Consumer housewares show boosts sales at Ohio chain

Consumer Housewares Show Boosts Sales at Ohio Chain

Hot sellers like the Litton under the cabinet microwave oven at $139 compared to $144, and Corning's 6-piece cookware set at $28.78 instead of the non-show price of $37.47 were also part of The Andersons housewares show spread.Consumer electronics lines on sale included a Sanyo stereo system for $447, or $50 less than the regular price, and a Panasonic personal stereo at $27.97 instead of $29.79.The center aisle is the place where customers at The Andersons ordinarily find promotional merchandise. Each year, the housewares show generates a 20% to 30% sales increase over the volume of the preceding show, weather permitting."The housewares show is an annual event and here in Toledo they wait for it,' said Rex Hitts, merchandise manager at The Andersons, a threestore discount operation."It's tough to keep that kind of growth rate up year after year,' said Hitts. The Andersons conducts the shows in its two Toledo stores simultaneously for four days, Thursday through Sunday.Photo: For cell-packs, use damp chopstick to pickup two seeds from dish. Push stick into soil, twist, and pull out. Seeds remain in soilCrank until dasher is hard to turn (or cream is frozen in automatic machine). The softly frozen ice cream can be served now. If you want a firmer texture, remove dasher, cover ice cream with plastic wrap, and replace lid; freeze until firm (or store in freezer). Makes about 2 quarts.Measure berry puree; you should have 2 to 2-1/2 cups. Stir in an equal amount of sugar, then blend in the cream.Vacuum cleaners by Panasonic, Bissell, Eureka and Hoover, at $10 to $20 less than everyday prices and a laundry list of automatic drip coffee makers also with reduced price tags rounded out much of the traditional electric housewares assortment.The idea behind the housewares show is to pique shopper curiosity by offering new product introductions and demonstrations.In a 4- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, cook and stir berries just until soft, about 5 minutes. With the back of a wooden spoon, rub berries through a wire strainer; discard seeds.Oster cooking classes and Presto cooker/canner repair workshops are among the other retail sideshows regularly sponsored by The Andersons.A similar show is held in the Columbus store usually a week or two later. By August, the company will have an additional Columbus store.The Andersons' Housewares and Electronics show is one of several customer events sponsored by the retailer once a month. Each event transforms a 30 ft. wide by 280 ft. long promotional center aisle in the store into a community festival.6 cups berries (see suggestions above)Photo: Unlike most discounters, The Andersons, based in Maumee, Ohio, merchandises its consumer electronics department under the housewares banner in its 50-aisle Toledo and Columbus stores.For cell-packs or small pots, the chopsticktechnique pictured above left is a good choice. Wooden chopsticks (especially bamboo) work best. After you get the hang of it, the process of picking up the seeds and twisting them into the soil goes very quickly. Push soil back over the hole to cover the seeds.You can sow more kinds of seeds in Marchand early April than at any other season. There's still time to start cool-season vegetables and flowers, and heat lovers should also go in so they'll be ready for transplanting when danger of frost is past.

Photo: Pre-holiday traffic was sparked by an early November product show at The Andersons. The center aisle event brought in about 30% more shoppers, said merchandise manager Rex Hitts.