Merchandising - NRHA

16M E R C H A N D I S I N G T E C H N I Q U E S

MERCHANDISING
Techniques

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
• HOW EFFECTIVE MERCHANDISING HELPS YOU
• EFFECTIVE MERCHANDISING
• SAMPLE SALESFLOOR PLAN
• MAKE REMERCHANDISING EASIER
• PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES
• PREPARING THE STORE FOR A SALE
• SUMMARY

©2004 National Retail Hardware Association.

MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES

HOW EFFECTIVE manufacturers and wholesalers, to work square foot for each department.
MERCHANDISING for him.
HELPS YOU ■ SEASONAL EFFECT
• Uses effectively the many point-of- ON SALES
By studying this chapter on merchan- sale pieces he receives.
dising and the products you sell, you can The space a store allocates to a depart-
help increase the entire store’s sales. • Displays related merchandise together ment must, of course, change constantly.
Studying can also help you personally—if for increased impulse sales. The seasons affect all departments of a
you practice what you learn daily. Good greater or lesser degree, and in some cases
merchandising: • Features all advertised and promoted the change is drastic. For example, the typi-
items. cal store sells virtually all seed and fertilizer
Makes your selling job easier. Signs, dis- within about an eight-week period. The
plays and merchandise arrangements do • Insures that all displays are neat, well- most profitable stores allocate high-traffic
much of your selling job for you. stocked and accessible to shoppers. areas to seasonal merchandise, regularly
changing the display with the seasons.
Frees you for genuine selling activities. • Makes effective use of feature end or
Effective merchandising encourages most end-cap displays. EFFECTIVE
shoppers to serve themselves, thus freeing MERCHANDISING
you to help the big-ticket shopper who • Builds attractive departmental dis-
really needs your help. plays with creativity and imagination. Good merchandising is not simply an
attractive display. Merchandising, to be
Increases your sales per customer. Even • Prices all items consistently. Updates effective, makes the entire salesfloor invit-
when you serve a customer, an attractive all prices when they change. Makes sure ing. No store is well merchandised until
merchandise arrangement will stimulate the store is as competitive as possible. all areas of its salesfloor are appealing and
extra sales. This boosts your sales per cus- easily accessible to shoppers. Effective
tomer, which makes your sales record run • Allocates space to each department in merchandising demands:
well above the national averages. line with that department’s sales.
A well-planned salesfloor. Assign every
Raises your total sales. You can only • Identifies all departments with signs department a specific display area.
wait on one customer at a time, but many or attractive decor or both.
customers can serve themselves at the Fixtures and accessories designed for
same time from the displays you build. These are only a few basic merchandis- the merchandise they display. Stores waste
ing techniques that hardware stores and much space and lose sales per square foot
Makes retail selling more rewarding. home centres everywhere find highly when you do not use the correct shelf
Rushing around the salesfloor to make effective. Read Do-It-Yourself Retailing and profile and accessories for each merchan-
small sales can be frustrating. Effective other magazines for merchandising ideas dise category.
merchandising frees you for activities that and suggestions. Shop your competitors
challenge your selling skills. and other kind of stores—supermarkets, Adequate aisle space. The best display
discount chains, specialty shops—to see loses selling power if merchandise blocks
Gives you time to develop new skills. what they do right . . . and wrong. Shop the aisles and shoppers cannot reach it.
Self-service displays give you time to for display ideas you can adapt to your
involve yourself with other retailing activ- own salesfloor. Inviting displays. A display is more than
ities, which increases the speed of your merchandise on a fixture. The items must
raises, advancements and promotions. ■ RELATING SPACE be clean, the display complete (which
These are only a few of the tangible and TO SALES means you have to restock the fixture reg-
personal benefits you gain when you ularly) and the backup stock nearby.
learn to be a good merchandiser. For maximum sales, the amount of
space a department occupies should relate Attractive signs and decor. Signs and
■ SPECIFIC MERCHANDISING to the sales the department generates. decor serve two basic purposes: they cre-
SUGGESTIONS Sometimes a store owner or manager will ate a buying and shopping mood and
let his personal interests color his busi- encourage shopping, and they help direct
Merchandising is not some mysterious ness judgment. Someone interested in shoppers into all areas of your salesfloor.
art only a few possess. Merchandising is hunting, for example, will maintain a
daily display activities that almost anyone large gun display although there is little A continuing, overall inviting shopping
can do if he or she works at it. interest in the market. Keep in mind that atmosphere. The best display is destroyed
you should display what your customers when it does its job—attracts shoppers.
The effective hardware store or home like. Building an inviting shopping atmosphere
centre merchandiser: never ends. The only salesfloor that does not
If the store allocates too much space to
• Puts attractive displays, provided by a department, total sales per square foot
drop. If the store allocates too little space,
it loses sales. The only way to know how
much space you should allocate is to rou-
tinely check the store’s record of sales per

