Home Center Merchant

B Ill Fishman

Bill Fishman & Affiliates

11650 lberia Place

San Diego, Ca.92128

IIHIS WEEK I found myself in rhe I clients' room of a market research company. I was comfortably seated behind a two-way mirror allowing me to look and listen to a focus group report on the good and the bad about a home center operation I advise. We got an earful.

Today's shopper is far more sophisticated than the novice do-it-yourselfer of only l0 years ago. He's not only been at do-it-yourself projects longer, he's also leamed how to shop our stores. As a matter of fact, he's pretty vocal about telling us how to run our business.

So. . .grab your pencil, as Ed McMahan would say. .here's everything you will ever have to know about gaining the edge on everybody else in the market. This is a list of some of the individual rifl+iffr,*:.r-E:-iir,iL$::1 suggestions (not necessarily the concensus of the entire group): r Keep the store open later (the store is currently open until 9:30 p.m.). r Offer a larger selection in almost every department. o Beat everybody else's shelf price, day in and day out. o Open more checkout counters. Quote prices over the phone. r Make the aisles r,rider. r Have more people available to talk to customers. o Train all sales people to be more couneous. o Train all salespeople to be more product knou'ledgeable. r Make sure all salespeople have the abilitl' to take off a lumber list. o Give immediate cash refunds without the tlpical paperwork. r Have outside salesmen available to sell even the smallest item in the customer's home. o Inventory replacement parts for el,ery item that the store sells- o Carry a less expensive selection.

Open the store earlier (7:30 in the morning).

Stay open every evening including Sunday.

Old name... Nel,n products

When you think of douglas fir finish or western pine selects, think of sierra Pacific lndustries.

The nation's eighth largest lumber producer is now a major factor in the finish market.

Maybe you've already seen our lumberpackagecl in random length units and wrapped in clear blue bags with the big SP logo on it. lf not, chances are vou will. we're new to the market, but we're making things happen!

Douglas Fir Finish... vc Flooring ancl stepping... Patterns

414 Pine Selects... Thick Pine selects... Mouldings o Make demonstrations available at all times for all products. r Carry a better grade of dimension lumber at lower prices. o Never be out of items needed to instalf or accessorizr any project. r Advertise in the metropolitan newspaper, the suburban newspaper, radio. television. billboards.

. Do not junk up the store with promotional lines.

. Do not offer rainchecks. .instead be in stock at all times.

Helpcustomers load purchases into, or on top of the car.

. Match paint colors.

. Loan tools o Offer free yardsticks, paint mixers, caps and nail aprons. o Eliminate coupons and rebates. r Have phone advice available at all times. r Illuminate the parking lot better. o Hire more mature sales people.

. Make the parking spaces wider.

wow!

What I find interesting is that a shopper expects so much more in a store that calls itself a home center or building material retailer than he does at the typical K mart, Price Club, or other mass merchandiser. Yet, he expects us to be as competitive.

And, he expects us to offer continuity in the assortment of merchandise that we offer. The customer however anticipates much less from the chain discount houses. He has no fixed ideas about product categories that are being merchandised.

The mass merchandiser's customer is accustomed to lines at the checkout counter, dangerously narrow parking stalls, and almost no visible. .let alone knowledgeable salespersons.

Sometimes life is unfair!

Next Month. . For coverage of the 71st annual meeting of the Southern Forest Products Association, including officers and directors elected for 1986, see the December issue ol Building Products Digest.