A casket full of cheer As this month’s Benchmark Report on Merchandising (p.129) shows, catalogers continually strive to come up with product that sets them apart from the competition. Take cataloger/retailer Rockler Woodworking and Hardware: In addition to tools and hardware that can be found at Home Depot, Rockler now sells a line of plans and supplies for building caskets. Whether you’re burying Uncle Joe or Fido, Rockler has a casket plan for you. According to Steve Krohmer, vice president of product development for the Minneapolis-based company, “Building a casket is truly a labor of love.” We’ll settle for a handknit scarf, thanks all the same.
Mutton dressed as… Back in May, our editorial director complained about prematurely receiving a catalog for menopausal women. Now one of our thirtysomething staffers is receiving the Delia’s catalog, which targets teenage girls. For sure, we prefer to be thought of as younger rather than older, but it’s a bit of a stretch trying to put together a wardrobe for the real world while thumbing through the pages of Delia’s “back to school” edition. So when you see some of us at the next industry conference wearing hooded T-shirts, lieutenant pants, ball chain choker necklaces, and platform Beatle boots, you’ll know why.