FACE TO FACE

dents near chain outlets please copy).

Entz-White expanded in a big way, Previously it had about ?,200 sq. ft. in the store and miscellaneous out-buildings. It now has 100,000 sq. ft. counting a central courtyard that is used to display big items. Total square footage in showrooms including the sales floor proper, courtyard and adjacent lumberteria is 27,600 sq. ft.

The firm has a total of gb employees including the parttimers. About 65 work in the lumber and building materials end of the business, the rest being in related functions. A 7 day-a-week operation, they are open MondayFriday 7:45 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and from g a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday. In terms of both number of people and business transacted, Saturday is their best day.

The entire operation covers approximately five acres and it was the possibility to finally acquire additional land that provided the key for the firm to make its long- planned expansion. Now there is parking on three sides ofthe operation and room for 200 cars.

Their single most profitable items, in terms of markup, are in the decorating inventory, but, as Entz points out, these can be slow turners, " a 927 5 faucet just doesn't turn four times per year."

Steel sheds have been esnecially profitable items and thev have put a great deal of time and effort into promoting them. In the central courtyard they have 12 models on display and annually sell more of the sheds than any other single outlet.

Arts and crafts have not been successful sellers for the Phoenix firm. "Generally, when we have strayed from lumber and building materials, it has been a disap- pointment," Entz observes. He attributes this to (1) a lack of breadth and depth of inventory and (2) lack of the product know- ledge necessary to sell the items at a profitable rate.

VANITIES are displayed to demonstrate color, usage. These handpainted sinks are a high profit item.

As for running a remodeling business in addition to the main business, Entz emphasizes, "I take my hat off to any lumber dealer who can make money on remodeling." Problems he sees in this area are finding and keeping reliable remodeling contractors, contractor credit and labor costs.

Paneling is a good seller but they have found that wing displays are not the whole answer. Customers sometimes need to see full sized panels to be able to visualize how it will look installed. As a fairly wide variety is needed as tastes vary widely in paneling, some 20 panels are now stocked in depth.

Their cash sales and credit card business runs about 759o of the total gross, with the remaining being done through charge accounts, individuals, apartments and contractors.

Originally, the firm had been contractor-oriented, but changed to consumer selling when, as John Entz succinctly notes, "We damn near went broke." The move was obviously a good one as the firm now does a strong business selling the public, despite that Handyman operation across the street. Approximately 75o/o of their trade is done within a 10 mile radius of the store. Because their newspaper ads appear in papers that are circulated throughout the State of Arizona, they sell a limited amount all across the state.

Accounting is broken down into 74 categories through the NCR system that they utilize. Each machine develops its own information in contrast to the earlier system that used magnetic tapes that had to be processed at a center. There is a total of 6 machines on the floor.

John Entz went to Harvard for post graduate work after taking a BA degree in economics from the University of Arizona but because of the demands of World War II, he did not go after the MBA he planned to acquire but instead took an Industrial Administrator degree. He served during the remainder of the war as a naval officer.

He began his business career working as a purchasing agent for a

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1 F for some reason fate might I decree that my method of employment should switch from buyer to salesman, there are a few "search and destroy" procedures that I would attempt to imPlement.

Having managed a living as a purchasing agent for a few years, some flagtant errors of either commission or omission have occurred on the other side of my desk. Perhaps the mention of some of these could vault a struggling peddler into a "Man of the Year" awatd. With this thought in mind the following is offered:

Be Aware

Be aware of the buyer's needs' Make it a practice to involve Yourself in the merchandising Procedures and the inventory requirements applicable to the subject buyer. The preliminary you conduct can often lead to a Positive approach that could erase a negative reception.

Be Prepared

Especially on first visits. At least know the products, pricing, availability, approximate delivery time,