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POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Merchant Maqazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480' Newoort Beacli, Ca. 92660-1 872. The Merchant illaqazine (ISSN 7399723) (USPS 796-560) is oublished monthlv at t1500 Campus Dr.' Ste.480, Newport Beach, Ga.92660'1872 by Cutler Publishinq, InC. Periodicals Postage paid at Newport Beach. C-a., and additional post offices. lt is an indeoendentlv{wned publication for the letail, wholesale hnd distribution leriels of the lumber and building products markels in 13 western states. Copyright@2O14 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover and entire contents are fullv orotected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. lt reserves the righl to accept 0r rejqg!qly editorial or advertising mafter, and assumes n0 liability for materials fumished to it.

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By Alan Oakes

Hey, I'm not dead yet!

f Hone Hrosr of you were able to get a break this summer and enjoy some time loff. I was fortunate to return to Europe to visit family. The EU economy still does not feel quite right or strong. coupled with the issues in Putinland and the Middle East, I am concerned about an impact here in the short- and mid-term. Certainly, other nations look to a strong U.S. economy to pull them through.

Being back in the Old World provides a perhaps appropriate opportunity to get a few things off my aging chest. Yes, sometimes it is no fun getting old. Yes' my doctor is my new best friend, my back aches, I nap after dinner, I forget things, the waist line gets bigger, and the elastic waist band is a relief, but I am still the bundle of joy I have always been. I may no longer love everything the young do, but I am pretty good with technology, still sing the latest hits on my way to work (badly), I still like to party (as some of you can attest), and I am often the last to leave at the end of the night!

So I recently read that there are 100 million of us over 50 in this country and that we possess more than 70Vo of the disposable income. We buy two-thirds of the cars, over half of the computers, and we pay the stars' exorbitant earnings by buying over a third of all movie tickets. We love to travel (about 80% of premium travel) and we have found the likes of Amazon by buying $7 billion online' Indeed, if we were a country, our age group would represent the world's third largest economy.

In my household, we fit all of the above profiles. We like to go out and eat. We continue to spend a small fortune remodeling the house. We also try to do our best to support the local economy.

So why the column? Well, according to most marketers, we do not exist. We do not count. We have been written off! And I am not going to take it anymorel

Everyone markets to the young, which is fair enough, but why forget us? Many of us will be living until our mid-80s (well, that is what I am planning for and hopefully longer) and there will be a lot of spending between then and now. Stats show that despite being a third of the economy, our age group is targeted by just 57o of market spending. What a mistake! Nielsen calls our generation "the most valuable generation in the history of marketing."

With a projection that our 50+ age group will grow by 34Vo between now and 2030, it appears that companies are missing out big time.

When the term "baby boomers" was coined back in the 1970s, we were the ones viewed as spenders who shunned the frugal life of our parents. Guess what, that has not changed. We still spend, we still travel, we still eat out, we still have our memberships to all types of organizations, we still use technology, we still buy cars, we still repair and improve our homes (I'm tiling two rooms now)' we still read newspapers, we still watch television, and now you find us on the web, too (and since we often have more free time, we are easily marketed to).

There is no reason I do not want to buy the latest headset or laptop. Have you ever seen our age group in an ad for a sports car? We may have 50 shades of gray, but in reality advertisers only have eyes for 18to 30-year-olds.

Admittedly, what we may buy might be different than other generations, but we can make an awful lot of money for those who recognize our value. Again, the 50- and 60-year-olds of today are the 40- and 50-year-olds of yesterday, with our improving longevity and longer active years. So enough, I argue, as I head off to physical therapy.

Alan Oakes. Publisher aioakes@aol.com

www. bu ld ng-prod ucts. com

A publication of Cutler Publishing 4500 Campus Dr., Ste.480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan 0akes ajoakes@aol.com

Publisher Emeritus David Cutler

Director of Editorial & Production David Koenig dkoenig@building-products.com

Contributing Editors

Dwight Curran James Olsen

Carla Waldemar

Advertising Sales Manager Chuck Casey ccasey@building-products.com

Administration Director/Secretary Marie Oakes mfpoakes@aol.com

Girculation Manager Heather Kelly hkelly@building-products.com

How to Advertise

Ghuck Gasey

Phone (949) 852-1 990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com

Alan Oakes www.building-products.com

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com

CLASSIFIED David Koenig

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 dkoenig@building-products.com

How to Subscribe

SUBSCRIPTI0NS Heather Kelly Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 hkelly@building-products.com or send a check to 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

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