Spring 2022 Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

If one of the BES Supply stores doesn’t have an item a customer needs, the employees recommend other places in town where they can find it.

approach, such as looking for multiple vendors for particular items,” Shoemaker says. “Because he’s done the legwork to find alternatives, we’ve been able to keep our stores stocked.” Even before the pandemic, the manager at the Artesia store Jeff Drinovsky, worked

The stores are also closed on the weekends to give employees a needed and well-deserved break. “We are closed on Saturdays and Sundays because those are typically slower days businesswise, but it also gives our people a break because everyone works so hard Monday through Friday,” Brininstool says. “Our employees are the biggest assets the company has. I want to take care of them.” Growth Through Flexibility Another key to the success BES Supply has experienced is the company’s ability to be flexible and versatile. “Because the local industries have changed many times since we’ve been in business, we’ve adapted to match the needs of those customers,” Brininstool says. In face of supply chain issues and product shortages, Shoemaker says purchasing manager Robert Baze, who has been with the company over 22 years, does an excellent job of keeping the stores stocked with inventories matching the current customer needs. “Robert has worked really hard to get what we need by taking a different

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learning curve, especially if you’ve not worked in tools or hardware before, but I’ve trained our staff to start by just learning 10 new items a day. Over time, that product knowledge will make a big difference when serving customers.” Employees work together to assist customers, calling each other on the radio if they need help finding a product or answering a customer’s question. If neither store carries an item, the employees recommend other local stores that carry that product. “We try to take customer service to another level you just don’t see anymore,” Shoemaker says. Along with training that allows them to better accomplish their jobs, employees receive a generous compensation package, including medical and dental insurance and a retirement account. Brininstool also awards bonuses based on company profits. Pre-pandemic, these bonuses came quarterly, but recently the company gives them out at different times. “When profits start to accumulate, we award bonuses,” Brininstool says.

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BES Supply has kept its stores stocked thanks to creative and proactive inventory strategies by management.

34 Spring 2022 • Hardlines Strategies