J&R in the News
- Editorial by Keith Newman, August 5, 1996
"It's crazy enough, it just might work"
After countless years of meetings, you'd think vendors and retailers would have found a uniform platform, so to speak, at which to air out grievances in an effort to find true business harmony. Silly notion. Relations between vendors and retailers are seemingly no better than before. In fact, if anyone had been tapping my phone of late, they'd be convinced that negotiating peace in the Middle East is a piece of cake compared with the odds of bilateral bliss among the top players in the computer industry.
Which is why I enjoy a meeting like the one I had recently with a retailer who started out in business with a crazy idea, stuck with it, keeps innovating and remains a standard-bearer. It started 25 years ago, when the husband-and-wife team of Joe and Rachelle Friedman opened an electronics store in lower Manhattan. The rest is retail lore, but the magic of the story isn't buried in its longevity; it is visible nearly every day, which I discovered recently in downtown NYC on a rainy trade show afternoon (PC Expo). With the beginnings of a summer cold coming on way too fast, I decided to get out of the friendly confines of Javits Center and head to the real trade center-J&R-where dozens of PC denizens were embroiled in the art of retailing at its finest. With laptops the theme of this trade show season, I went to the notebook section.
"I need 100MHz, a lot of storage, a bigger screen, and something under 7 pounds." As fast as I blurt this out, a salesperson responds, "Here's your best deal," recommending a brand none of you would guess. What a savvy group of sales professionals, I think to myself. Why this brand?, I wonder to myself. "Best price for you," the rep adds in perfect sync with my brain waves. Hey, I like that answer. After that confidence-building experience, I search out the "R" in J&R, Rachelle Friedman, CEO of the everything-that's-cool-in-high-tech retailer. "Nope, not in her office," I'm told. There's an in-store music event going on, and I should check the second floor. Sure enough, a mini-concert featuring Roseanne Cash had just ended and "R" had just left. "Where'd she go? Back to the office?" I ask. "Nope. She said something about looking for a new computer." So I race back and spot her at the notebooks, where she's handed a bevy of advice from her doting staff. Afterward, we head back to her office to review the latest trends in PC retailing. Rachelle doesn't like to discuss her business, but likes to discuss the business. She's concerned about predatory pricing (selling below cost) strategies in software and the growth of music clubs and labels (publishers) selling direct, as well as publishers/labels selling direct over the Internet, having seen the peril these issues caused the music retail industry. Yet, through it all, the business continues to inspire "J&R" to expand (an additional 50,000 square feet of retailing space is planned) and innovate (i.e., expanded communications and computer entertainment areas, demo centers and an upcoming major Internet event).
Pride of ownership, dedication to customer satisfaction and respect for employees are three principles that Joe and Rachelle brought to New York retailing, and 25 years later, it's still working. Surely, there is something here for others to embrace.
Which is why I enjoy a meeting like the one I had recently with a retailer who started out in business with a crazy idea, stuck with it, keeps innovating and remains a standard-bearer. It started 25 years ago, when the husband-and-wife team of Joe and Rachelle Friedman opened an electronics store in lower Manhattan. The rest is retail lore, but the magic of the story isn't buried in its longevity; it is visible nearly every day, which I discovered recently in downtown NYC on a rainy trade show afternoon (PC Expo). With the beginnings of a summer cold coming on way too fast, I decided to get out of the friendly confines of Javits Center and head to the real trade center-J&R-where dozens of PC denizens were embroiled in the art of retailing at its finest. With laptops the theme of this trade show season, I went to the notebook section.
"I need 100MHz, a lot of storage, a bigger screen, and something under 7 pounds." As fast as I blurt this out, a salesperson responds, "Here's your best deal," recommending a brand none of you would guess. What a savvy group of sales professionals, I think to myself. Why this brand?, I wonder to myself. "Best price for you," the rep adds in perfect sync with my brain waves. Hey, I like that answer. After that confidence-building experience, I search out the "R" in J&R, Rachelle Friedman, CEO of the everything-that's-cool-in-high-tech retailer. "Nope, not in her office," I'm told. There's an in-store music event going on, and I should check the second floor. Sure enough, a mini-concert featuring Roseanne Cash had just ended and "R" had just left. "Where'd she go? Back to the office?" I ask. "Nope. She said something about looking for a new computer." So I race back and spot her at the notebooks, where she's handed a bevy of advice from her doting staff. Afterward, we head back to her office to review the latest trends in PC retailing. Rachelle doesn't like to discuss her business, but likes to discuss the business. She's concerned about predatory pricing (selling below cost) strategies in software and the growth of music clubs and labels (publishers) selling direct, as well as publishers/labels selling direct over the Internet, having seen the peril these issues caused the music retail industry. Yet, through it all, the business continues to inspire "J&R" to expand (an additional 50,000 square feet of retailing space is planned) and innovate (i.e., expanded communications and computer entertainment areas, demo centers and an upcoming major Internet event).
Pride of ownership, dedication to customer satisfaction and respect for employees are three principles that Joe and Rachelle brought to New York retailing, and 25 years later, it's still working. Surely, there is something here for others to embrace.
