EDITORIAL

ls Mr.Nice Guy still alive and

IN A recent session of informal shop talk we I heard voiced a theory that we've heard many times before. Namely, that there is a surprisingly high percentage of nice people in the wood products business.

This being the holiday season, good cheer and all that, it seemed an appropriate time to take note of this seeming phenomenon. Not for any collective sense of smugness on the part of an entire industry, but because it's interesting to speculate as to why it might be true.

Those who place the men and women in the lumber industry in the good guy (good person?) category often allude to the high number of transactions done on a handshake, word-of-mouth basis, claiming the untrustworthy are eventually weeded out. The wood business is among the oldest in the U.S. and so has a continuity, with sons and daughters who carry on the business each generation. Ethereal arguments also claim that the natural qualities of the products are somehow respon-

well?

DAVID CUTLER editor-publisher

sible and that the business just seems to attract and keep nice people.

Of course, cynics laugh and hoot at the whole thing. To them the quick pay customer is the good guy. The rest are just yokels waiting to be sold something. Cynics feel the so-called trustworthiness in the lumber business is just a function of its backwardness and they can quickly produce a stack of unpaid bills to bolster their position. Tales of flawed transactions are legion, they claim.

We can't imagine there is a scientific answer to this question. Nor is anyone likely to prove or disprove the contention with any finality. But one thing we do know for sure. The number of friendly, likable people we encounter in this business far outweighs the other kind. We hope you've also found this to be true and that your year has been brightened by customers and co-workers.

Seasons greetings and best wishes from all of us at The Merchant Magazine.

D-M-K of *, -"tf."y nrrne) growr' ss fost

DMI(-Pccrfn iu,If' We\'e affie{ rcnt peopte to our frn to tnroiitrto;in orLr trsditiorl- of senbe Dwight Curran Md exealts@for our crrstomers, our fanity wiahes you on{ your fmity a healtfty on{ happy hoti{ey sedson an{tewyear.