>From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Tue Oct 01 00:03:15 1996 Date: Tue, 01 Oct 1996 00:03:12 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27354 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Tue, 01 Oct 1996 00:03:12 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27354 Today's topics: 'Dutch Treat dinner' 'Re: Paint Shop Grid' 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27353' 'truevalue.com' 'Re: two orders per week' 'Checking order accuracy' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 21:41:30 -0700 From: Jay Will & Linda Farr Subject: Dutch Treat dinner Sorry I won't be at the market this time ... we spread the fun around our family. But Rounds, Farr, Fix, and Nichandros can recommend a swell place with some 'wild' entertainment. Have an extra rodent on me. Jay Farr Coos Bay, OR ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 07:52:17 -0500 From: jack swift Subject: Re: Paint Shop Grid it has been my observation over the last 20 years that the people in member services were the rejects from merchandising -- the ones that weren't capable of negotiating reasonable costs. every time 'they' come up with some new program we are astounded by the expensiveness of it. however, in all fairness, their idea of 'inexpensive' is somewhat controlled by their living costs. it takes very few of cotter's management team to equal in salary what we gross in sales and we're in the top 1/3 of the members. to them, $3,500 is a monthly house payment (without the escrow!).... At 10:04 AM EST 9/25/96 -0400, you wrote: >Just put in the Paint Shop, <> > >What is your feeling on the grid? We feel, that for us, the money could have >been spent a lot better in other places. Our customers think it is a joke. <> > >I figure that we are going to have to have a $3500.00 increase in paint sales >just to pay for it. Is that grid going to increase our paint sales by that >much? I doubt it. Would the new Paint Shop increase our sales just as much >without it? Probably > >It is really nice to have all of this signage, but it seems like to me that >the cost of it has gotten outrageous and in a lot of cases, that money could >be better spent in other places... like on inventory or on payroll in order >to better serve the customer. > >We seem to be moving more and more in the direction of the "big boxes" and >away from what built the Hardware Industry... the one-on-one customer >service that they can't get anywhere else. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Swift jswift@up.net N8WAV@W8YY.#UPMI.MI.USA.NA 47.119N 88.572W Swift True Value Hardware 402 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931 906-482-0530, 0531, 7766 Alpha Phi Omega Epsilon Lambda Chapter Advisor Houghton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Dereliction IS! Keweenaw Peninsula Chapter American Red Cross CIO/Treasurer Ham It Up! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 08:27:10 -0400 From: Gary Schwake Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27353 John- Are you compiling all of the days messages into one main "digest?" It looks like this may be easier to deal with rather than getting many messages throughout the day. As far as the True Value web page is concerned, I too, am disappointed at the apparent lack of dealer involvement, not to mention the lack of member communication. When customers think True Value, do you think they picture corporate headquarters in Chicago? Hell no! They think of you and me and the rest of us "just around the corner." So when they see a web page address and come in and ask us about its content, it gives me a wonderful feeling to be able to say "I have no idea." Dear representatives of Cotter & Co., PULEEEEZ remember that you are an extension of the retailer, not vice versa. I realize it is difficult to ask us for our opinions on the many programs on which you are working because you never get a homogenous answer. But guess what? That is the MARKET talking, not us. In defense of Chicagoland, I would like to say that I have been pleased with Cotter's efforts to continuously improve. Keep the train moving forward. -- Gary Schwake Zettler True Value Stores Director - Store Operations 614-672-1327 gschwake@iwaynet.net ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 08:30:06 -0400 From: Gary Schwake Subject: truevalue.com Another note- It's September 30th at 8:30am EDT and there's no open web page. Any wagers on the page actually being available today? -- Gary Schwake Zettler True Value Stores Director - Store Operations 614-672-1327 gschwake@iwaynet.net ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:10:58 -0500 From: jack swift Subject: Re: two orders per week At 10:07 PM EST 9/21/96 EDT, you wrote: > >The results have been very good. We have smaller, more manageable orders. > We have a second chance to fill outs every week. We cut our order >point weeks of supply. > the key thing to remember is to watch your EOQ.... it's awfully expensive to order 1 widget twice a week instead of 2 once a week.... (some of us just can't order everything in shelf-pack quantities) >I think I may have lost a day from my week, however, as I am tempted to run >RSO's all day long on Saturdays to make sure I catch everything which might go >on the order. It is one more compelling reason to push more responsibility to >the salesfloor. > i waste very little time on the rso's because i spend most of my time setting minimums and eoq's. as long as the qoh is accurate (daily cycle counts are the time-filler for the morning shift), rso is reasonably correct. all i have to catch are the wild sales swings caused by weather. > The managers review the order and count all items on this RSO. > ouch! i'd need to hire more staff to handle this.... if it's on the rso, then the stock is thought by triad to be low enough to order - no need to confirm that. it's the sku's that are lower than the triad thinks they are that will embarass you. that's why i prefer an organized cycle count -- in addition, we find/fix all the messed up location coding. >2. QOH changes are made in QPIP. > duh! never thought much of triad's inventory checking routines...... too much 'technology' for a simple but boring task. (we have a 'customer' named "thief" who 'buys' a lot of things at zero retail -- and we track his purchase history closely and record all skus offtriad) > I hate my warehouse. I wish it would burn off the top of the building. > have you considered using the user codes field to hold quantity and location in the warehouse? running any reports using that field requires a pass of the whole inventory file, so we gave it up and use other fields for flags -- triad could have designed a better system, but we kluge along just fine.... actually, our 'warehouse inventory' is controlled much easier -- offtriad.... remember, this is almost a static inventory (not quite a fixed asset, but close -- want to buy some 6" valves?) >5. The effort involved in checking the order off is never rewarded by a >corresponding discovery of big dollar shortages. > my accounting brain worries about those, but my inventory-control brain worries about the bad data corrupting the qoh field. i may 'accept' the dollar differences as immaterial or offsetting in the long run, but the qoh accuracy destruction is unacceptable. why waste money on a pos system that updates qoh when you willingly post inaccurate receipts. >12. Chaos can erupt when doing floor counts for an RSO while merchandise for >the same vendor is being shelved... or >sent to the warehouse "... 