What about brand loyalty? In my parents' generation in the 70s and 80s if you bought a Sears appliance there was a high degree of confidence that it was going to last you 30 years. That meant every appliance in the house, from the kitchen to the stereo to the electric razor was Sears. Fast forward to the 90s, and their appliances were junk with the Sears name on them. Sears made a killing selling cheap crap at a high markup but they killed their reputation. My parents always warned us after that never to buy a Sears appliance.