They've gone to "that great big strip mall in the sky."

Post# 541736 , Reply# 2   9/5/2011 at 06:31 (4,588 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)        
Bamberger's... Good Lord

toploader55's profile picture
I left NJ in 1975 and there was one in Paramus.

I have no idea if they are in business anymore. They're probably gone like Woolworth's, Bradlees, Finast etc.


Post# 541742 , Reply# 3   9/5/2011 at 08:37 (4,588 days old) by takacedon (Salt Lake City)        
Bam's

Bamburger's was actually bought out by Macy's in 1929, but left to be semi-autonomous. They continued expansion, and were one of the first to do so into the suburbs of NJ/NYC area. By 1986 Bam's was consolidated into Macy's New Jersey which in the same year was combined with Macy's New York to form Macy's Northeast. I love department store history.

Post# 541744 , Reply# 4   9/5/2011 at 08:59 (4,588 days old) by Imperial70 (MA USA)        
That washer was also sold as Ambassador

Jordan Marsh had an almost identical washer to that, marketed under the house brand of "Ambassador." Our house had one. Around 1968.

- Where te "Heavy Duty" badge is there was a "Power Plus 16" badge.
- The lint filter was a pan that fit over the agitator. NO it wasn't a GE.
- There was not any dispensers or soak cycle.

I recognize the lock'n'spin lid, the Dashboard chrome, the indexing tub.

Anybody else remember the Ambassador Brand?


Post# 541968 , Reply# 5   9/6/2011 at 08:06 (4,587 days old) by retromania (Anderson, South Carolina)        
Imperial70

You told me something I didn't know: GE washers weren't the only washers with the lint pan over the agitator which to this day is my favorite design concept for dispensing detergent and collecting lint.

Post# 542000 , Reply# 6   9/6/2011 at 12:27 (4,587 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        
hope I didn't get too far off track for this forum...

twintubdexter's profile picture
I remember those Westinghouse top loaders as new stock with many of them coming into the service department for repair...I don't think they were all that dependable. When I was a home store group manager for Macy's San Francisco I recall the East Coast executives talking about Bamberger's and how it was "holding it's own" back in the 1980's. And Trevor (takacedon), it's good to know there are others who have an interest in the fascinating history of the great American department stores. It's very sad to see that most of them are now gone.

...I was a trainee in branch stores and then a buyer for this wonderful old department store based in San Francisco...The Emporium...the jingle went something like this..."It's easier to find just what you have in mind at The Emporium, the store with more of everything you're shopping for The Great Big E, The Emporium"...I can remember that and yet sometimes I can't remember my phone number!...go figure


Post# 542046 , Reply# 7   9/6/2011 at 16:36 (4,586 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)        
I miss real department stores!!!

Where there was never a long wait at the register for someone to take your money, wrap your item(s), and thank you for your business. If there was a wait for an employee, the manager apologized, and sometimes gave you a small store credit for your next trip.


Yesterday, I waited at my local Macy's for over 10 minutes for a cashier, and wound up going to a different department (Domestics) for a children's wear item (my great-nephew is due a month from today!!)



Lawrence/Maytagbear


Post# 542060 , Reply# 8   9/6/2011 at 17:57 (4,586 days old) by Imperial70 (MA USA)        

Retromania...
It is a surprise. My guess is that any patents had either expired or there was a license agreement. I remember that indexing tub and the clothes guard very well. And the sounds of the westinghouse machines on youtube bring back more memories.
The drain hose was marked with the "W" logo and said "ozone resistant."
Reliable? The first month it needed a new pump, a few years later a new transmission, after that a tub seal leak.... It lasted 10 painful years...

sorry if I digress...


Post# 542286 , Reply# 9   9/7/2011 at 17:00 (4,585 days old) by retromania (Anderson, South Carolina)        
Well....

I believe Westinhouse was more moderately priced than some of the major name brands. We were Frigidaire folks for years before moving to GE and lastly Whirlpool. We were a family (counting my parents) of seven and all our appliances had to be robust because they got a workout! No complaints about any of the three brands my folks favored.

Thanks Imperial70 for you comments. :)


Post# 542418 , Reply# 10   9/8/2011 at 14:21 (4,585 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
Who doesent miss????

Real department stores!! my other half used to be in visual arts, so he sure misses store windows etc, now they are all cookie cutter piles of s#$%!!!!

Post# 542420 , Reply# 11   9/8/2011 at 14:26 (4,585 days old) by westingman123 ()        

Give me Stix, Baer & Fuller any day. Gawd, I miss real clerks.


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