'cuz I couldn't find a place for it on the sales >floor." This can be minimized by setting the Monday night RSO select option to >ignore merchandise with a QOO. > i fall back on my previous: cycle counts allow you to 'see' qoo and are quicker on a per-sku basis because they are concentrated in a relatively small area and are much more likely to catch lower-than-triad quantities... >I will continue to feel unfulfilled without a more sophisticated on-screen order >generator/editor on my Triad System. > make your own..... that's the only way you can get the screen to include all the information you want in a format you can quickly analyze. programmers are totally incapable of designing view screens -- they never use them and have no idea why anyone would want one..... > It's very frustrating, especially when I see something come along like the >Cotter/Triad ELS package... designed for the Cotter member just crawing out of >the woods armed with nothing more than a stone knife and a telxon... > but the worse thing is that the system they see is designed for use by a programmer...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Swift jswift@up.net N8WAV@W8YY.#UPMI.MI.USA.NA 47.119N 88.572W Swift True Value Hardware 402 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931 906-482-0530, 0531, 7766 Alpha Phi Omega Epsilon Lambda Chapter Advisor Houghton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Dereliction IS! Keweenaw Peninsula Chapter American Red Cross CIO/Treasurer Ham It Up! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:25:33 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Checking order accuracy Bill Round wrote... >>5. The effort involved in checking the order off is never rewarded by a >>corresponding discovery of big dollar shortages. >> Jack Swift wrote.. > my accounting brain worries about those, but my inventory-control >brain worries about the bad data corrupting the qoh field. i may 'accept' >the dollar differences as immaterial or offsetting in the long run, but the >qoh accuracy destruction is unacceptable. why waste money on a pos system >that updates qoh when you willingly post inaccurate receipts. > I agree with Jack on this one... although the dollar value does not justify checking the shipment, potential lost sales and lost customer goodwill when QOH says 1 but the shelf is empty makes checking off the shipment worth it to me. We easily fill a page and a half with inventory adjustments from the weekly warehouse shipment. I really can't forsee the day when we'd trust Cotter on warehouse shipment accuracy. John ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27354 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Thu Oct 03 00:00:13 1996 Date: Thu, 03 Oct 1996 00:00:10 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27355 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Thu, 03 Oct 1996 00:00:10 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27355 Today's topics: 'Hardlines List Get Together' 'Black leather and the Cyclists' 'Another Use For the EDITOR' 'The Web' 'Re: The Web' 'RE: True Value Internet Site -Reply' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 09:36:59 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Hardlines List Get Together OK, for those attending the Cotter market next week in St. Louis... how about a get together (in net lingo, a ftf or face-to-face)? Looking at the market schedule, and based on what/where/when folks might be around, I'd suggest something Sunday night after the Triad/TruTrac users meetings. I'm open to suggestions for a location, but the beer has to be good (and the food adequate). Rodents are optional... John PS - For those who liked the "old" way of getting Hardlines (i.e. note by note rather than a digest collection each day), let me know. You can receive it either way. ------------------------------ Date: 02 Oct 96 19:08:44 EDT From: "WILLIAM H. ROUND" <102753.622@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Black leather and the Cyclists Ladies and Gentlemen: Jack Swift wrote about cycle counting. As a school of thought, cycle counting is quite attractive. I wonder, Jack, if you carried things a bit farther and added this to your consideration. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 19:19:38 -0400 From: RICKSS1@aol.com Subject: Another Use For the EDITOR Hi: John: The Capsulation is nice -->less mail letters to look at. Just spoke to the Advice Line and got cornered on who I spoke to last! Okay, that person is right I should remember --> Solution: From now on I am going to the Editor Program to record the time of the call, who replied with the time factors and answers. They do this on us. Logic -->simple record keeping for those of us who still the Advice Line. Have fun Rick Schwartz Schwartz True Value P.S. Any comments on Semkus Inventory Report? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 19:33:32 -0400 From: RICKSS1@aol.com Subject: The Web Hi: Tis Oct 2nd and I saw the True Value Web Site. Now how do we fix our statistics of our stores!!!!!! Ex: They are giving out my office phone number!!! Oh well, Back to the Market Books. Rick Schwartz True Value ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 20:16:13 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Re: The Web At 07:33 PM 10/2/96 -0400, Rick Schwartz wrote: > >Tis Oct 2nd and I saw the True Value Web Site. >Now how do we fix our statistics of our stores!!!!!! >Ex: They are giving out my office phone number!!! > I guess they did a "cheap and dirty" database (not unlike what I put on the web for the past year... but mine didn't cost Cotter nuthin'), based on the internal Cotter member database. They have us down as having the Gift Registry program, but we don't. However, the store lookup works pretty well, considering the inherent problems with any database that searches based on the post office rules. I wonder if there is a way to use area code/exchange lookup instead, as I'm convinced the phone company can probably produce a better lookup. We've got 105?? zip codes norht, south and west of us, but we are 107??. So, folks doing a zip search for 10583 which borders our town don't find us even though we are smack dab in the midddle of the 105?? zips. John PS - Now I know what number to reach you at. :-) ------------------------------------------------------ John3@cornells.com http://www.cornells.com/john.htm Webmaster/Manager/Cashier Via the Dell at home ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 96 01:47:33 UT From: "MIKE JONES" Subject: RE: True Value Internet Site -Reply Bob Johnson, Have seen our store listing on www.truevalue.com. Wish to make some changes. How do we do it? Mike Arcola True Value ---------- From: owner-hardlines@cornells.com on behalf of BOB JOHNSON Sent: Thursday, September 26, 1996 7:14 PM To: Multiple recipients of list hardlines Subject: Re: True Value Internet Site -Reply I'm late in replying ..But its ready to go on the 9/30...It's a good start...BOB *************************************************************** Hardlines Mailing List is an unmoderated Internet mailing list for hardware and building materials industry members. Address articles you wish to send to list members to: hardlines@cornells.com To remove your name from the mailing list, send email to listserv@cornells.com with the following line in your message: unsubscribe hardlines firstname lastname For any other questions, send email to postmaster@cornells.com *************************************************************** ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27355 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Fri Oct 04 00:00:32 1996 Date: Fri, 04 Oct 1996 00:00:29 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27356 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Fri, 04 Oct 1996 00:00:29 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27356 Today's topics: 'The Market' 'Digest vs. regular' 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27355' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 23:16:57 -0600 From: Scott Ellenson Subject: The Market Dear Hardlines Members: I would like to invite you to join Dimensions Software at the Adams Mark Hotel October 13th & 14th in St Louis. The hospitality times are 4pm - 9pm on both Sunday & Monday. We are showcasing our POS software and CIS interface, complete on-line ordering with Cotter & Co.. We will be profiling the following software products. EIS (Executive Information System) Dimensions/CIS Interface Dimensions 5.1 Release (Now Available) Exciting revisions to payables (adjusting a receipt (cost, quantities, freight) in payables) Faxing Statements at month end. New Catalogue Software POP-UP Windows throughout the system. Associated item selling in POS Multi-select item selling in POS Complete Special Order Tracking On-Line Help Unlimited A/R Payment History Integrated "Time Clock" (Punch in at any Terminal) Hope to see you all there. Thanks! Scott Ellenson Dimensions Software 800/755-5911 Ext. 301 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 13:21:58 -0500 From: "True Value" Subject: Digest vs. regular John, Please put me back to the old way. I like to read and respond to E-Mail in real time. Sometimes I sent, read the response, and responded back, all in the same day. Now it takes 3 days and it may be old news by then. I also liked to see my message posted back to me within a few minutes. That's what E-Mail is all about! Thanks! David Casaletto Pittsburg, KS truevalue@pitton.com (I wonder if my E-mail address violates Cotter's new Internet trademark rules!) