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of our Western red and Pecky-Cedar, construction lumber and cost-saving Hemlock were other reasons why the dealer serving this contactor was able to get a major share of the business. This kind of profitable project is available to you when you call Fountain /irst. Ed Fountain Lumber Company. 6218 South Hooper Avenue. Los Angeles, California 90001. (213) 583-1381.

DAVID CUTLER editor-publisher EDITORIAT

Put the Pedal to the Metal

I N RESEARCHING and writing the stories for I this special hardware/housewares issue we once again were reminded of how much and how fast things change. We also noted that there are basics in business that will probably always remain.

The electronic marvels of our age zre coming on stronger each year. The capabilities of the machines improve and managers at all levels are learning ways to get more and more output from these quick and accurate performers of the drudgery. Inventory control, pricing, labeling, invoicing, receiving, and sales analysis are just a sampling of areas in which electronics have made significant advances in streamlining operauons.

Yet for all the microseconds, bytes, bits and software, there is an original pillar of business and commerce still standing straight and true, supporting the whole enterprise-our old friend customer service. And, if anything, it appears to becoming more important than ever.

Not onlv on the front lines where the retailer carries on his never ending battle to provide the highest possible level of service to his customers, but for the wholesaler, the scramble to woo the retaileris ever more frantic.Often only the service aspect sets one wholesaler apart from the other in the eyes of the retailer. Frequently this is the prime ingredient in the transaction that tips the sale from one firm to another.

For all the talk about price, and we certainly don't mean to downgrade its importance, many hardware/housewares retailers told us that service was the final criterion clinching the sale because in the long run the service provided by the wholesaler would allow them to make more net profit.

As competition stiffens, the costs involved in providing various services-not always an easy figure to precisely evaluate-will surely rise. Just as certain will be necessity of having that particular service your customer needs at that certain moment.

Damn the costs, go for it!