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2

MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES

require attention is one without customers. main aisles should be wide enough that cannot build a display that will generate
Study hardware association material on carts can meet and pass easily. maximum sales. The way the shelf is placed
on the fixture is only one element in suc-
good display techniques. Read Do-It- Cross aisles, that feed from main aisles cessful merchandising. How you arrange the
Yourself Retailing each month; the maga- to each side of the store. They are normal- merchandise on the shelves is also impor-
zine runs pictures of displays from stores ly four to five feet wide. tant. Three quick tips:
around the country. And look through
manufacturer literature, a good source of Secondary aisles, run from main and Show as much as possible. Most large
merchandising and display ideas. cross aisles into all parts of the store. stores try to avoid backroom stock.
They are usually three to four feet wide.
■ EFFECTIVE USE OF Display the most profitable items
END DISPLAY Display related merchandise on both between belt and eye level.
sides of an aisle, rather than around a
The displays at the end of each gondola gondola where the customer can see only Never display a single item. Use the
run, called feature ends or end caps, are half the merchandise at a time. Cross-aisle “good, better, best” approach so the shop-
highly effective. As a rule, a feature end merchandising makes any department’s per has a choice of quality.
will sell merchandise at least twice as well stock seem more complete.
as the same display in another location. Adjust the shelves for the merchandise
The effectiveness, however, depends on: ■ EFFECTIVE USE OF they display. If they are too far apart you
o The display’s attractiveness. SHELF SPACE waste space and the salesfloor looks
o The merchandise’s seasonal nature. understocked. If shelves are too close
o Location in the store. Hardware stores and home centres do together or not set back properly, the
o Relationship to surrounding merchandise. not waste floor space nearly as often as shopper cannot see merchandise on the
o Price. they waste shelf space on sidewall fixtures lower shelves without bending over.
o How well it has been advertised or pro- and gondolas. Shelf space is wasted when
a store: ■ GENERAL DISPLAY
moted. o Overstocks one item while understock- SUGGESTIONS
o Ease of accessibility.
ing another. Here are some general tips: First, a pyra-
In actual in-store studies conducted by o Fails to refill bins or shelves when the mid profile, widest shelves at the bottom,
NRHA, some end displays have moved lets the shopper see the most merchan-
merchandise up to eight times as fast as basic stock is reduced. dise. Shelves the same width, however, are
an identical display just around the cor- o Stocks the same items in several places. best to mass display items the same size
ner. Many manufacturers make special o Uses the wrong shelf profile. and shape.
feature end displays and Do-It-Yourself o Does not relate shelf space to customer-
Retailing offers suggestions on how to Second, never place shelves so close
build such units. Some basic tips: Don’t demand fluctuations. together that the top shelf hides binned
crowd . . . Change often . . . feature pro- You can increase your productivity or boxed merchandise on the lower
moted or seasonal items . . . and keep greatly—and your value to the store—as shelves. Shelves are for display—not for
them neat and clean. you learn to use shelf space properly. storage. And no top shelf should ever be
For example, it is more effective to mer- wider than those below except on a side-
One effective device is to surround an chandise vertically. That is, display similar wall or gondola over six feet high where
audiovisual projector with the product on goods up and down, on perfboard and the shelf is in fact more for storage than
an end display so shoppers can see how to shelves, rather than stretching them out for display.
use the item. along a gondola. The shopper can stand
in one spot and pick what he wants. The ■ POINT-OF-SALE SIGNS
■ AISLE SPACE display is more attractive and it is a lot
easier to reorder and restock. If you could stand beside a well-
Never crowd the shopper by reducing Two exceptions to this advice: Pipe fit- planned display that was loaded with
aisle space. Remember, no display is effec- tings are best displayed horizontally by attractively priced seasonal merchandise
tive unless you leave room for shoppers to diameter, vertically by type—Ls and Ts. and ask each shopper to buy, you would
see it. There are three basic aisles in a Also, display bolts this way, horizontally sell many of the items every day. You can-
hardware store or home centre: by diameter, vertically by length. not do this, of course, but a good point-
of-sale sign can. It may not audibly ask
Main aisles, where major customer traf- ■ WALL-FIXTURE for the purchase, but if done well it will
fic is routed. Normally limited to one or PROFILES stimulate extra purchases. An effective
two aisles from the front to the rear of the point of sale will:
store. Main aisles should be five to six feet Although the shelf profile is only one ele- o Attract the shopper’s attention.
wide. If the store used shopping carts, ment in effective display, it is an important o Identify the item or service offered.
one. If you use the wrong shelf profile, you

