That’s the lesson we learned when this $89 vacuum cleaner from Kmart was famously dubbed ‘better than a $1000 Dyson’ by almost everyone who came in contact with it. It sold out across many Kmart stores, with customers itching to find out where they could pick one up.
Well it doesn’t just stop at vacuums - Kmart have really ‘cleaned up’ with their kitchen appliances too. Did you know you can pick up an adorably retro kettle and toast for a fifth of what you’d pay for a department store brand?
That’s what working mum, Heidi, said when she paired up with fellow mum Loren on A Current Affair to reveal the steals you can pick up from Kmart, Aldi, and Target.
How much should it really cost for a gizmo that grills bread or boils water anyway? Certainly not $200 a piece, which is what the counterpart Smeg products were asking.
The pastel-coloured and retro-contoured Kmart competition are $39 each.
‘They both come with 12 month warranties, so you're not getting any more for your money in that regard,’ Heidi added.
Also among the other bargain wins were a $59 Bellini blender which arguably outperforms a NutriBullet, and the Aldi coffee pod espresso machine, which won mum Loren over ahead of the $159 Nespresso Essenza Mini.
Marketing expert Dee Madigan told the program that these companies can get away with astonishing price tags because they have a reputation, and a loyal following. But, she says, reputation can be expensive:
‘If there's a massive difference in price, you might weigh up the fact that if you have to buy two or three cheap items over 10 years, it still might be cheaper than buying one expensive item.’
This article first published on New Idea.