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 13:26:08 -0500 From: "True Value" Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27355 > > > OK, for those attending the Cotter market next week in St. Louis... how > about a get together (in net lingo, a ftf or face-to-face)? > > Looking at the market schedule, and based on what/where/when folks might be > around, I'd suggest something Sunday night after the Triad/TruTrac users > meetings. I'm open to suggestions for a location, but the beer has to be > good (and the food adequate). Rodents are optional... > > John > Sounds good to me. Do we just stay after the meeting and look for you? (After all you are our fearless leader and webmaster.) David Casaletto True Value Home Center Pittsburg, KS 66762 ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27356 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Thu Oct 10 00:04:09 1996 Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 00:04:06 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27357 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Thu, 10 Oct 1996 00:04:06 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27357 Today's topics: 'Shipping delays' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 13:19:30 +0000 From: "Mark W. Bates" Subject: Shipping delays I am writing this letter for Triad's benefit, hoping someone from Triad will see my letter. I am in the process of building a new store and needed to add Triad equipment for additional checkouts, etc. We plan to go Bar Code scanning only in our new store and thought that an IST would be a great help. We are also interested in using the IST for doing a store wide inventory before our move. I placed an order around September 4th and was told to expect a week to process the order and a week shipping time. I thought two weeks was excessive, but what could I do. September 16, about the time I expected the shipment to arrive, I receive a call from my sales rep telling me my shipment is sitting on the dock in California because I have not signed an updated Master Customer Agreement. I was satisfied with the old agreement, but Triad had me over a barrel. I told my sales rep I would sign the new agreement, but he would have to Next Day Air just the IST part of my order. He agreed. Two days later the IST had not arrived. I called and he told me he had sent the order ground service. I called the fellow a liar and a few other choice words. Triad then agreed to next day air the IST at their expense as well as eat the shipping on the ground order. The IST arrives and I try to install the software and discover that I have two problems. One, my level of PC Access is 2.5 and apparently does not support an IST. I also can't run Shelf Manager because I am still on level 16. I call and ask that Level 17 and PC Access be Next Day aired to me. Unknown to me level 17 has been shipped which kicks out the order for 17 and PC Access. When I discover this we are now into October. I am told that shipping has shut down due to the rush the week before and I can't get PCA until this week. No PCA Tuesday, no PCA today, so I call Triad Direct. Everybody is out for the day at a meeting and I am told by the only person answering the phone that they are not shipping this week either. Albert from the Advice Line called and is trying to have a copy shipped to me from his end. I am paying too much for Triad equipment to be receiving such inept service. If I had purchased a Walmart quality computer I would expect this kind of service. I thought I had purchased a Cadillac. I guess the moral to the story is plan to buy a couple of months ahead of the time you need the equipment to allow for Triad's screw ups. Thanks for allowing me to blow off steam. Mark W. Bates, President, Bell & Bates, Inc.,13 North Madison St., PO Box 205 Quincy, FL 32353-0205 e-mail:mwbates@gcn.scri.fsu.edu Voice:904-627-6215 Fax: 904-875-1288 URL: http://gcn.scri.fsu.edu/~mwbates/b&bates.html ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27357 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Thu Oct 17 00:04:49 1996 Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 00:04:47 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27358 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Thu, 17 Oct 1996 00:04:47 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27358 Today's topics: 'Thoughts from the market' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 20:15:44 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Thoughts from the market First of all, it was fun to run into various folks at the market. I missed quite a few folks, including some I usually see, so that means I must have been buying too much merchandise. The get together after the users meetings never quite materialized, although a few of us headed over with the Portland member group to the Morgan Street Brewery and had a nice dinner. Bob Johnson entertained some of us with a harrowing story of swaying corrugated cardboard. While there, Bill Round and I tried to pry some opinions from a mfg rep about what Cotter (and the other co-ops) might be doing wrong. About the best we could get from the rep was the opinion that we as members need to become more involved and pro-active in the organizations. I thought of this later when discussing the fact that Ace and Cotter had wound up running their shows on the same weekend. Now, the earth didn't stop because of this event, but you can bet that many members were inconvenienced, as were many manufacturers. It seems about the only plus to this occurrence is that each wholesaler could be guaranteed that their respective "big dealers" would have to miss the show of their alternate source. There's been talk for years about a co-op of co-ops, to lower costs to all the independent dealers. Very little progress has been made in this area. The co-ops still fight for each others members, schedule events in conflict with each other, disagree about business practices, etc. How much of the dealers money is spent just trying to woo other dealers over to one co-op or another? In the past few weeks, there's been some stuff flying off the ventilation equipment about Cotter's Internet policy. It really isn't only about this policy, though. What concerns me (and other dealers I met at the market) is the way that so many decisions are made that either ignore the dealers or actually work to make it harder to do business. It sometimes seems that the co-ops have lost sight of the dealer in their quest to gain the market. In the march to reach the consumer, we sometimes are merely the road the gets trampled on, in the interests of protecting or promoting the membership as a whole (or similar wording). The problem... no co-op is really a "whole". Talk to other dealers, and you realize how different each and every store is. At the market, you'll hear 100 different purchasing strategies, 200 different direct mail strategies, 50 different receiving procedures, etc. The co-ops are trying to unify their retailers, several thousand at a time, when they cannot themselves get together for anything major. I challenge the