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MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES

o Describe what the item will do for the should do every night or the first thing help you pick up ideas to improve your
shopper. you should do every morning is move salesfloor’s efficiency and selling efforts.
packages to the front of the shelf; make
o Give the price and any savings. your displays look full and neat. MAKE REMERCHAN-
DISING EASIER
■ VALUE OF DECOR SHOP CONCEPTS
An effective salesfloor is not attained—it is
Decor is more than signs. If done well, If space on your salesfloor permits, you maintained. Since the merchandise you sell
decor will stimulate buying. Decor creates can build store traffic and sales by using the and the market and shoppers you serve
a favourable impression of your salesfloor, shop concept in certain sections. Both gar- change continuously due to changing needs
but it need not be expensive or elaborate. den and photo shops have proven especially and interests, it is obvious that you must
You can create a buying atmosphere with effective. A shop is a setting which shows remerchandise your salesfloor often. This is a
low-cost symbols if you select and posi- the way the items are used in the typical tremendous chore, but when you plan care-
tion them correctly. home. Shops add colour, interest and build fully and approach the job in an organized
sales and your store image. way, you can do it with a minimum of effort.
Money you spend for good decor is an Here are five rules:
investment; it makes your store distinct, Shops sell more than merchandise; they o List all improvements to be made.
attractive and a pleasant place to shop. sell ideas and the desire to own. By simu- o Assign a priority for each job to be done.
lating a home setting, shops encourage a o Secure the merchandising aids you need
■ USING DEPARTMENTAL buying decision that might be made later
SIGNS . . . on someone else’s salesfloor. to do the job.
o Advise everyone in the store what you
Departmental signs are different from SAMPLE SALES-
decor and point-of-sale signs. They should FLOOR PLAN plan and how they may be involved.
be a regular part of your merchandise o Make each remerchandising project
arrangement. They help any store, but See page 5 for an example of a sales-
they are essential on any salesfloor that is floor plan. It presents a format called a a merchandising training session—
5,000 square feet or larger. “loop” layout. It is not typical, but there and practice good merchandising
is no such thing as an average store—nor techniques.
■ BASIC MERCHANDISING should there be. Every salesfloor is differ-
RULES ent because every store carries different PROMOTIONAL
merchandise, sells to different consumers ACTIVITIES
Here is a summary to help you remem- and serves a different community. This
ber some of the basic rules this chapter plan illustrates many of the good mer- Although hardware stores and home cen-
discussed: chandising principles this chapter dis- tres are not as promotional as many retailers,
o Display slow-moving and low-priced cussed and several new merchandising there is no reason why they cannot be—and
concepts. Study it. the most successful promote regularly.
items farthest from the customer’s
reach. Put some of the ideas to work on your Why promote at all? Because you want
o Always use prime display space for salesfloor. Improve on these basic ideas by to attract more people to the store than
high-demand, seasonal, impulse, or adapting them to your store’s needs. Note would come without the promotion. You
promotional items. the width of the main aisles and cross are trying to do two things: maintain
o Use point-of-sale signs to call attention aisles. Consider the plan from the shop- your average sale per customer and
to hot items in each department. pers’ point of view. Think of the way the increase the number of sales. The more
o The best selling height on any display traffic flows around the store. You may shoppers who visit your store, the more
is between eye and belt level. not sell what you should in a given you will sell.
o Action, light and colour attract atten- department simply because very few peo-
tion to any display. ple pass through it. What can a promotion do? A well-
o No display is fully effective or complete planned sale or promotion:
until the merchandise is priced. And This plan makes it easy to move mer- o Can gain new customers for the store
not only must the items be priced, but chandise onto the salesfloor, into shop- o Will encourage repeat sales.
the prices must be consistent. ping carts, to the point-of-sale terminal, o Can counter a competitive move.
o If feature displays do not blend with and into the customer’s car. The plan will o Will introduce new or improved products.
other displays around them, they may o Can capitalize on seasonal or geographic
repel rather than attract.
o Keeping displays neat and well stocked advantages.
is one of the most effective “tricks” in
merchandising. The last thing you

