HOME GENTER MERGHANT

BILL FISHMAN

Bill Fishman & Affiliates

11650 lberia Place

San Diego, Ca. 92128 bined volume exceeded $ l6 billion withn 2.299 store units.

HE phone doesn'r ring ar 35.000

TI feet so I use my flying time to catch up on reading trade publications and mail. Here are some notes I scratched en route to and from the National Hardware Show.

Automated Mistakes

The letter came first class mail. The envelope was correctly addressed to me. The inside address on the letter was also correct. The salutation, however, read: "[)ear Mr. Philips."

I wonder how many thousands of computer generated letters greeting the reader with someone else's name were mailed?

Top I5 Home Center Chains

Chain Store l,qe listed the rop 15 Home Centers for this year. Their com-

Seven ofthese chains again made the list of the 100 top U.S. retailers: Lowe's, Home Depot, Payless Cashways, Builders Square, Wickes, (irossman and Hechinger.

Computer Procram Upgrades

I'm a Lotus freak! During the past five years I have become fairly proficient creating spreadsheets and graphs on my original Lotus 1a program. Often I think of purchasing updates and add-ins but the vision of 400* pages of instruction manuals keeps me from mailing the order form. (But I continue to save all the catalogs.)

Bar Coded Lumber

Hancock Lumber of Casco, Me., is now supplying (through their wholesaler) Pergament Home Centers, the 40 store eastern chain, with bar coded pine shelving. The UPC stickers are applied at the mills after their high speed cuts. The problem of being too sticky or not sticky enough appears to have been solved.

(.LEAR YOUR DESK:

Reg. $1,000/Sale $395

When we discussed the curriculum lor our upcoming two-day seminars, Joe Samulin included a segment on orderly work environment. Joe has produced a video tape showing how to maintain a clear desk. This week he mailed me two articles about Jeffery Mayer. the consultant who commands $1,000 a day for showing executives how to keep their desk clear.

Our $395 two-day session will include work organization and desk clearing. Attendees will receive a copy of Joe's tape.

Brutality

Heard often at the show were tales of the cold brutality of the investment bankers in ending the tenure of home center executives who lall out of lavor with the investors.

PENSIONS ANI) PROFIT STJARIN(;

Tax law changes require that a//pension and profit sharing plans have to be

(Please turn to Ttage 27)

Posts, poles, pilings, timber, crossarms, grapestakes, dimension lumber.

Pacific Wood Preserving of Bakersfield produces virtuallY all pressure treated wood products. And, with comPuterized inventory control, Pacific Wood Preserving of Bakersfield offers accurate and complete service. A single phone call can put this complete caPabilitY to work for you. Call todaY:

Steve Ryan, General Manager

Jn California (800) 582-3950

Outside California (805) 833-0429