wholesalers to work together, in a "True Advantage" or "Ace 2000" (or whatever other program you might quote) like program. Just try and get four or five together, adopting some unified programs for the benefit of all the dealers. OK, rambled a little here about co-ops and how they need to start listening to the retailer a little more rather than just telling him or her how to run his business. If you've got an opinion, let's hear it... and make sure you let your supplier know your feelings as well. John PS - Never got around to mentioning Bernie Marcus at the Spring Ace (it was Ace, right) show, saying that there's room for all of us. Somehow it reminded me of how Neville Chamberlain was assured that Germany wouldn't invade Poland. ------------------------------------------------------ John3@cornells.com http://www.cornells.com/john.htm Webmaster/Manager/Cashier ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27358 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Fri Oct 18 00:02:40 1996 Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 00:02:37 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27359 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Fri, 18 Oct 1996 00:02:37 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27359 Today's topics: 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27358' 'to Cotter members' 'Re: to Cotter members' 'TRIAD EQUIPMENT FOR SALE' 'Triad acquired by CCI' 'Have you heard the news?' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 07:21:25 -0700 From: batesace@netcom.com (Wade Doss) Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27358 >PS - Never got around to mentioning Bernie Marcus at the Spring Ace (it was >Ace, right) show, saying that there's room for all of us. Somehow it >reminded me of how Neville Chamberlain was assured that Germany wouldn't >invade Poland. Yes Bernie did speak at the Ace spring market. His speaking at the Ace show was done as a favor to Dave Hodnik, you is servicing as president of the Hope city foundation, of which Marcus and Home Depot are big supports of. I think it's an excellent foundation and am proud that the hardware industry can give something back to this worthy cause. Along the lines of Ace and Home Depot forming some sort of alliance---not! His speach was interesting and was a grass roots history lesson of the beginnings of depot and the struggles it had in the beginning and some that it still faces today. I hope that none of the Ace dealers that were in there were sucked in by those warm and fuzzy comments. If you let down you guard you will become a statistic on one of those morning presentations, as a closed store. I guarantee you that Home Depot is looking out for one person and that's Home Depot, not Ace, not Cotter, not HWI. Stepping down from my soap box--exit stage right. Wade P.S. Mark, do we need to put a APB out on your IST? Wade Doss Bates Ace Hardware Atlanta, GA 404-351-4240 fax 404-350-8402 batesace@netcom.com WDoss@msn.com Compuserve 76050,3511 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 10:58:55 -0500 From: "True Value" Subject: to Cotter members Hi everyone, Just got back from the market. At the Triad meeting Sunday night someone was talking about warehouse vs. relay tags coming from the warehouse. We used to get two color tags: yellow for warehouse and pink for relay. Now we get all yellow, but if it's a relay item there is a big "R" on the right hand side of the tag. These are the old style tags printed with a typewriter type printer (the big "R" is made out of alot of little R's). I guess some distribution centers don't let you know if it's relay or warehouse at all. And I didn't understand what Bob Johnson was refering to when he said it costs millions of dollars to let us know whether if warehouse or relay. My big "R" looks like: RRRRR R R R R R R RRRRR RR R R R R R R Well, sort of like this. Back to work! David Casaletto True Value Home Center Pittsburg, KS truevalue@pittoncom ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 12:25:04 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Re: to Cotter members At 10:58 AM 10/17/96 -0500, David Casaletto wrote: > >And I didn't understand what Bob Johnson was refering to >when he said it costs millions of dollars to let us know whether if >warehouse or relay. > I think the two areas that saved costs by going to the single label are: 1: Switching labels in the printer and incremental cost of a colored label vs white. 2: Making two pulls from bins for each member. As I understand it, warehouse orders used to be pulled, then relay orders, and the two were merged at another location in the warehouse. Now, both warehouse and relay for a member is pulled at the same time, eliminating the need to merge them later. The problem with the new labels is even with the big "R", it's still tough to immediately identify the boxes as relay vs warehouse. I guess it's partially just getting used to the same color and paying closer attention to the labels. A related problem is the tendency for the warehouse folks to toss some warehouse items in a box marked relay, but that appears to be an occasional problem rather than a problem with the system. John ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 13:52:48 -0600 From: Scott Ellenson Subject: TRIAD EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Hello Everyone, I have some Triad equipment for sale. We have just converted a new customer with the following equipment. The following items are available and are still on maintenance. Item Quantity Price 1330 CPU 1 $ 1,000.00 (with console) Line conditioner 1 $ 100.00 VDT's 5 $ 300.00 3330 Printer 1 $ 400.00 Call Judy @ 419/893-9425 IF ANY OF YOU KNOW OF A POTENTIAL SALESPERSON FOR DIMENSIONS PLEASE E-MAIL ME (sellenson@dimen.com) OR CALL ME AT 800/755-5911 EXT. 301 Thanks! Scott Ellenson Dimensions Computer Advisors sellenson@dimen.com 800/755-5911 EXT. 301 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 16:12:32 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Triad acquired by CCI Of interest to Hardlines members... taken from http://biz.yahoo.com Thursday October 17 9:43 AM EDT Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst and Cooperative Computing, Inc. to acquire Triad Systems Corp. in transaction valued at approximately $300 million DALLAS, TEX., AUSTIN, TEX. and LIVERMORE, CALIF.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oct. 17, 1996-- Triad Shareholders to Receive $9.25 Per Share in Cash for Their Triad Stock, Representing a 68 Percent Premium Over Triad's Closing Price on October 16th Triad Shareholders Will Also Receive Shares of a Spin-off That Includes All of Triad's Real Property Located in Livermore, California Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Incorporated, of Dallas, a leading private investment firm, Cooperative Computing, Inc. (CCI), of Austin, a provider of information-management solutions to large warehouse distributors in the automotive aftermarket business, and Triad Systems Corp , of Livermore, Calif., which provides information systems to the independent jobber segment of the automotive parts aftermarket as well as to retail hardware and lumber dealers, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which a company newly formed, and jointly owned, by Cooperative Computing, Inc. and Hicks Muse will acquire Triad. Hicks Muse estimates the combined enterprise value of CCI and Triad at approximately $300 million. Under the agreement, which was unanimously approved by Triad's Board of Directors, Hicks Muse and CCI will commence within five business days a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of Triad at a price of $9.25 per share, representing a premium of 68 percent over Triad's closing price on the Nasdaq National Market System of $5.50 per share on October 16, 1996. In addition, Triad shareholders will receive shares in a spun-off entity whose assets will consist of Triad's real property in Livermore, Calif., including its 220,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and approximately 150 acres of property held for sale