WESTERN HOME CEA'TER& BU ILDING MAT ERI AIS SHOW

It's your show. Don't miss it, The first ond only show specificolly designed to meet the unique needs of Western home improvement retoilers.

The lorgest ond most complete exposition of home improvement, mointenonce, remodeling ond decoroting products for the DIY morket ever ossembled in the West for Western retoilers,

More thon 600 exhibilors of thousonds of products ond services for your growing DIY ond outdoor living morket,

. building moteriols hordwore

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. plumbing supplies ond fixtures electricolfixtures ond supplies hond ond power tools

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. point ond point sundries heoting ond cooling products shelving ond storoge cobinets siding, roofing ond roinwore systems disploy merchondisers ond store fixtures

. reody-to-finish furniture bothroom occessories decorotor products

. energy soving oroducts

. cobinets ond vonities

. outdoor living

. home core products

. DIY books ond monuols

. floor coverings

. noils ond fosteners

. lown ond gorden

Coreer Doy The Western Home Center & Building Moteriols Show hos invited college seniors ond recent groduotes with on interest in retoiling to ottend the Show on Soturdoy, November'l 7, Here's your chonce to interview interested ond eoger entrylevel condidoies for your stoff,

Seminors toilored specificolly for Western DIY retoilers. Designed ond presented by industry leoders who understond Western retoil operotions, A complete progrom including odvertising, promotion, in-store merchondising, co-op funds, monogement informotion systems ond more. And ollot no cost to you if you pre-register now.

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WESTERN HOME CENTER & BUII.DING MAIERIAI.S SHOW NOVEMEER .I5-{7, I984 / ANAHEIM, CA

IMPORTANT: In order to process your registration, your company's business activity must be indicated below:

(l) ! Retailer/Dealer

(J) ! Wholesaler/Distributor

(P) ! Other (please describe)

Note: Exhibitor personnel should not use this form. Please use form orovided in Exhibitor Kit.

Publisher Emeritus A.D. Bell, Jr.

Editor-Publisher David Cutler

Associate Editor Juanita Lovret

Assistant Editor Patricia Nowlin

Contributing Editors Dwight Curran, Gage McKinney, Ken Thim

Art Director Martha Emery

Staff Artist Carole Shinn

Circulation Dorothea Creegan

The Merchant Magazine (USPS 796-56000) is published monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Suite 4E0, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660, phone (714) E52-19m, by The Merchant Magazine, Inc. Second-class postage rates paid at Newport Beach, Ca., and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Merchant Magazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660. Advertising rates upon request.

Advertising Offices

FROM WASHINGTON STATE & IDAHO: contact Carole Holm, 703382nd S.8., Mercer lsland, Wa. 98040. Phone (2M) 62.{070.

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

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Subscription Rates-

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DAVID CUTLER editor- publisher

Hey, man, you got any lumber?

GTORE layout is one of the more interesting -phases of the retail part of this business as it involves a rich mix of science and art. It's also an area where the art part (read gut feeling) can be far more critical than a logical numbers approach.

Scores of visual, tactile and sensory bits of information compose a customer's attitude toward your store. His perception is emotional, not logical. You may have a duty to pay attention, be logical and businesslike, but he doesn't.

A case in point. A retailer friend was proudly surveying the changes he had made to his traditional lumber dealer establishment as part of the company conversion to a home center operation. A myriad of merchandise was arranged scientifically, the result of many studies and much thought. On paper, it was as perfect as it could be. Then a customer walked up and asked, "is there a store around here that sells lumber?"

Sure, it was a dumb question. If the customer had looked around, paid attention, it would have been obvious that the dealer sold lumber. But it illustrates what alert retailers have long known: you can't do too much in helping the public to be aware of what you sell and what you can do for your customers. Incidentally, our slightly shaken friend soon had some lumber front and center.

Listen to the experts when designing a layout and creating an overall atmosphere for your store. But also listen to friends, customers, and anyone else who can be induced to offer an opinion. You might not like all the answers you get, but that input just might be among the most valuable advice you receive. Casual opinions can be invaluable because they are emotional, not studied, and come from people with no axe to grind.

Some of the most successful retailers have told us that when it gets down to facts versus vibrations, go with your hunches everytime.

"LOOKING AROUND" says Paul Bunyan

Paul does not rest on his fame as the lumberman's symbol of accomplishment. New requirements and changing conditions keep him aleft to progress.