Weyerhaeuser Makes Important Innovation in the Merchandising of Lumber

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The Weyerhaeuser executives believe, and hope, that this effort to improve selling conditions in the lumber trade will result in a widespread movement toward improved manufacturing throughout the entire industry. In a sense, they welcome competition to excel their own advances in manufacture, because they are confident that such competition will bring the whole industry to a higher level of manufacturing and merchandising, which will give it effective resistance to the encroachments of the specialties industries.

So the retailer will be helped to meet competition by the fact that this line of lumber is distinguished by its quality. Also, the quality will be stated clearly and attractively to ing papers in the principal trading centers out of which these dealers operate-in short, allof the legitimate merchandising helps which specialties manufacturers have used successfully to induce lumber merchants to run department stores of building materials. whomever is interested. A truckload of lumber going down a street with the brightly colored caps shining on the tailbutts of the packages, is sure to attract attention. It will enable the public to get interested in lumber, and will create the impression that lumber is as carefully manufactured, selecled, graded and handled as any of tie packaged goods that are used in a household. It will identify the dealer whose truck hauls this new and attractive kind of material, as the proprietor of an interesting business conducted on a high plane. Again, the package will enable the dealer to display lumber to advantage, and to advertise it more effectively.

"This is the beginning of a new era in lumber merchandising," said Mr. I. N. Tate, of Spokane, General Manager of Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, in announcing the new project. "The lumber industry is cutting its merchandising eye-teeth. This, we think, is the first of these teeth which-has actually come through to date.

"What has been happening in our industry is that, although lumber is and always has been the dealer's biggestvolum.e itemand his longest-profit one, the aggressive merchandising methods of competitive manufacturers have absorbed an undue share of the dealer's promotion-energy.

"Yet the lumber merchant has been lorced to take bn these specialties simply because the producer hasn't, before now, come to his rescue. He has been content to see lumber remain only lumber and to have it sold on a price-basis alone. This has subjected it to the severest kind of pricecompetition.

"We are trying to rectify this condition by giving the dealer, in addition to the ordinary run of lumber, a line of lumber products that are improved, distinctive, identified, packaged, advertised and guaranteed clear through to the consumer. The progressive dealer cannot but respond. It will mean a return to a reasonable balance in the distribution of sales-effort, for here is a line of lumber products that he can merchandise successfully on a quality-basis.

Of course, it will assure him that he will participate in the benefits of the producer's advertising. The Weyerhaeusers regard this development as of national significance, and therefore are preparing to advertise it nationally. They plan to support their 4-Square dealers with all sorts of local advertising and merchandising helps, including campaigns to architects and contractors, plates and matrices for local advertising, advertising by the manufacturer in the lead-

"This lumber industry of ours has taken some stiff jolts from outside competition during recent years. There is no reason for expecting that this competition will decrease in the future. The only way to meet it, that we know, is to improve the product, give it distinction and put some display value into it. We believe we have done this in packaging lumber, and we believe this is bound to help take lumber off the auction block."

Summarizing the anticipated benefits of the project, to others in the building industry besides the retailer, Mr. Tate brought out these points:

For the contractor:

1. It means absolute protection against unscrupulous competition which substitutes different species and inferior grades for those specified.

2. It means protection against any dealer who might be temoted to substitute.

3. It means a saving in the cost of application, which may result in finer construction-practices, or higher profits on the job, or both.

4. It gives the contractor new help and new salesarguments with which to promote the wood house.

5. It helps him win a reputation for fine rvork.

To the architect, the new project means:

1. Absolute assurance that lumber of the quality, species and grade he has specified will be used.

2. Freedom from the many abuses of lumber construc-