Father's Day

Father's Day has been the third Sunday of June ever since we can remember (or at least I can remember). But Father's Day hasn't always been there since the beginning of time.

The first Father's Day was celebrated on July 5, 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Many Presidents urged their support for Father's Day including President Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge. But it wasn't until President Lyndon B. Johnson made Father's Day a holiday in 1966 but unofficially. President Richard Nixon officially recognized this holiday in 1972 during his presidency. Many say it's just another holiday for companies to make money. In some cases this may be true. Americans are expected to spend over $11 billion on gifts in 2008 which is down a little from last year due to the economy being sluggish. But the real reason for celebrating Father's Day is to recognize our Father's for their dedication as a parent and to also recognize our forefathers for all they have done.

And with gas prices being higher than ever, shopping online and having free shipping sounds like a breath of fresh air right about now! If that's what you're looking for, then check out percys.com. We have tons of Father's Day gifts that are eligible for free shipping including TV's under 32", Home Audio, Small Appliances, Small Electronics, and Accessories. Why spend all the money driving around to find the right gift when it's all right here? Show Dad you care with a Percy's Gift Card. Show him you care with an iPod. And most importantly, don't forget to show him you care with a hug on Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there from Percy's.

Take Care

-Brian

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Making It Easier To Purchase Your New Dishwasher (part 3)

In this blog I'm going to quickly touch on the importance of proper drying and how some dishwashers go about doing this. Some dishwashers use more energy efficient methods than others but there are some setbacks.

If you are one of those who opens the dishwasher and lets them just air dry, then you may want to know that most dishwashers are doing a better job at drying the dishes. In looking around the internet on how important it is to dry your dishes using the dishwasher's drying option, I've found that the most prevalent explanation is because it's better for sanitizing. Most of today's models have a heated drying option or other options that involve high heat. This option will sanitize your dishes as they dry. But which dishwasher does it best?

There are 2 types of dishwasher interiors, plastic or stainless steel. Plastic interiors are good for keeping the interior clean (in my opinion), and that's about it. You're probably saying "well mine's plastic and it works just fine!" That's ok. But when you hear why stainless is better, you'll rethink the interior.

Stainless is not just there for a "classy" finishing touch for your dishwasher. It actually serves a very important purpose. Stainless holds heat a lot longer than plastic making drying more efficient. Instead of using a motor to dry, some dishwashers pull clean air into the cavity to help with the drying process, while others simply use condensation to dry the dishes. When the cycle is done, the interior is so hot that the water naturally attracts itself to the stainless cavity and down to the drain. The only setback to this method is it takes more time to dry, but the end result is worth it. You may never get your plastic ware to dry fully, but everything else should be spotless! Stainless interiors are mostly cleaner over the traditional plastic interiors also. Not only are they better at drying your dishes, but they're also better at dampening the noise making them the quietest dishwashers around. But don't worry, stainless dishwashers are not that much more expensive than plastic interior dishwashers.

If you don't have a stainless interior model, come to Percy's and let our salespeople give you a test drive of a stainless model. We have many live kitchens ready to show you how our appliances work. Click here to contact us and we'll schedule an appointment for you! Let us show you what's new and waiting to help you save money in energy, time, and effort! And it doesn't just start with dishwashers!

Take care,

-Brian

CELTICS: the Road to FREE TVs

Game by Game ticker info for those who participated in Percy's Celtics Promo

Game 3 synopsis: This competition is looking to be the closest in history. Each game averaging around 6 or 7 points difference is making for a very close run to the championship. Unfortunately, the Celtics went in to game 3 in L.A. up 2-0 but left the game up 2-1. The Lakers won last night 87-81. Another close one. Many blamed the officials, many blamed Paul Pierce for only shooting 2 for 14 from the floor, but let's face it, we're still up and it's not over yet! Those who participated in the promo, we have only 2 games left until your merchandise is FREE! Look for another update soon.

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Making It Easier To Purchase Your New Dishwasher (part 2)

Yesterday I covered some basic washing and cleaning options that newer dishwashers have to offer. There are many websites that you can go to and view some cleaning demos, options, and some other cool stuff that some of these manufacturers have to offer. Check out Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE, or Jennair for any additional information. Some of the info is very informative and could help you in your decision making.

Today however, I'm going to talk a little about the options that have come around in the past few years that make loading the dishwasher less of a hassle. You've always had a problem with your 14" dinnerware, your platter, or even your stock pots. Your sharp kitchen knives were just laying on the rack, baby bottle parts were found at the bottom of the dishwasher, not anymore! Developers compiled lots of customer complaints as well as their own complaints, and started piecing parts into dishwasher interiors that would make certain things easier to fit during the wash cycle. Below are just a few things you can find on the inside of a newer dishwasher that make a big difference:

1. Adjustable/Removable Rack: Most dishwashers today have an adjustable top rack for easier placement of those bigger plates and pots. The top rack will raise up or down 4 or so inches allowing ample space for larger items.

2. "Anywhere" Baskets: Dishwasher silverware baskets are becoming more and more unique with each brand. Some brands allow placement on the inside of the door allowing more space on the bottom rack, while others have spots on the upper rack for silverware or even a separate tray altogether above the 2nd basket. Each one though making it easier to fit your larger serving spoons or even your 148 piece serving set! There are also a few dishwashers with a separate cutlery holder for those sharp cutting knives.

3. Water Softener Dispenser: Most households run off Well Water and sometimes need to add salt to recharge the built-in ion-exchange water softener in dishwashers. In very hard water areas, the amount of phosphate may be insufficient, requiring the additional use of salt in any case. Some newer dishwashers have a setting for "all in one" tablets.

