Hearthlist Digest #170 - Sunday, July 19, 1998 Exclusive Products by "Paul Scott" <[email protected]> Retail, etc. by "Craig Issod" <[email protected]> Re: Hearthlist Digest #166 - 07/15/98 by "Skip Jackson" <[email protected]>
(back) Subject: Exclusive Products From: "Paul Scott" <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 13:53:44 -0500 I read about the worry of larger competitors invading on the territory of the smaller hearth shops and buying in quantity is the answer. I will have to point out that four years ago I gave up on stocking and selling wood stoves ,gas logs and related products and started buying them from the local large retailers who can sell the stoves for less than I could buy ,ship and then resell the items for,and more importantly these retailers offer a 30 day no questions asked return policy that no other Hearth shop offers if the customer is not satisfied with the performance of the said item. Also these stores are scattered across the eastern states so if any one reads my web page from another state I can ask to either ship the stove to the nearest location of that customer or request that that be the case. Now I know I can not offer this because I am a small company in comparison to the large corporations I deal with. I also back up the return policy by removing the stove and returning it to co-inside with the retail outlets satisfaction warranty. I have had one return in 4 years and the floor manager at the store I bought the stove back. I mostly deal with wood stoves and the brands I deal with are brand name manufacturers- the cost of the stoves range from $420.00 to the soapstone stove that retails for $1600 dollars. and all have a years warranty against defects Two models have a five year warranty. Like the small mom and pop hardware stores losing to the larger hardware store and lumber yards like Home Depot and lowes so it seems the hearth stores are also lessening their market share. I am no longer worried about stocking inventory,rent,store employees and all the other concerns of owning a hearth shop and the larger stores make the sale for me and refer my name solely for installation and found I make better profits dealing in this manner. Can you imagine how some of the wholesale chimney supply houses feel with competing against Copperfields that has become a Monoply buying up many manufactures of chimney products that they list for sale in there catalogs? Paul Scott Chimney Restoration Paul Scott
(back) Subject: Retail, etc. From: Craig Issod <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 14:00:58 -0500 As is evident from the posts, there is more than one way to skin a cat. There is no right or wrong in this matter, just a question of where you want your business to be. One can have a great service business as a one man show, and either sell some hearth products (caps, etc), or refer to a local retailer. Other enjoy a small retail business, where they have created a long established institution, one that the community relies upon to provide heat and comfort. Looking for bigger bucks? A good multi-store situation can help your buying power and territory in certain cases. You could also hire managers and not have to be on the floor all of the times. I've been in all of these situtations, and they have their pluses and minuses..depends on your goals. One sweep mentioned that he and his organization may be in hundreds of homes almost every day of the week. We must remember that there are probably 80 million homes in the US, so it'd be difficult for any one strategy or way to market to satisfy all angles. Luckily, this business is big enough for many thousands of people to make a good living in. ------------------------------------------------------ Craig Issod HearthNet at http://www.hearth.com [email protected] Everything your Hearth Desires ------------------------------------------------------ Buddha says "avoid error" ------------------------------------------------------
(back) Subject: Re: Hearthlist Digest #166 - 07/15/98 From: Skip Jackson <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 14:21:55 -0500 I received my HPA update form on July 14th, the letter said the form was due on June 23rd. So I round filed the form. Skip Jackson Fireside Engineering Cincinnati