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MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES
SAMPLE SALESFLOOR PLAN

NOTE: ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL CODES
5

MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES

o Can reduce excess inventories. PREPARING THE cal of the “bargains” some stores offer. To
o Can create enthusiasm among the STORE FOR A SALE help protect your store’s reputation:
o Put a “Sale” tag on every reduced item.
store’s salespeople. Your salesfloor should create a sales atmos- o Show the regular price and the sale
A promotion—no matter how well phere. Make it easy for shoppers to identify
planned—cannot: the advertised specials with attractive signs price so the shopper can see what he
o Turn overpriced merchandise into prof- and features display. Use departmental signs saves by buying during the sale.
itable volume. so customers can find what they want with- o Be sure sale price offers a genuine sav-
o Overcome the impression of a dirty, dis- out bothering you for simple directions. A ings.
organized store. good ad can be wasted if a shopper cannot o Make sure that identical items carry
o Compensate for inadequate advertising. find what he wants or if the salespeople are identical prices. When a shopper finds
o Reverse a downward sales trend for any unprepared or rude. three different prices on the same prod-
length of time. uct, he wonders about the store’s pro-
o Overcome an inadequately trained salesforce. Clear all the aisles and leave them wide fessionalism at the very least . . . and
enough for shoppers to browse without the store’s morality at the worst.
■ PROMOTIONAL bumping into each other.
OBJECTIVES ■ SET UP WINDOW
Remember that customers do not really DISPLAYS
Retailers sometimes confuse advertising want products. It’s the old joke: No one wants
with promotion. Advertising is calling favor- a drill, but everyone wants a hole. Your adver- To make shoppers and passers-by aware
able attention to your store and the products tising will attract two kinds of shoppers, both of your promotion, display your ad and
you sell. The ad announces the promotion— of whom want a hole; however, the first kind the featured item in your store window,
the Anniversary Sale or the Summer-End of shopper knows what he wants—he wants when possible, setting up the display
Sale—it is not the promotion itself. Before fast service. He does not demand a lot of con- before the ad runs.
any promotion, there are a number of ques- versation and you can serve him best with
tions you should answer. complete, well-marked displays. ■ PREPARE YOURSELF
FOR THE SALE
What are the promotion’s specific The second kind of shopper needs help.
objectives? What are we trying to accom- Your promotion attracts him to the store, but People make the difference between a
plish? Build traffic? Clear out end-of-sea- he needs help to select the right size, type or successful sale and a flop. The store is not
son merchandise? Establish the store as model to buy. You serve this customer best by ready for a promotion until every sales-
the place to buy hard-to-find tools? providing courtesy and product knowledge. person knows what is advertised. They
Announce a new location? have to know where the item is located
How else can you prepare the store? on the salesfloor, its regular price and its
What specifically is the promotion Give shoppers a chance to review your sale price. And even more important, they
expected to do? offers with ad reprints as they enter. Put a have to know how the value of a sale item
copy in their bags as they check out. Not compares to a comparable item at a regu-
Who is the target? everyone who comes into the store during lar price.
What is the competition doing? the promotion knows you are having one:
Is there a seasonal aspect? Tell them about it. Give shoppers a copy The shopper may come to the store to
How long ago was the last promotion? of your ad and encourage them to return look at the 1/4” drill you advertised, but
for an item they have overlooked. he may really need a 3/8” reversing drill.
■ WHAT PROMOTIONS The salesperson does the customer and
CAN WE RUN ? Help featured items get more attention with the store a disservice if he does not point
a counter card that jumps out at a shopper. A out the more expensive drill’s benefits. At
A hardware store or home centre has a bold headline—”As Advertised” or “Featured the same time, he does not criticize the
number of promotional opportunities that Item”—should dominate the card with the drill on sale, and if the customer decides
many other kind of retailers either do not item’s price, the savings involved, and if space that is the drill he wants, that is the drill
have or are not organized to exploit. is available, the item’s picture as it appeared in he is sold.
the ad. Make one for each featured item. It
For example, you can run a do-it-yourself gives you a professional look at little expense. But to help customers find the best buy,
consumer show. You can offer clinics on the salesperson has to know as much as
minor electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, Everyone likes to save money. A sale he can about all the products the store
redecorating, and other subjects. You can price draws customers into a store; howev- sells. Read literature, study product tags,
demonstrate new products and new uses for er, many “sales” are a deception. The listen to what shoppers say about prod-
old products. Many people—especially items are not specially priced. Customers ucts, and read all you can about new
women—find a hardware store intimidat- have learned this and have become skepti- products in the trade press.
ing, and unless a shopper knows how to use
a product, he or she will not buy it.

