Chilton's Hardware Age
January 1994 v231 n1 p9(1).

The 'Wonder Years' are over

By Terrence V. Gallagher

Abstract:  The type of hardware store that succeeds in 1994 is not the small, nostalgic type of store that was seen in one episode of the television show 'The Wonder Years.' Stores in the 1990s must be redesigned to keep up with the competition. Products must remain well-stocked and the ambiance must be inviting. Outdated hardware stores are often lacking in any excitement, and customers are often reluctant to shop there.

Full Text:  COPYRIGHT Chilton Company 1994

VIEWPOINT

I expected a different ending. Somehow, I thought Kevin would realize how much more substantive and meaningful it would be to continue working at Wilson's.

I was watching a rerun of the television show The Wonder Years. This particular episode concerned Kevin Arnold's first part-timee job. The job was at Wilson's Hardware Store. Kevin worked after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and all day Saturdays for $1.40 an hour.

One day, he goes to the mall with some friends and sees a classmate working in a fast-food hamburger joint. He and his friends are very impressed by all the activity and "scenery" the mall has to offer. And it turns out the hamburger joint pays $1.60 per hour.

So Kevin tries to quit his job at Wilson's. Mr. Wilson counters with an offer of $1.65 per hour.

Kevin's father persuades him that the hard work at the hardware store is much better experience than being paid to basically hang out at the mall.

So Kevin continues to work at the store and even begins to become somewhat of a hardware expert, able to advise customers on which obscure party they need to make proper repairs on whatever they are trying to fix.

But there are precious few customers, and most of the time Mr. Wilson has Kevin moving stuff from one shelf to another. He is bored and longs for the bright excitement of the mall.

Finally, Kevin confronts Mr. Wilson with the plain fact that nothing ever happens at the store, that very few people even come to the store, and that Mr. Wilson doesn't even need part-time help.

So he quits and goes to work at the hamburger joint.

The voice-over tells us that, years later, Kevin realizes that Mr. Wilson taught him valuable lessons about integrity, honor, and the dignity of honest labor. Valuable as these lessons were, however, these weren't what he was looking for at the time.

The point here is that no one can really blame "Kevin" for following his instincts and leaving the store for the more exciting world of the shopping mall.

Likewise, no one would blame a hardware consumer for deciding to pass on a dull and dreary hardware store in favor a newer, more exciting type of home improvement store.

Many of you have redesigned your stores in the past few years. The progress has been outstanding. You have made them into bright, well-stocked, pleasant places to shop. And I'm sure you will reap the benefits of those changes for many years to come.

Too many others of you, however, have chosen not to modernize.

The decision is yours to make. You can remain the charming, nostalgic store where no one goes to make purchases, or you can opt for change.

There is nothing wrong with remaining small and old-fashioned. If that's how you want to run your business, that's your right. Many would admire you for doing so.

But, today, that's not where the money is.

If you want to compete successfully and profitability in the modern retail marketplace, you must adapt to meet current needs.

The "wonder years" are over.

(Remark by Peter Reynders: It is about episode 72.)
 

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