Done and Dusted – Hoover Vogue 1300 Watt Vacuum from Godfreys – I had to escort our old vacuum cleaner off the premises (with extreme prejudice.) It stopped sucking. Which started a clock ticking… Finding a new vacuum before anyone noticed I'd stopped cleaning. Godfreys had opened up a new store at Hope Island Homemaker Centre and I was met by a salesman named Sam. He was quick to deliver Hoover's sales pitch which involves throwing some perfectly good sand on some perfectly good carpet. But my wife and I were the only customers in the store and in no hurry. We didn't feel rushed or pressured –– and the truth is I got curious. I'm familiar with sales scripts and Sam's demo was straight out of the handbook. Still, there's something about watching a guy you've only known for 12 seconds vacuuming a bucket of filth out a carpet that makes you wonder what's lurking in your own loop pile at home. Or in your mattress (as Sam also explained). To Sam's credit, he took the time to ask us about our carpet and cleaning habits. Then he showed us different vacuum sizes, cleaner heads and gadgets that we could use on laminate timber floors, stairs, ceiling fans, and high traffic areas in our home. It turns out the humble vacuum cleaner has come a long way since I last bought one. Plus, I've been using a vacuum cleaner the wrong way all these years – like I'm aggressively raking up leaves instead of just letting the vacuum do the job it was built to do. After a day to think about it, we settled on a 1300 Watt Hoover Vogue. But it had to be teal. And it had to come with some freebies. Sam found wiggle room on the price of accessories for us. Then he threw in some value-adds like servicing vouchers too. (And I thought servicing was just for cars!…). Actually, 'cars' sum up our experience with Godfreys nicely. Henry Ford said “A customer can have a car painted any color he wants as long as it's black.” And it felt like Godfreys would sell us any vacuum cleaner we wanted –– as long it was a Hoover. And I DID buy one. (Despite the script, not because of it). The important thing is at the end of the sale, I felt like I'd won. And Sam felt like he'd won. I know Godfreys won. Hoover definitely won. Sales scripts and demos exist for a reason –– To keep people like me with a 7 second attention span engaged. And to stop us making really bad jokes during a sale. It sucks. But when your vacuum doesn't, that's just what you need. I not only have the new vacuum I needed, I also know how to get the best out of it for years to come. Well done Sam. Well done Godfreys Hope Island. Our new Hoover Vogue works a treat.