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6

MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES

■ PRESALE MEETING for paint may pick up a brush or the ■ FOLLOW UP AFTER
shopper who comes in for a fuse may pick THE PROMOTION
A week before any promotion begins up a dimmer switch. When you display
there should be a meeting with all the related items together in the same general After every promotion there are a few
employees, even those who do not work area you: things that must be done, follow up on all
on the salesfloor. The more everyone rain checks to make sure that every cus-
knows about the event the more suc- Let the shopper compare the sale item tomer who wanted a sale item is able to
cessful it will be. Also, someone unex- with those of different types and quality. buy it within a reasonable time. And if
pected may come up with a valuable This helps him understand that the sale you cannot obtain the same item, offer
suggestion. item is really a bargain. the customer a comparable item at the
same sale price. The money you may lose
At the store meeting you should: Encourage the shopper to buy nonad- on these few sales, returns to you a hun-
o Find out about the promotion, its goals vertised items. In many cases, a store dredfold in customer goodwill.
makes little or no money on the adver-
and objectives. tised items. If the shopper buys only the Ads and promotions are sales assists. If no
o Get a list of advertised items, regular advertised product, the store probably shoppers come into the store, you and every-
makes no profit on the sale. But when one else on the sales team will be out of work.
and sale prices, and location in the you sell other items at normal margins
store. you make the promotion pay off. Shoppers generate sales, sales generate prof-
o Find out what times you are to work its, profits generate jobs. Since the store
and whom you are working with. Do the shopper a favour. In many cases, depends on profits for its existence, and since
o Find out when your area needs to be the sale item, even though reduced in price, is profits depend on sales, it follows that the
ready and what you are expected to do not the shopper’s best buy—when you display store’s existence depends on shoppers.
in your area. related items with the advertised special, you
o Get any special assignments such as help him make the best choice. Think of a sale or promotion as a mer-
window displays, point-of-sale materials chandising party—your advertisements
and store decoration you might have. ■ REPRICE AND RESTOCK are invitations to people in your commu-
The goal, as always, is to let everyone nity to come to the party. It is rude to
know that the store is running a promotion, A sale is not a sale unless the items invite someone to visit and then not
why it is running this promotion at this return to their regular price after the make him welcome when he accepts the
time, who is responsible for what, and what event. You have deceived a shopper who invitation. In social circles this make you
merchandise is going to be on sale. comes in to the store for a week-end spe- an outcast. In business circles it makes
cial if he can buy the item at the same you a failure.
■ BUILD DISPLAYS OF price on Monday. When you fail to
FEATURED ITEMS reprice at the end of a promotion: SUMMARY
o You cheat those who bought during the
Retailers sometimes ask, “Do ads really Customers have many choices when
sell merchandise?” sale. they think of buying something. The
o You reduce the store’s credibility in the merchandise is seldom the primary rea-
The answer is probably, “No.” son a shopper selects a particular store.
Advertising creates an interest in, or a eyes of the shopper. Many consumers, for example, do not see
desire for, merchandise—but this interest o You hurt the store’s profits and shop- any difference between a home centre
only brings the customer into the store and a discount store; they tend to see
where he can examine it. The merchan- pers do not appreciate the low prices. home centres as a specialized discount
dise usually sells itself. Repricing after a sale is a chore, but is store. One of today’s challenges is to
absolutely necessary. make hardware stores and home centres
You can help it sell itself when you dis- As is the restocking of shelves. If your look and feel different from discount
play it clearly and attractively. An attrac- promotion has been effective, your stocks chain stores.
tive display of advertised items: are low or totally exhausted. Your display
o Helps the shopper who saw it in the ad is disarranged. Don’t be afraid to be creative. Do make
If you do not bring stocks back to nor- your salesfloor and your store an easy,
find it quickly and easily. mal, with merchandise rearranged, pleasant place to shop. In the next
o Saves you time and effort in helping repriced, and, in some cases, moved back decade the standard performance of the
to its regular location, the store can end 20th century will not be acceptable . . .
shoppers locate the item. up losing more profits and customers’ and the outstanding performance will be
o Lets the shopper who did not see the ad respect than the promotional effort pro- only average.
duced. Think of it, perhaps, as cleaning
know that the item is an advertised special. up after the party: often, the better the
It is always good to display related party, the more you have to clean up.
items together . . . even when no one
item is on sale. This tends to increase
impulse sales. The shopper who comes in

