SHOPPING IS HELL

William Tecumseh Sherman knew war firsthand and famously declared, "War is hell."  Many modern shoppers see Black Friday - the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US - as a hellish ordeal fraught with too little sleep, too many choices and too many people jostling others seeking the best deal.

Shopping this upcoming weekend takes on some of the sophistication of battle strategy and tactics.  Shoppers gearing up must marshal their resources (savings, credit cards, coupons, Christmas lists, troops, transportation), deploy their forces - Aunt Jane camps out at Big Box Mart while Cousin Jim waits in line at Mega DIY World - establish lines of supply, e.g., When will we eat? Who's bringing the coffee?, and even synchronize their watches and calendars to be sure that they can coordinate all activities without missing a beat.

Though I love stores, spend time in them a lot and thoroughly enjoy studying the psychology of shopping behavior, I choose to remain out of the line of fire and away from the trenches this weekend each year.  I leave the field of battle to the more tenacious, determined and battle-hardened professional soldiers of holiday sales.

As you think of me in the rear echelon this weekend, recall the words of Dwight David Eisenhower:  "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because (s)he wants to do it."

CHIEF SALES OFFICER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Mike Lauber

Tusco Display

Phone:  (740) 254-4343 x225

Fax:     (740) 254-4839

Email:  mrlauber@tuscodisplay.com

Web:    www.tuscodisplay.com

TUSCO DISPLAY NAMES TONY FERRANTE CHIEF SALES OFFICER

GHADENHUTTEN, OH; November12, 2012 – Tusco Display, manufacturer of award- winning custom fixtures and permanent displays, has named Tony Ferrante as its Chief Sales Officer.   Serving as the top client relationship officer, Mr. Ferrante will be responsible for profitably growing Tusco Display’s share of the custom fixture and permanent display market. 

Mr. Ferrante comes to Tusco Display after serving as Sr. Vice-President, Sales & Marketing for Garick, LLC, a manufacturer and distributor of sustainable natural resource products found  in the consumer and professional lawn & garden markets.  Prior to Garick, Mr. Ferrante has held senior sales & marketing positions with Rubbermaid, Wayne Dalton, Trex, Berkshire Hathaway and Lebanon Seaboard.  Ferrante has consistently delivered superior results primarily through:  dozens of successful new product introductions, developing new channels of growth, and recruiting and building high performing teams.

“Tony brings a unique perspective to Tusco Display given his broad experience in the consumer goods, building materials and  lawn & garden categories.  We look forward to leveraging Tony’s category strength, retail channel experience, and his success in building high performing sales organizations,” says Tusco Display chairman Mike Lauber.

Mr. Ferrante has an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a BS in Industrial & Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University.

About TUSCO DISPLAY

For over 60 years, Tusco Display has been an award-winning designer and producer of custom fixtures and  permanent displays. Tusco Display works with brand marketers, agencies, retailers and other display companies to build a brand's retail presence and deliver superior sales results in-store. The company’s vision is to be the most reliable, nimble producer of custom fixtures and permanent displays in North America

- END -

CONSUMERS, SHOPPERS OR JUST PLAIN PEOPLE?

Steve Schildwachter's recent piece deserves wider play so I'm posting it here.  As we think about influencing behavior in-store, it's worth recalling that we're dealing with people with varying degrees of Retail IQ, different tools, e.g., smartphone, and a variety of shopping goals.

MORE RETAIL IQ

   Are you curious, observant and persistent in your shopping habits?  If you are, chances are you are adding to your Retail IQ on every shopping trip. 

   Do you like to explore new stores or wander down different aisles in stores you know well?  These are signs of a healthy Retail IQ.  Do you pick a checkout lane at a grocery store based on the length of the line, the skill of the bagger or the number of items in the carts of those ahead of you?  Do you even think of ANY of those factors?  People with higher Retail IQs observe the subtle differences.  And great retailers manage those factors.

   What type of stores do you frequent?  Barbershops or beauty salons?  Hardware stores or Hallmark shops?  Claire’s or Costco?  Quick-service restaurants or self-service gas stations?  Wherever you go, be aware of the messages and methods employed to influence your decisions.  What happens in those stores doesn’t stay in those stores – some of it goes home in your trunk!

   There’s no magic formula to calculating a Retail IQ and it varies from store to store, format to format and shopper to shopper.  It also varies widely between producers of point-of-purchase equipment.  If you buy or sell displays or fixtures, consider the Retail IQ of those with whom you work, too.  They can make the difference between a smart investment and one that pays poor dividends.