The Hour Glass, a comment by Salon user jafi12:
Part of the problem is the hourglass marketing strategy. Low end cheap stuff, high end expensive stuff, very little good value decent quality stuff in the middle. Companies prefer high profit margins on their products. The hourglass strategy is designed to maximize margin. There a few low end washers and dryers, and then boom you’re into the pricey front loader sets. Not much in between these days.