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7

CANADIAN IMPERIAL AND METRIC MEASUREMENTS

Canadians generally use a are manufactured in U.S. senting the “converted” meas-
mixture of measurement units. measurements—several of urements are not consistent.
which differ from Canadian Some information is based on
Liquid volumes are typically measurements. “exact” conversion measure-
based on the metric (SI) sys- ments, whereas other informa-
tem. Temperatures and dis- Canadian building codes are tion is based on “rounded”
tances are commonly specified written using metric units. But measurements.
using metric terminology. the construction trades, partic-
Weights, depending on the ularly those in residential con- From your perspective and in
type of product, use either the struction, typically use the communicating with your cus-
metric or Canadian Imperial Canadian Imperial system. tomer, it is important to recog-
system. Lengths and dimen- This mixture of measurement nize that in some instances the
sions of construction products, systems frequently results in exact conversion is necessary
particularly for residential use, many product manufacturers and in other instances a more
are generally in Canadian providing information using “rounded” conversion is
Imperial measurements. And both systems. Unfortunately, appropriate.
many of the products we use the approaches used in pre-

CONVERSION FACTORS

1 inch (in.) = 25.4 mm 32 fluid ounces - US (oz.) = 1 US qt.
1 foot (ft.) = 0.3048 m 40 fluid ounces - Canadian (oz.) = 1 Canadian qt.
1 yard (yd.) = 0.9144 m
1 mile (mi.) = 1.609 km 1 fluid ounce - US (oz.) = 29.6 mL
1 fluid ounce - Canadian (oz.) = 22.8 mL
1 ounce - avoirdupois (oz.) = 28.35 g 1 cup - US (cup) = 236mL
1 pound - avoirdupois (lb.) = 0.454 kg 1 cup - Canadian (cup) = 227mL
1 quart - US (qt) = 0.946 L
1 pound per square inch (psi) = 6.895 kN/m2 1 quart - Canadian (qt) = 1.136 L
1 pound per square foot (psf) = 0.04788 kPa 1 gallon - US (gal.) = 3.785 L
1 gallon - Canadian (gal.) = 4.546 L

Celsius temperature = (Fahrenheit temperature - 32) / 1.8

SOME TYPICAL MEASUREMENTS FOR HARDWARE AND FASTENER PRODUCTS
(“rounded” conversions)

Length Length Length Length Weight
in. mm in. m ft. m lbs kg
in. mm 13/8 35 48 1.2 7.5 2.3 1 0.45
11/2 38
/1 0.8 2 51 60 1.5 10 3.0
32 4 102 72 1.8 12 3.7
12 305 84 2.1 18 5.5
1/8 3.2 18 457 90 2.3 25 7.6 10 4.5
24 610 120 3.0 50 15.2 50 22.7
1/4 6.4 30 762 156 4.0 75 22.9 100 45.4
3/8 9.5 36 914 216 5.5 100 30.5 750 340
1/2 12.7 312 7.9 1250 567
5/8 15.9 1900 862
3/4 19.1 2650 1202
7/8 22.2 5000 2268

1 25.4

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8

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I The course was first developed by the North American Retail
Hardware Association (NRHA) and the Home Center Institute (HCI)
under the direction of a project coordinator and a number of
authors. Several U.S. based companies provided industry specific
information.

This second Canadian Edition of the ACHR is based on NRHA/HCI’s
14th Edition. It has been extensively modified and rewritten with
the help of Carl R. Wilson & Associates Ltd. (CRWAL) so as to
reflect Canadian products and construction practices. We also
acknowledge the many Canadian organizations and companies
that provided information for this Canadian edition of the
Advanced Course in Hardware Retailing (ACHR) and the Building
Material Product Knowledge Course (BMPK).

Because local codes and regulations vary greatly, you are reminded
to check with local experts and authorities on which codes,
regulations and practices apply in your area.

Copyright© 2004 by NRHA. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
any system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
prior written permission of the publisher.

Though the information in this course is intended to be
accurate and useful, the authors, editors, publishers,
CRHA and CRWAL and their directors, officers, agents
and employees will not be liable for any damage whatso-
ever that might occur from any use of this material.

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9