ROY FOREST PRODUCTS CO.

Merchqndising Golendqr

The eagerly awaited Merchandising Calendar has been distributed to members of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association through its 32 Federated Associations.

The calendar, which is described as an "Advertising and Display Guide," is intended to make it easier for dealers to spend their advertising nroney wisely and to use their display space effectively.

Issued as a chapter in NRLDA's Dealer Operating Guide, the introduction to the Calendar points out that "It is based on six basic principles approved unanimously by NRLDA's Merchandising Committee which developed the calendar. Those principles are:

"1. A11 advertising-newspaper, radio, direct mail, billboard, or any other-and all displays should be planned and coordinated carefully in advance.

"2. Each nervspaper display advertisement should feat ture a central theme or 'package' or way to use materials.

"3. The season of the year should be taken into account when selecting the central theme to be featured.

"4. The best products to include in a newspaper advertisement, along with the central theme, are those which can be used in carrying out the theme.

"5. Each advertisement also should describe or mention the services which the dealer offers to customers 'who respond to the advertising.

"6. In any given u'eek or month, the themes selected by different dealers may vary according to geographical location, the types of customers they wish to appeal to, the types of materials they handle, and other variable factors.

"spending advertising dollars successfully and using display space wisely involves other important principles as well, but these are the ones to keep in mind 'ivhen deciding what to advertise and what to display.

"Part I of the Calendar lays out a whole year's merchandising program-first by seasons, then by months, and then by weeks, althougl-r more than 52 weekly themes are listed because of the geographical and other variations mentioned previously.

"Flowever, the Committee recommends that dealers regard this Calendar as a helpful guide, not as an inflexible schedule to be followed strictly 'as is,' and urges every dealer to make up his own Calendar to meet his own conditions and preferences, based on the principles and specific suggestions presented in this Calendar.

"Part II of the Calendar consists of a Product Chart to guide dealers in selecting products to be offered in their newspaper advertisements along with the central themes.

"For example, if the advertisement features the desirability of finishing an attic room, the individual products included in that advertisement might be a disappearing stairway, ceiling tile, plywood, and cedar closet lining.

"The Product Chart suggests numerous products that might be selected for any of the themes listed in Part I of the Calendar.

"'The 12 types of customer services commonll' offered by dealers are listed and explained in Part III of the Calendar. The idea is, for example, that the dealer n'ho is prepared to help customers arrange time-payment loans should tell them so when his advertising features a garage or some other package involving a fairly large expenditure."

NRLDA's Merchandising Committee, of which Russell Nowels, Nowels Lumber & Coal Company, Rochester, Michigan, is chairman, has adopted the Merchandising Calendar as a continuing project and is planning to develop the idea further in the immediate future.

Quincy lumber Co. Ghonges

Following the death at his home in Lake Charles, Louisiana, of W. P. Weber, age 81, president of the Quincy Lumber Company, Quincy, California, the follorving changes have been made at Quincy: to the Imhe called the Grand

C. A. King, who has been vice president and manager for many years, has been elected president; E. D. Baldu'in, assistant manager for many years, has retired; and Forrest Wilson has been made superintendent of the Quincy sawmill, and also of their mill at Sloat, California; O. C. Morris continues as Sales Manager.

Weber and King, both of Lottisiana, organized the Quincy Lumber Company many years ago, and started operating at that point, later incorporating Sloat into their organization.

Joe Tardy, Los Angeles, is back from a trip perial Valley, Arizona and Las Vegas, r,vhere on the retail lumber trade. He also visited Canyon in Arizona.