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BILL FISHMAN

Bill Fishman & Atfiliates

11650 lberia Place

San Diego, Ca.92128 extended. The store is now still open when I close my office. I can shop on the way home from work. There appears to be more help available and I think they mean it when they ask 'can I help you?' Most importantly the physical layout has been restructured featuring a traffic loop. You are right on, Joe.Aracetrack layout works much better than I thought it would in a small store."

OE Samulin was passing through Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, Ca.) and stopped in my oflice. We talked about innovations in store layouts. "My local Ace store is becoming a better place to shop," I mentioned to Joe. "l don't know whether their motivation to change was the new competition in San Diego, my negative remarks in last year's column, or just a time that had come. Whatever, nice things are happening at RB Hardware."

"What's diflerent about it?" Joe asked.

"The merchandise mix is probably the same and I don't believe the pricing structure has changed much. What rs changing, however, is enough to make me, as a d-i-yer, rethink my shopping decisions. The store hours have been

"What else?" probed Joe.

"The new colors are pleasant. the graphics are in proportion to the store size and don't overshadow the merchandise. The merchandise is the message. I am assuming that the signing package is on the way to complete the reformatting."

"Has their volume increased?" Joe inquired.

"l don't know the management at all, so I can't answer that question, but it's sure obvious that these changes are having a magical effect on the store. Because it's easier to spot their merchandise, it appears there is more selection. The merchandise even looks more attractive in the new surroundings and because things are easier to find, there are obviously less demands on the store help. Morale seems better. The sales help shows more patience with customers. Let's have lunch at the Inn and then I'll show you the store," I suggested.

"Great," said Joe.

I devoured my Cobb salad and waited for Joe to finish his California fruit plate and we headed for the store. Joe's immediate reaction was, "They sure have a lot of merchandise in a small space and they seem to have the pulse ofthe neighborhood. The prices are in line. Good use of the end caps too. If they rotate the merchandise presentation often, this could be an exciting local store." We watched the traffic for awhile.

"l hope they included a budget for promotion in their planning," I quipped. "They have got to get the message to residents about their transformation to win back some of the customers now sharing the Home Club and Home Depot."

During the drive back to the office Joe suggested, "Write your next column about the remodeling."

Good idea, Joe!

Plastic House To Be Built

General Electric Co. plans to build a 3,000 sq. ft., two-story plastic house, featuring walls, doors, floors, window frames, siding, heating and cooling systems made of plastics developed by the firm.

Although the experimental, single family structure will cost $4 million, GE believes the average plastic home would cost 250/o less to build than one using conventional materials. (ke photo of proposed hotue on p. 5 - ed.)

fooled by those selling poor products in this new high-tech market. Buy RiBar,, the better radiant barrier, and get what you pay for.

Contact Danny Bobbitt, (407) 636-4104, RiBar. sales representative.

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