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Thread Number: 46177
MONTGOMERY WARD SIGNATURE DISHWASHER TOP LOADING |
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| Post# 674690 4/22/2013 at 15:11 (4,014 days old) by xpanam (Palm Springs California ) | ||
Anyone know the maker? It looks like the lower rack has loops on the left and pins on the right.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO xpanam's LINK on Denver Craigslist | ||
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Post# 674696 , Reply# 1 4/22/2013 at 15:42 (4,014 days old) by rp2813  (Sannazay) |
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A safe guess would be Frigidaire | ||
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Post# 674699 , Reply# 2 4/22/2013 at 15:53 (4,014 days old) by coldspot66 (Plymouth, Mass) |
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westinghouse made | ||
| Post# 674739 , Reply# 3 4/22/2013 at 18:54 (4,014 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ) | ||
Such a shame (for a select few) that there wasn't much o
Says you. ;-)
There was one at El Con Mall and an Electric Avenue at Oracle and Limberlost, spank you very much. ;-) Before that, it resided downtown (as shown). If this was closer, Ralph would be able to guess what would be lovingly bathing the dishes next time he was down... Don't forget the all-Wards home we went to at the estate sale where I procured the Signature impeller machine. Oh, yes, Ralph, those homes are out there. They're just waiting for you. This is a very attractive machine. When did Westinghouse use a bakelite wash arm? The silverware basket in the middle is very Westinghousian, but I thought they had the microfilter mechanism and V-shaped wash arm plus turret-tower at this point. Was this an in-between, or lower-line mechanism? 
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Post# 674748 , Reply# 4 4/22/2013 at 19:17 (4,014 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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They're just waiting for you. Indeed, this very home was. Fortunately it had been purged of most Wardaphernalia except, most notably, the still functioning Tru-Cold upright freezer in the basement (frantically looking for a handy chunk of wood now . . .). Lucky for those other items that they were already gone, or there might have been comparable plans for them to the skeet shooting I dreamed of with all of the collector plates, particularly if the Empire State Building were in close proximity.
I thought I recalled a conversation where it was mentioned that Tucson was barren with regard to Ward's appliances compared to those from Sears.
Well! I do stand corrected! | ||
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Post# 674777 , Reply# 5 4/22/2013 at 20:16 (4,014 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA) |
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Yeah, both Tucson and Phoenix were Wards retail cities, with plenty of coverage. MW had rather odd coverage and gaps throughout the US (had stores in Portland but not Seattle; stores in Kansas City but not St. Louis, etc). It was largely because of where they had developed mail order houses let them diversify into retail.
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| Post# 674793 , Reply# 6 4/22/2013 at 21:44 (4,014 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ) | ||
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Well! I do stand corrected!
LOL The lack of merchandise here in Tucson is likely explained by:
- The longevity of the merchandise (or possible lack thereof) - The fact that Sears was just up Broadway from El Con at Park Place (it still lives in its original stone-facade building) Jamiel, you've got a great point. I marveled at Ralph's stories of the Fruitvale catalog complex (and retail store) in Oakland. And Yuma never had a Wards; instead, they had a B-type Sears, and it's still there--also in original clothing. (The only significant change is that the cursive "Sears" neon sign was upgraded in the early nineties.) Hence, Yuma is a Wards-free zone. (Ralph, check real estate there. ;-) ) From what I understand, Wards gained serious momentum in the sixties and seventies after holding back from growing in the fifties and exploring the burgeoning suburbs (Sears' domain), but their antiquated inventory-tracking and catalog complexes held them back. And, worst, they were forever attempting to emulate Sears and best them, rather than excelling in their own way. | ||
| Post# 674816 , Reply# 7 4/22/2013 at 22:06 (4,014 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii) | ||
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Post# 674844 , Reply# 8 4/23/2013 at 00:12 (4,014 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Nate, that Ward's expansion timeline concurs with how it happened locally. Up until the early 70's, the only Ward's we had was the narrow, rickety two-story downtown store, replete with wooden floors, which was far too small to offer much selection on anything. Hence the innumerable trips up the Nimitz to the San Leandro store (single story and very Searslike) or the giant Fruitvale store/catalog distribution center in Oakland. Even the attached parking structure there must have been six stories tall.
God, my parents had such an irrational loyalty to a retailer that not only failed them with the quality of the products it sold, but also with the actual brick and mortar (literally) facility it sold them out of. The huge stand-alone Sears of early 50's vintage with swaying palm trees and sparkle sidewalks was closer and had everything a family needed, including a free parking lot that was so huge I don't think it ever filled up even during the holiday season. Going to Wards meant bringing pennies and/or nickels for the parking meter, the associated hunt for a space, followed by the process of parallel parking, which so many people never get the hang of, then keeping one eye on the clock the whole time you were shopping. Sears was such a no-brainer.
The only explanation I can think of is that my mom worked for Sears in Chicago starting in the mid-1930's and probably came to hate them. Might there have been a dynamic unique to Chicago where you were either a Cubs or a Sox person, and either a Sears or a Ward's person? All are Chicago institutions.
I think we ended up with three new Ward's stores in town by the end of the 1970's. I was in all of them at one time or another.
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Post# 674906 , Reply# 10 4/23/2013 at 08:21 (4,014 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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It seems like MW was never really steaming at full speed again after the seizure of the company by FDR during World War II. It's interesting to see their reluctance at moving with the shopping populations to the 'burbs, many retailers waited too long to catch that wave and got left behind. We have a few stores that didn't budge from their old locations that are but mere memories now.
Sears' key competitive element was their credit department. A literal juggernaut in the annals of consumer finance history, few other retailers could match their credit power that gave consumers access to such a huge variety of merchandise. One of the salesmen in the "white goods" at our Sears store told me in the 80's that were it not for the Sears credit card, Sears wouldn't bother selling appliances in Omaha given the competition across the street at Nebraska Furniture Mart. You could buy a Whirlpool washer and dryer, as equally featured as the Kenmore for less money at the Mart but slightly easier "terms" at Sears. Quality and features were of secondary concern to a young family just starting out with no credit. To our family, it always seemed like Wards' quality was one step or more below that of other retailers. Some of Sears' products did rate high in consumer ratings rags, though few of their appliances did until much later in the 80's and 90's. My grandfather liked Sears automotive products, tires & batteries were usually top-rated and of course, Craftsman tools. Grandma had a Kenmore dryer bought as a set in 51-52 but she hated the washer and resolved to never buy another Kenmore/Sears appliance after more troubles with a Coldspot refrigerator in the early 60's. I don't remember ANY Montgomery Ward major appliances, in even the extended family. Not one. | ||
| Post# 674925 , Reply# 11 4/23/2013 at 10:17 (4,014 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
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When we lived in Michigan my Dad always bought "snow tires" at Wards. We had no Wards major appliances but the folks did buy carpet and vinyl flooring from them, they must of had great pricing. | ||
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Post# 674938 , Reply# 12 4/23/2013 at 11:41 (4,014 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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Post# 674944 , Reply# 13 4/23/2013 at 11:59 (4,014 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Tim, the automotive line was Riverside but the tools were Power Kraft. My dad did buy his tools at Sears for the lifetime Craftsman guarantee, but they were stored in a Ward's Power Kraft metal tool box. That's one Ward's thing I do still have, just the way he left it.
Good to see others validating the inferiority of Wards, both as a shopping experience and with their merchandise, when compared to Sears. | ||
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