Wood window selling tips

windows and have conhdence in the product because they are not only value conscious, they are aware of the heat savings as well."

A new merchandising aid at Edward Hines Lumber Co., which operates a 21-store building supply retail chain in the Chicago area, as well as lumber operations in Oregon, is the Wood Window Energy Conservation Kit produced by the National Woodwork Manufacturers Association.

Each Energy Kit contains a large display card, energy-saving window stickers, consumer literature and thermostat hang-tags.

attests, because "Better informed homeowners are learning that their selection of windows is an important factor in controlling heating and air conditioning costs."

The Energy Kit is rounded out with an ideas folder that offers the retailer suggestions for displaying and merchandising wood windows in the store. "In addition to promoting the sales of wood windows," comments Nikolich, "the Energy Kit assists in the training of sales people because it contributes to their product knowledge."

"Insulating glass units are especially appealing to homeowners" says Western Home Center president Ed Friesz, a Cincinnati, Oh., lumber and building supply dealer. Homeowner and builder consciousness of energy conservation gives Western "a strong opportunity to sell wood windows," he comments. "And as fuel rates climb, these units become more ald more practical."

In a review of window merchandising, Western management acknowledges the differences between wood and metal sash construction and homeowners' opinions of these differences. "People discovered that with metal sash windows without thermal barriers they got lower insulative capacity, appearance degraded, condensation was a problem and mechanical performance often failed," says Friesz.

"Homeowners who bought metal windows in the past were primarily motivated by price, not performance, considerations," explained Paul Hausfield, Western's chairman of the board and veteran of 30 years of building materials retailing. "But today, people think more often of quality wood

"The Energy Kit is designed to inform homeowner customers of the heat savings benefits of wood windows," explains Dan Nikolich, advertising and merchandising manager of the chain. "Consumer hand-out booklets, with actual facts and dollars-and-cents figures, make it possible to economically promote energy conservation to consumers who visit the store.

"The display card tells the heatsaving story," he says, "that after a house is fully insulated, wood windows with insulating glass can save an additional 3Wo of the remaining heat loss and reduce the homeowner's fuel costs by an equal amount."

Sales of wood windows with insulating glass have increased, Nikolich

As building supply and home center dealers fulfill homeowner needs for energy-conserving, weathertight windows, they can expect continued growth in the sales of wood units with insulating glass and factoryinstalle d weathe rstripping.

Merchandising strength in this area lies in a dealer's willingness to expose homeowner customers to one of his better profit lines through expanded displays and sales promotions that emphasize savings in energy costs.

PUBLIC interest in energy conservation, from attic insulation to insulating glas, gives Western home supply centers a strong opportunity to sell wood windows. As fuel rates climb. these units become more and more practical,

TREE CtIMBER Joe Howard (top) scrambles up and down redwood trees for a contract logging outfit which pulls timber for Simpson on the steep Klamath slopes. He climbs 80-90 feet up a redwood to perch, braced against his safety belt, while he rigs the tree with cable. Enroute he uses the axe dangling from his belt to lop off obstructing branches. Howard represents a new