in the Triad Park development. The spun-off real estate entity will assume approximately $20.7 million of indebtedness currently secured by the spun-off real estate. Over time, the real estate entity will liquidate its real estate portfolio, with proceeds used to pay expenses (including taxes), repay secured debt and distribute any remaining proceeds to current Triad shareholders. Triad management has not expressed a view as to the ultimate cash distribution to be realized by current Triad shareholders. The tender offer will be followed by a "back-end" merger in which any Triad shares that remain outstanding after the tender offer will be exchanged for cash at the same price. Triad has 19,587,000 fully diluted shares outstanding, valuing the cash portion of the consideration to be paid for outstanding shares at approximately $181.2 million. Cooperative Computing, Inc. founded in 1976 by Glenn E. Staats, Ph.D., is a privately held firm that has experienced rapid growth in developing highly sophisticated program distribution solutions for the automotive aftermarket and related industries. The company is well-known for its long-term investment in research and development to produce leading-edge information solutions for its clients. CCI's market focus has been on providing solutions to larger warehouse distributors and their customer networks. Total integration of the "automotive aftermarket information highway" is the company's principal strategic goal. Triad Systems Corporation is known for its focus on the independent jobber segment of the automotive aftermarket, where it has excelled in developing and delivering innovative solutions. Triad is also known for providing business solutions for the hardlines (hardware) and lumber marketplace. Founded in 1972, Triad has been a pioneer in sales and marketing strategies to its target markets. ************************************************************************* John Fix 3rd http://www.cornells.com/john.htm John3@cornells.com (914) 961-2400 Cornell's True Value Hardware Manager/Cashier/Webmaster ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 16:07:19 -0600 From: Scott Ellenson Subject: Have you heard the news? Hit www.business.com Triad Sells Out ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27359 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Sat Oct 19 00:01:53 1996 Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 00:01:49 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27360 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Sat, 19 Oct 1996 00:01:49 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27360 Today's topics: 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27358' 'Re: to Cotter members' 'Acquisition Bolsters Triad’s Position in the Hardlines & Lumber Marketplace' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 03:31:50 -0400 From: RMorris95@aol.com Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27358 In a message dated 96-10-17 00:06:15 EDT, you write: >OK, rambled a little here about co-ops and how they need to start listening >to the retailer a little more rather than just telling him or her how to >run his business. If you've got an opinion, let's hear it... and make sure >you let your supplier know your feelings as well. > >John > >PS - Never got around to mentioning Bernie Marcus at the Spring Ace (it was >Ace, right) show, saying that there's room for all of us I hope you don't mind some input from a former Cotter dealer that now works for - dare I say - The Home Depot. One of the big advantages HD and the other big boxes have over Cotter and the other co-ops is they have a very narrow focus on what they are all about and what they want to accomplish. They are a large RETAIL company that is trying to gain as much market share as they can. They are not a bunch of retailers trying to run their own wholesaler or a wholesaler trying to become a retailer through several thousand retail sites all going in different directions. Part of the success of HD is Bernie Marcus and Artur Blank having a very well defined company culture and sticking to it. Right now there is room for all of us. But as HD grows and Sears grows (actually more dangerous to the independents) somebody will have to take the hit. The stores and the co-ops and maybe some of the co-ops and the co-ops are going to have to focus on both merchandise and a marketing strategy that makes them unique and a shopping destination. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 07:31:52 -0500 From: jack swift Subject: Re: to Cotter members what cotter doesn't recognize is that some of us (maybe more than just me) separate the 'piles on the floor' into warehouse and relay... if it takes longer to look at the tag, the driver spends more time at the store -- but they don't count that cost because they only see the ability to pass a cost on to us. i continually gripe about cotter's 'cost-saving' moves which only transfer the handling cost to us. every one of these items costs 'US' (the collective 'us') 50-100% more than 'WE' save at the 'headquarters' level. At 10:58 AM EST 10/17/96 -0500, you wrote: >Hi everyone, > >Just got back from the market. At the Triad meeting Sunday night someone >was talking about warehouse vs. relay tags coming from the warehouse. We >used to get two color tags: yellow for warehouse and pink for relay. Now we >get all yellow, but if it's a relay item there is a big "R" on the right >hand side of the tag. These are the old style tags printed with a >typewriter type printer (the big "R" is made out of alot of little R's). I >guess some distribution centers don't let you know if it's relay or >warehouse at all. And I didn't understand what Bob Johnson was refering to >when he said it costs millions of dollars to let us know whether if >warehouse or relay. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Swift jswift@up.net N8WAV@W8YY.#UPMI.MI.USA.NA 47.119N 88.572W Swift True Value Hardware 402 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931 906-482-0530, 0531, 7766 Alpha Phi Omega Epsilon Lambda Chapter Advisor Houghton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Dereliction IS! Keweenaw Peninsula Chapter American Red Cross CIO/Treasurer Ham It Up! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 16:07:42 -0700 From: Rob Vomund Subject: Acquisition Bolsters Triad’s Position in the Hardlines & Lumber Marketplace FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE by Triad Systems Corporation Contact: Pervez Qureshi 510 449-0606 x6588 No. 96-10A Acquisition Bolsters Triad’s Position in the Hardlines & Lumber Marketplace Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Incorporated (Hicks Muse), of Dallas, a leading private investment firm, Cooperative Computing, Inc. (CCI), of Austin, a provider of information-management systems, and Triad Systems Corporation, of Livermore, Calif., the leading supplier of information-management systems to the Hardlines & Lumber industry, as well as the Automotive aftermarket industry, announced they have signed an agreement under which Triad will be acquired by Hicks Muse and CCI. Hicks Muse estimates the combined enterprise value of CCI and Triad at approximately $300 million. Thomas O. Hicks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hicks Muse, said: "We are pleased to be partnering with CCI and Triad to create a platform company in the growing information services and management industry." This new merger will further strengthen Triad’s position in the Hardlines & Lumber marketplace. Hicks Muse has a strong track record of using it’s “buy and build” strategy to increase the value of the companies in which they invest. Using this strategy, Hicks Muse makes a “core business acquisition” to use as a platform to acquire additional related businesses. By combining the related companies, and injecting capitol into the business, Hicks Muse has been able to realize strong gains. Chad Schneller, Triad’s Vice President of Hardlines and Lumber Operations stated, “During the last few years we have experienced very strong growth in our Hardlines & Lumber operations. This merger will provide us with even greater access to capital that will ensure that we continue to grow by responding to the many new and existing market driven business opportunities we have. Both our Automotive and Hardlines & Lumber operations are well positioned to continue in their respective leadership positions.” Triad recently strengthened it’s already dominant position in the Lumber & Building Materials industry by purchasing Computer System Dynamics of Denver. The CSD acquisition added more than 600 customers with nearly 1100 automated locations to Triad’s existing base of more than 5500 customers with approximately 6800 locations. Triad is the largest provider of information-management systems to the entire Hardlines & Lumber industry. James R. Porter, currently president and chief executive officer of Triad, will serve as Chairman of the Board. Glenn E. Staats will be President and Chief Executive Officer of the new company and Preston W. Staats, Ph.D. will be its Chief Operating Officer. Glenn Staats said: "My brother and I look forward to working with Jim Porter and our counterparts at Triad to build the value of the combined enterprise for our respective customers, business partners and employees." Hicks Muse, CCI, and Triad expect to complete the transaction by calendar year-end. Following transaction completion, the company will continue to maintain offices and operations in both Austin and Livermore. Triad Systems Corporation and CCI build value by providing the Hardlines and Lumber industry and Automotive Aftermarket with a growing array of innovative information-management solutions. #### ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27360 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Sun Oct 20 00:03:43 1996 Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 00:03:40 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27361 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Sun, 20 Oct 1996 00:03:40 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27361 Today's topics: 'Ace & Home Depot' 'NEW SITE: http://www.AceLBM.com' 'Co-ops vs. Big Box' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 10:21:09 -0400 From: Gary Schwake Subject: Ace & Home Depot Last week a hardlines subscriber discounted the rumors about an Ace-Home Depot relationship. I wouldn't jump to fast. While at the National Hardware Show in Chicago this August, I spoke with several manufacturers and vendors that said there was active interest between the two parties, namely, Ace's National Supply company being a supplier to Home Depot. Now, I realize that Ace set this company up as a seperate operating entity, but how does that make any difference to you (us) the retailer/member? Imagine Home Depot being able to order merchandise in the ones and twos that we do. The ability to respond to a customers request in less than a weeks time (at the most)! All of this information is heresay, but if you look at the components, it doesn't take much to conclude that Ace has more than supplying Canadaian home centers on its agenda. Any thoughts?! Gary -- Gary Schwake Zettler True Value Stores Director - Store Operations 614-672-1327 gschwake@iwaynet.net ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 09:35:06 -0400 From: Alan Wickstrom Subject: NEW SITE: http://www.AceLBM.com Hello to all! Ace Hardware's Lumber, Building Materials and Millwork division has gone online at: http://www.AceLBM.com We invite everyone to stop by and sign up for their WEB SITE WATCH. As they add new features, an eMail will be sent to your attention. Alan Wickstrom ~ webhead@BuildingOnline.com Sign-up for BuildingOnline's eUpdate at: http://www.BuildingOnline.com/eupdate.shtml has over 2,200 eMail subscribers... we want your posting. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 16:59:47 +0000 From: pkm@dedot.com (Peter J. Cailotto) Subject: Co-ops vs. Big Box In response to the gentleman who did at one time work for True Value and now works for Home Depot, I believe that the big difference between Home Depot and the co-ops are that Home Depot is proactive, and most co-ops are reactive. Home Depot has done a lot for this industry by dictating to its vendors what they need to do for them with regards to pricing, product selection, promotion, and distribution (those of you who took marketing in college might be familiar with these concepts). There are drawbacks to being a leader like this however, vendors don't always want to be told what to do, how to do it and what price the customer feels is "fair." Truck drivers don't always like to be told when to deliver either. Being a Cotter member, I know that Cotter has been very inconsistent as to where they are headed. Communication to the member is minimal at best. Departments shouldn't wait until a problem gets blown out of proportion to take action. Cotter comes up with policies and practices that are not always in the best interest of the members, and these policies are not always in line with "our" well defined mission statement. They have however done things alot better in the past few years, and they continue to slowly get better and better. I really like the True Value mission statement, I just wish more departments would read it and use it in their daily practices. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Product Mix. -- If you want members to totally commit to buying everything from one source, then you have to put everything in the warehouse that each individual member wants you to put in (Lumber included), or make the drop shipment programs for each of those vendors be favorable enough for those members to order from that mode (lets also include that those vendors need to communicate back to the member on the lead-time of the order, and fax or e-mail back a confirming "DS 'a' copy").-- A novel task indeed... probably never will happen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Promotion -- Cover all modes of promotion for the member (including internet and intranet)... Be EXTREMELY flexible (YEAH RIGHT..) Allow for members to plug in as many items or as few items as they want in a direct mail promotion, and make it cheap -- even if it means the wholesaler will operate at a small loss (after all, we are looking at the LONG TERM). Have the regional managers work up individual programs for each member (based on what the member feels she/he needs not the wholesaler) and submit it to that member. Try to get the members to pool there resources together (there doing this -- BETTER LATE THAN NEVER)... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Price -- KEEP THE PRICES DIRT CHEAP. -- There doing this too...Include freight in COGS, not just a flat rate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distribution -- Increase Deliveries from Warehouse to store 2-3 times per week to ALL MEMBERS.-- This will help the member lower their order levels and minimize there investment in inventory. Include freight in COGS. Make the manufacturers specify a delivery date for DS purchases (ESPECIALLY AT SHOWS) +- 2 working days. Aquire regional vendors to meet member vendor lead time requirements (eg. Chicago Specialty products come out of Illinois, and in California their lead time in unacceptable.) Pass on DS datings. 