4. Full Dispenser: GE has a dishwasher that has an auto dispense feature. Simply take your whole bottle (or box) of detergent and pour it in a reservoir. The dishwasher automatically dispenses the right amount of detergent (tip given yesterday about detergent) for each load as each load needs. See the dishwasher here.

5. Fold Down Tynes: In a lot of dishwashers, you may open it in a showroom and see that the whole bottom rack doesn't have the tynes that normally hold up your dishes, bowls, and pots. That's because it has fold down tynes. For those really large/oblong dishes, you can put down these tynes and just place the dish on the bottom rack.

6. Half Rack: In talking about cleaning levels in the last blog and how they may be beneficial, lets look at how it benefits with "half rack" cleaning. If you are entertaining a bunch of guests, and you want to quickly wash those small tea cups, plates, and maybe some small plates from cake or even wine glasses but don't want to run a full load...or even if you want to serve coffee in a hot coffee cup but you don't have the ability...seek no more. If you want this type of dishwasher, they do exist. With the new advances in tiered washing, you can now fill only the top or bottom rack and the dishwasher will only spray water from the jets pointing in those directions. This is good for both convenience and for energy savings because it uses less water. For those hot coffee cups, simply put them in the half rack and run a quick wash with heated dry. By the time dinner is over, those cups will be nice and warm for serving. Your dishes are clean, time and energy was saved, and you can relax with your guests without worrying about doing the dishes.

7. Other Options: A few other features you may find in dishwashers is clips for holding down spatulas, clips for holding down baby bottle nipples, plastic ware clips, and even odds and ends baskets for...well, odds and ends. Most dishwashers have colored these extra options so that when you open the dishwasher, you can see the conveniences.

Check out the options from the brands listed above. If you want to see the dishwashers we have to offer, click here. A lot of these options work very well with your collections of dishware, silverware and plastic ware. Not only that, they help get your dishes cleaner than ever!

I'll talk tomorrow about the importance of drying and what options are available. Check out my Celtics Tracker below!

Take Care,

-Brian

CELTICS: the Road to FREE TVs

Game by Game ticker info for those who participated in Percy's Celtics Promo

Game 2 synopsis: It was another nail-biter at the TD Banknorth Garden Sunday Night. The Lakers came back strong in the 4th quarter but it still wasn't enough to hold off the Celtics from taking game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers host the next 3 out in sunny California and they look to come back from the 108-102 loss on Sunday. Those who participated in the promo, we have only 2 games left until your merchandise is FREE! Look for an update tomorrow. Read More!

Making it Easier To Purchase Your New Dishwasher

Another hard working appliance this day in age is your dishwasher. It has become a staple appliance in the kitchen and some may say it is even more important than the stove. Let's face it, MOST of us hate doing the dishes (I know I do) and can't stand the thought of having to do them. But one thing's for sure, we all LOVE putting dirty dishes into a machine that takes away that thought of having to do them!
If you don't already own one and are considering buying one, now's the time to buy one! With all the brands, features, options, decibel levels, and styles available, we wanted to help you choose which one was right for you.
Over the next few days I'm going to cover 3 main points of dishwashers in-depth so you can fully understand what is the best out there. The 3 main points are:

1. Cleaning - describe all the variations and levels of cleaning and what they mean.
2. Options - cover a brief rundown of many dishwasher features that are current in today's models and what they can do for you.
3. Importance of Drying - different ways to help drying and why drying is so important to get those dirty dishes clean.

The first topic is cleaning.

Cleaning Levels. There are some dishwashers out there that only have 2 spray levels. Predominately there are a lot of dishwashers coming out that have more and more spray levels while boasting MORE energy savings AND better water conservation. You can find any mid-priced ($499-$899) dishwasher with 5 levels of cleaning now a days. 5 Levels of cleaning simply means that there are 3 spray arms inside the tank. The bottom 2 spray both up and down while the third (top) spray arm only sprays downward. This ensures that all dishes get the even cleaning they need.

Food Disposer: Some dishwashers still use a stainless steel hard food disposer, while others use stronger water jets to "break apart" the food into small enough pieces that simply go down the drain.

Clean Sensors: Most of the dishwashers on the market today have cleaning sensors built-in to the dishwasher to measure the "turbidity" or dirtiness of the water. The dirtier the water, the more rinse cycles and draining the dishwasher will do in order to make it clean. The cleaner the water, the cleaner the dishes!

Cleaning Options: Dishwashers still have the same cleaning options as your older model. It still has pots and pans, normal wash, quick wash, etc. Technology has come far enough to add a few other options to meet the needs of it's customers. Options like China & Crystal, Rinse and Hold, Sani Wash, and even Plastics are just a few wash features that have molded to our every cleaning need. Whatever you put in your dishwasher, the cleaner it will ever be!

These are just a few types of cleaning advances. See your salesperson for a full look at what's changed in dishwashers! Also, now that you're considering a new dishwasher, let me tell you about our current deal on installation. We have installation deals for GE and Bosch as low as $19*. See store for full details.

Tip:
Detergents. Most dishwashers today require LESS detergent than your average dishwasher. If you pull out the bottom rack after the cycle and find white spots all over your silverware, then this means you've used too much detergent. Detergents have come a long way and are made with the intention to go out and find dirt. If you squirt the bottle of detergent into the reservoir and fill it up to the brim, yet you've rinsed all your dishes, then the soap has nowhere to go then to "stick" to all your clean dishes. Dishwasher user manuals strongly suggest using only half the amount of detergent for cleaner results. A lot of the newer models are making this reservoir smaller so "overfilling" doesn't occur.

Take Care,

-Brian

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