Ollie Fretter, whose kooky TV commercials for his appliance stores made viewers laugh and groan, died Sunday night at his home in Bloomfield Hills. He was 91.
JC Reindl writes in the Free Press:
Ollie Fretter was very much the public face of his chain. His zany TV pitches included the memorable (and apparently true) pledge, “I’ll give you five pounds of coffee if I can’t beat your best deal.” The Free Press observed how Fretter‘s “Ollie Oops” sales on dinged and dented merchandise were a penny pincher’s delight.
Fretter also ran a slogan that proclaimed (or warned): "The competition knows Fretter. You should, too."
Fretter started his company in the early 1950s as a single appliance repair shop. One of his first stores was in Redford Township. The company went public in 1986, and along with Highland Superstores and ABC Warehouse, was one of the Detroit area’s Big Three appliance and electronics chains.
But competition from big-box stores and other factors led to bankruptcy in 1996.