30 days means 30 days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I won't even begin to get into the problems associated with relays, especially those "guaranteed sales" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Done rambling... Just my opinion ... Peter Cailotto pkm@dedot.com Personal Site: http://www.dedot.com/pkm Business Page: http://www.dedot.com/pkm/Arrow.html ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27361 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Tue Oct 22 00:00:48 1996 Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 00:00:44 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27363 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Tue, 22 Oct 1996 00:00:44 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27363 Today's topics: 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27362' 'Merchandise mix' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 23:37:36 -0700 From: Jay Will & Linda Farr Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27362 hardlines-request@cornells.com wrote: > > hardlines Digest Mon, 21 Oct 1996 00:04:27 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27362 > > Today's topics: > 'Cotter Catalog' > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 13:39:06 -0400 > From: RICKSS1@aol.com > Subject: Cotter Catalog > > Hi: > > Amongst all the complaining (Constructive Critism), I have to praise TRIAD on > the Cotter Catalog Progrom (though incomplete to some standards such as > crossover data to current IMU data). On one Market order (treaded 3M), I had > to install 81 new SKUs --> this only took 10 minutes and then another 2 > minutes in RICU to complete 90% desire rate. Another 10 minutes was used > with Fredware to setup the Sequence Numbers and I was done. Normally, this > task would have taken a day or two -->labor saved!! > > Have fun > > Rick > Schwartz True Value > > ------------------------------ > > End of hardlines Digest V01 #27362 > ********************************** But did you ask yourself if you truly needed those 81 new items? I agree, that the CAT add feature is great, but do we really need to advertise 3 (three) different furnace filters? Or yet another shower caddy? Or another coffee maker? Please, if you're listening Chuck Kremers, please make sure it's necessary to promote another single handle kitchen faucet! Jay Farr jwlfarr@mail.coos.or.us ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 22:26:05 -0400 (EDT) From: dan conroy Subject: Merchandise mix Would like to know if anyone is contemplateing altering in a major way....their product mix. (to counter the big box syndrome) Is there anyone out there with a major green-goods buisness? and what is your buisness like when the BIG GUYS have hit town? Dan Conroy Maskill's TV Michigan (and getting colder) still operateing a DX10!!!YUK YUK ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27363 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Wed Oct 23 00:03:24 1996 Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 00:03:20 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27364 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Wed, 23 Oct 1996 00:03:20 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27364 Today's topics: 'Update on Triad purchase' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 12:37:05 -0400 From: John Fix 3rd Subject: Update on Triad purchase This off the news wire from yesterday... WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuter) - A group led by New York investment manager Mario Gabelli said it raised its stake in Triad Systems Corp to 10.46 percent or 1,850,800 common shares. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the group said it bought a net of 666,100 shares of Triad between October 11 and October 17 at prices ranging from $5.75 to $9.5028 a share. ------- The stock price has still climbed slightly, and the deal is not necessarily a "done deal" since there is a chance that another company (like the investor group above) might also be trying to buy the company. I'll post any other items I find off the net as I find them. John ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27364 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Thu Oct 24 00:03:03 1996 Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 00:02:59 Eastern Daylight Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27365 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Thu, 24 Oct 1996 00:02:59 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27365 Today's topics: 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27364' 'Sociobiology and the Hardware business.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 23:23:23 -0500 (CDT) From: Dana Whitton Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27364 Hi John, I've tried it for a while and I don't like the digest version please change me back to the individual e-mail messages thanks Dana Whitton Gulf Breeze True VAlue At 12:03 AM 10/23/96 Time, you wrote: >hardlines Digest Wed, 23 Oct 1996 00:03:20 Eastern Daylight Time V01 #27364 > >Today's topics: > 'Update on Triad purchase' > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 12:37:05 -0400 >From: John Fix 3rd >Subject: Update on Triad purchase > > >This off the news wire from yesterday... > >WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuter) - A group led by New York investment manager >Mario Gabelli said it raised its stake in Triad Systems Corp to 10.46 >percent or 1,850,800 common shares. > >In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the group said it >bought a net of 666,100 shares of Triad between October 11 and October 17 >at prices ranging from $5.75 to $9.5028 a share. > >------- > >The stock price has still climbed slightly, and the deal is not necessarily >a "done deal" since there is a chance that another company (like the >investor group above) might also be trying to buy the company. I'll post >any other items I find off the net as I find them. > >John > > >------------------------------ > > >End of hardlines Digest V01 #27364 >********************************** > > Cya D ------------------------------ Date: 23 Oct 96 21:47:17 EDT From: "WILLIAM H. ROUND" <102753.622@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Sociobiology and the Hardware business. Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, We had a lot of water up here in the Northeast, and Round's True Value sold a lot of sump pumps. The emergency sales went so well and cleaned the shelves so thoroughly that your correspondent failed to hold a suitable pump aside to pump out his own cellar. I always go into denial when things like this happen at my house. If the roof leaks, the cellar fills up with water, or the grubbs eat the lawn, I silently repeat to myself... "this isn't happening to me, this only happens to customers, this isn't real, it will pass, I will wake up...." Today's issue of the Home Improvement/Hardware Age or whatever the big format industry monthly journal has a brief article on a hardware store in Texas. Apparently, the store has been staffed with younger women to create an inviting atmosphere for all the contractors in town. The management is working the same theme as the successful "Hooters" restaraunt chain, with a little less flash and a little more cover. Well, in our industry, we always caught onto trends a bit later than the rest of retailing world. I'll leave subject of Rigid Tool calendars for others to discuss, and those are certainly banished from most business establishments where management is fearful of permitting a threatening environment to emerge. Women are better salespeople than men are. They operate more effectively on the relationship level, and relationship selling is very productive. Just look at the rosters for any real estate sales office; the men seem to have been chased out altogether; women are the market leaders and the high producers. A female staff members in any retail department will make more sales for that department. I've seen it happen. Female customers prefer to deal with female staff members in our stores. The male customers prefer to deal with female staff members. Stores with a heavy representation of "grumpy old men" on the floor will be (ARE!) viewed as uncomfortable places to shop. Do I detect a trend where males are being marginalized in the sales game? Could an argument be made for an increasing feminization of capitalism? If the profitable and successful retail business activities depend on the effective appeal of the enterprise to women, what role will there remain for men? Will men in the hardware/home center business be religated to carrying heavy merchandise around while the women make the sales and the money? Gosh! I've got to go down and bail out the basement with a dish pan! When that's done, I'll tune up the ol' guitar and sing the blues.... I feel a song coming on.... "I got