workin’ hard…

Today I went to some retail stores (William Sonoma, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel) and interviewed the sales staff. I asked questions about how people choose the products they’re going to buy, and I got some interesting answers. One of the more surprising ones was from the guy at Crate & Barrel, who said the more “sophisticated” customers tend to think that multi-task appliances (read: the foundation of my concepts) are gimmicky and lower in quality. That made me start thinking–I know these “kitchen machines” exist. I’ve even used one. I believe. But I’ve never seen one in a store. The closest I’ve seen are combination blenders/food processors. So, I started investigating. Apparently, they’re mostly popular in Europe. Here in the U.S., there’s a very cult-ish following for them. Health nuts and people who do a lot of baking are really into them. These are people who cook all of their meals at home. If they’re dedicated to these products, that means they’re good. They work. So, how can I prove to everyone else that they’re good machines? I was starting to feel like I should give up. If people don’t know about it, they won’t want to buy it. However, now I’m starting to feel like I may have stumbled upon a Mr. Coffee moment. Maybe…

Also, I’ve been researching patents. Lots and lots of line drawings and fine print. I figure if these appliances have been mostly the same for 50-60 years, there has to be a pretty good reason why. So, maybe I can learn a thing or two about motors and gears and how these things work. Nifty.