It is priced like it fell off the back of a truck!

Every now and then there are deals so HOT that you wonder if in fact they are HOT! 😉 Of course we would only do the right thing when it comes to buying, but it sure does feel good when that “once in a blue moon” deal comes across the desk!

We have a really incredible deal on some 5″ wide engineered handscraped oak that is unbelievable.

This engineered handscraped oak normally about $7.99 per foot is going for a very limited time for $3.99 per foot! (while supplies last, first come first served, etc… etc….)

Our super strong buyer Ryan W. worked with an exceptional vendor to really deliver consumers one of the finest values I have seen in a long time.

This morning I saw the fedex guy deliver a few cartons. I signed for them and call Ryan. We talked and made the selection on which 2 colors would be the winners. Then the team flew into action:

Ryan started coordinating the process, and got Jim in the photography, Eric in Tech, Mel in Data, Scott, Larry and Scott R. in the warehouse to send samples to the stores via next day air!

It was incredible to see how fast this was all pulled together. Now our customers can benefit from this really great deal as a result of incredible team work from iFLOOR folks spread across the world in three countries and 5 different time zones!

I was shocked to see the samples packed and ready to go to the stores on the same day!

Smile Larry and Scott – a job well done!

The deep rich color tone that personifies simple elegance.

This hand crafted leather tone in the mid range is all about classic Americana. Stunning.

I will add a link to the page on the website when it becomes available. That is how fast this project is moving.

Get it while it’s HOT!

On the road again….

Well I am headed on the road to the east coast to view new site locations in Boston, Philadelphia and the DC Metro. Additionally I will be stopping by several of our current locations and pending openings. It will be busy, but I am ready. I am dragging along Rick A. who will enjoy red eye flights, 36 hour days and the pure exhilaration of meeting customers face to face in Seekonk, MA – Wilmington, DE and Baltimore, MD!

TV Ad

Well I will just show it. Here is a TV ad we are testing in certain regions.

Darn it – Home Depot is at it again!

Let me say first as I begin this entry that the many good people at Home Depot are not the issue that I am addressing herein.

When we open new stores that are near Home Depot (The Home Depot, Inc.
(Public, NYSE:HD) locations I think there is a natural human emotion of territorialism. I know when someone opens a flooring store near one of my stores I am not thrilled about it either.

The difference is, perhaps, how the emotions are handled.

In this case we have opened a new store in Maple Grove, MN. It is a nice big store and it happens to be in the same complex as Home Depot as well as Discount Tire right off the freeway.

As a component of our normal promotions we have yard signs that we use from time to time.

Typically these signs are placed near the road or entrance to our location. In this case the location has multiple shared entrances:

We placed our directional signage near those when we first started opening. But low and behold we noticed that our signs kept disappearing. Now I am no scientist, but normally the signs are physically static and do not posses any means of conveyance on their own.

We placed new signs, again the signs disappeared. These signs really grow legs in Minnesota!

We touched base with our neighbor after rumors about our signage and the Home Depot dumpster became more and more pervasive. Basically the message was simple. We’re just some new neighbors working to put food on the table; please don’t remove our signs. Maybe it was unfair for us to suspect HD rather than Discount Tire, but let’s just call it gut instinct.

So we placed new signs, and this time we set up surveillance.

Here a gentleman has one of our signs in his hands already. This is about 10 minutes after we put the signs out!

Here the same gentleman is cutting the balloons that were attached to the signs. (sidenote: both signs and balloons cost us $$.)

The signs are on the move and leaving the area.

Here we pull up in a car and ask him what he is doing with our signs. Now in fairness to this person I edited out his face. But I can tell you in this picture he had a very surprised look on his face. Since he knew we were onto him he moved the signs to a different area in the complex. However, we believe had we not confronted him they would have disappeared like the prior signs.

I should also note that HD also puts signs in this same area from time to time and WE do not remove them, move them or otherwise disturb them.

We did file a police report and I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say both companies would be better off working this out rather than making it into a problem.

In general my plea here is for a less emotional reaction from our competition to iFLOOR opening a store near you. We are just regular folks working to make ends meet. Big Orange will not be impacted in any measurable way by little orange. We’re just a little tiny blip compared to the 80 Billion dollar power house that is Home Depot.

Now I will admit that emotions can get the better of ANY of us so this is not about personal blame or criticism. My quest here is just to say, “Can’t we all just get along.” (to Quote Rodney King)

Conflicts of this sort never have a winner, so let’s work together to cultivate a more productive relationship where we are neighbors.

Thanks for listening.