them hardware blues.... The girls in tight jeans in the store down the street gonna take all my business away! I thought Cotter Skus caused them blues! Oh, No! Not at all! Oh me, oh my, I got them hardware blues!" Regards, Bill Round, President, Hound master, stategic planer, cashier Round's True Value Hardware Stoneham, MA ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27365 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Mon Oct 28 00:01:16 1996 Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 00:01:13 Eastern Standard Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27366 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Mon, 28 Oct 1996 00:01:13 Eastern Standard Time V01 #27366 Today's topics: 'backup tapes for Triad' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Oct 1996 17:08:44 -0600 From: "True Value" Subject: backup tapes for Triad Hi group: I just upgraded to a 2 gig tape drive and I have 32 assorted tape cartridges that I have collected over the years. There are 5 new 150 meg, 4 used 250 meg tapes that I had been using, some old program tapes, and some very old backup tapes. I'll sell all 32 and pay the freight for $50. (I hate to throw stuff away!) I also have a few cases of paint can stackers like used in the paint shop, some boxes of 100-10" scan peg board hooks, and a used colarant dispenser. E-mail me at: truevalue@pitton.com or call 316-231-0900 and I'll make you an offer you can't refuse (I hope). My bookkeeper loves the new Cotter catalog on-line. New items can be loaded so quick. Everyone write when you get the chance. My day doesn't start out right if I don't have E-mail in the morning! See ya! By the way, where can I get a tape of "Those hardware blues...."? David Casaletto True Value Home Center Pittsburg, KS 66762 truevalue@pitton.com ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27366 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Wed Oct 30 00:04:30 1996 Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 00:04:27 Eastern Standard Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27367 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Wed, 30 Oct 1996 00:04:27 Eastern Standard Time V01 #27367 Today's topics: 'RE: Sociology and the Hardware Business, etc.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Oct 96 01:59:40 UT From: "MIKE JONES" Subject: RE: Sociology and the Hardware Business, etc. Subject: Sociology Bill Rounds and assorted Hardliners, Bill, I know exactly what you mean. When I first started, all I seemed to do was run errands for the women in the store and my boss seemed to encourage this set up. He feels that we need women as customers to bring the men in. Our female staffers were doing the "soft goods" side of the store that carried the items the women wanted but they needed the help that the men could provide for shelving and carrying. When women come in for "soft goods", the men seem to follow. But we don't want to fall into the trap of limiting men. Maybe some women want to talk to women sales clerks, but many women want to talk (and flirt) with the male sales clerk. It works both ways. Subject: Subject: Motivating store employees We usually have 1 store meeting each month with all the store employees. Starts at 7 a.m. and runs about an hour. We open at 7 and the boss and his wife run the store until we finish at 8. We have some younger generation employees in the last year or so (at least younger than me. I'm 46) and it is tough to motivate them to attend even though the meetings are mandatory. You know the situation, everyone has some excuse and usually the boss has been lenient because it's tough in a small town (pop. 2700) to find good people who will work for what we pay and still do a decent job. I am looking for a way to motivate and reprimand, if necessary, and am finding it very difficult. One of our employees who always says "I forgot" is salaried (not my idea) so it's difficult to dock her a day's pay, although I'd like to. The boss convinced she is great and he won't hear anything negative. So, I'm stymied. I would welcome any suggestions you might have. Thanks, Mike Arcola True Value ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27367 ********************************** >From owner-hardlines@cornells.com Thu Oct 31 00:02:01 1996 Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 00:01:56 Eastern Standard Time From: hardlines-request@cornells.com Reply-To: "Hardlines" Subject: hardlines Digest - V01 #27368 To: "Hardlines" hardlines Digest Thu, 31 Oct 1996 00:01:56 Eastern Standard Time V01 #27368 Today's topics: 'Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27367' 'RE: morning meetings' 'Wet Noodle Trick?' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 08:19:31 -0500 From: Gary Schwake Subject: Re: hardlines Digest - V01 #27367 Mike- We have struggled with the same problem. The most difficult part is to not focus on the negative but rather on the positive. Rather than punishing those that don't show, reward those that do. More importantly, type up a one page list of YOUR expectations for YOUR employees and personally hand deliver and review with each employee. Then when it comes time for their "compensation review" (annually at a minimum, probably every 6 months), go over your expectation list with them and pay accordingly. It may not be THE answer, but letting everyone know what's expected of them and following through is a good start. Gary -- Gary Schwake Zettler True Value Stores Director - Store Operations 614-672-1327 gschwake@iwaynet.net ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 08:37:39 -0500 From: jack swift Subject: RE: morning meetings At 01:59 AM EST 10/30/96 UT, you wrote: > We usually have 1 store meeting each month with all the store employees. >Starts at 7 a.m. and runs about an hour. We open at 7 and the boss and his >wife run the store until we finish at 8. > We have some younger generation employees in the last year or so (at least >younger than me. I'm 46) and it is tough to motivate them to attend even >though the meetings are mandatory. > we had the same type of meetings with a couple of differences: 1. they started an hour before the store opened (but at that time we opened at 9am) 2. they were voluntary (so we didn't have to pay wages) 3. the first 1/2 hour was a 'meal' -- anyone who showed up in time got their 'order' included in the group order from mcdonald's -- anyone late starved..... nevertheless, i agree with the problem. i'm arrive between 6:45 and 7:30 (we now open at 8am) and the lunchroom is available for the employees to arrive early and gossip or whatever. we've got one (male) who never seems to be able to get here before 8am. i'd like to see him get another job offer and leave, but with his attitude i don't think anyone else would be as stupid as me (and hire him)............ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack Swift jswift@up.net N8WAV@W8YY.#UPMI.MI.USA.NA 47.119N 88.572W Swift True Value Hardware 402 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931 906-482-0530, 0531, 7766 Alpha Phi Omega Epsilon Lambda Chapter Advisor Houghton County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Dereliction IS! Keweenaw Peninsula Chapter American Red Cross CIO/Treasurer Ham It Up! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 18:36:00 -0500 From: RICKSS1@aol.com Subject: Wet Noodle Trick? How does one make all go to meetings?? I do not think there is a unique way --> reprimand can and has backfired on me. The training film I watched (alone) last night, recommended using social pressure on the "Non-Attendes". Yea, sure, but..... what do you do with those that must show up on their day off and live 20 miles away???? Problems! Then again, I have one employee who lives 1 block away and never attened a regular meeting! Question: Is it only me, or are there others who cannot make RQR work. I have several programs that work only in the RQ mode and not RQR. Having fun, Rick Schwartz Schwartz True Value ------------------------------ End of hardlines Digest V01 #27368 **********************************