Practical advice for more effective merchandising

Hand tools lend themselves to midsummer clearance sales. Use an end cap display with pegboard to show off saws, hammers, tool boxgs and similar tools. Be certain each item is priced. If you include power tools, it is best to secure them to the display to prevent shoplifting.

Use some of that left-over Christmas snow to make a winter display that can include items from inventory such as snow shovels, popcor4 poppers, insulation items and anything else you can conjure up to include. Stack the snow shovels some up, some down, to save space.

Guarantees are especially important in today's world of consumer activism. Take a positive approach and securely tape the manufacturer's guarantee to each item. Mention the guarantee in your ads and in any surrounding graphic materials at the display itself.

Now that your customers are re' covering from the post-Chistmas blues (from lack of green) plan to hold a "Kitchen Carnival" to get ready for summer and all the outdoor use housewares. Ilarm weather activities are not as far off as it might seem today.

Old wooden crates, either painted a bright "new" color or left unpainted, can be used to display housewares and gift items. Stand several crates on end in a grouping. Fill insides and top with merchandise and put more around the base of the crate. Create a special decorator-look corner in the store or an underproductive area of the store.

If you're not into crafts, experiment with a candlemaking supplies minidepartment. All it need occupy is the space on the end of one gondola. Include some ftnished samples, a stock of wax as well as the kits themselves. If itb new for the store, put a prominent sign on it to let the customers know you have something different.

Expensive locksets and other topof-theJine decorator-hardware can be effectively displayed on tables draped with cloth of a mutd colorand topped by glass. Include at least one chair for the foot weary shopper. That iust might get his attention to the product when nothing else will.

If you have a number of drawers holding your stock of fasteners or similar merchandise, see if you can make it easier for the customer by using color coded cards on the front of 'the, dpawels. Give tthe keyito\theicode on another larger card prominently displayed nearby.

Take a representative sampling of all the mailboxes in your inventory and mount them on actual siding. Cut an inverted V and top with moulding to give an impression of a roofline. Label each mailbox as to price, fea' tures, etc. Place additional stock below the display.

Different kinds of hardware cloth, chicken wire and related screen products can be ganged together on a board, labelled and then surrounded by picture moulding to produce an informative wall display. A cautionary sign can be added to keep some klutz who can't keep his hand off the sharp wire from cutting his hand.

Some of the best hardware merchandisers arqund are manufacturerfumished and are part and parcel of taking on a certain line. Study those available carefully before signing on with one company rather thananother. Sometimes a strong, effective merchandiser can mean the difference between a profitable and anon-profttable line.

The ever present threat of shoplifting in displaying high value items can be lessened by displaying them in a locked, glass fronted case. Include a fairly large note that explains a clerk will be happy to open the case and show the product.

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Set up a distinct area on one gondola for a portable lighting section. Include items such as lanterns, flashlights, and emergency flasher units. Special batteries to operate the devices as well as extra bulbs can also be included.

How-to advice on plumbing, especially faucets and handles, can be effectively presented by mounting the actual materiols on a peg board behind the bins. Mount the pieces in an "exploded view" concept, showing how parts fit into or connect with each other. Add any printed literature applying next to the mateials as addi tio nal exp hnation.

When the National Retail Hardware Assn. sets cne of their major promotions, talk to your local mayor to see if he can be induced; to declare that time as Hardware-Housewares Week. Coordinate with other merchants so that local polititians realize there is broad supports from local merchants for such a proclamation.

Story at a Glance

Down to earth, practical hints, tips, suggestions and ideas you can use today to become a better merchandiser of hardwares and housewares. .and wonder of wonders, implementing most of them won't cost an arm and a leg.

If you have a hardware or housewares display stuck into a comer that looks cramped, put up two or more rows of self-adhesive minored ghss to gwe a more spacious feel. Minors conectly positioned can work miracles in lending an impression of space.

When displaying l0 different kinds of hammers, for instance, put them one above the other in two vertical rows so the customer can easily see your entire range while standing in one spot. Avoid displaying related items like this in one horizontal row as it forces the customer to walk along the display and makes price, quality and style decisions more difficult.

Use grass matting under hardware items that have an outdoor usage. That "summertime look" of the grass can be plenty appealing if snow covers the ground outside your store. hop up a grass trimmer so it appears to be cutting the grass.

Break up long rows of packaged products to avoid a too standard or uniform look. Make it inviting to the customer to pick out one of the products: don't make him feel he is "going to ruin" your display when he selects an item. Put in colored dividers, additional signing, and containers of different sizes to break the monotony.

It is important in ghssware display to group ghsses, bowls and the like by color; one shelf for the red, one for the blue, etc. Avoid the use of shelves that have vivid colors themselves as they can clash with the glass displayed upon them. Best bets for shelf colors: transporent or white.

Establish a neat and tidy look inside each department by aligning packages of different lengths by lining up the tops of the packages. Avoid a cluttered, jumbled look like the plague.

Use the theme of energ/ saving in all your advertising and in-store promotions, public interest remains high as the consumer knows it can save him money. More and more energ)/ related sales materials are available from manufacturers thru their reps. Check with them to see what is current and best fits your needs.

Selling light bulbs can tie in with the energy theme: point out that electric light dimmers can make an appreciable reduction in the amount of electricity used to light the consumer's home. An additional benefit is generally increased bulb life.

Display copies of your newspaper advertising around the store in conspicuous places. Especially with "Specials," it may prompt some buyers to pick up items that they had not originally intended to purchase.

Unless you have an artistic bent, get a professional to handle your store and display signing. Color coordination and the relationship of letters to sign size, store size and a number of other variables is too important for a halfway approach. You need signs that blend with their surroundings, yet stand out enough to be easily readable by absent-minded customers.

If you have all your d-i-y literature andfor library in one place in the store use signs telling about it all over your store. Scatter them into every location, even out in back with the dimension lumber, gypsum and similar' builder" items. You never can tell where one of your women customers is likely to end up.

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