tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23359723300296176572011-10-16T06:57:02.137-04:00Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-61188970007189369152011-03-01T10:26:00.000-05:002011-03-01T10:26:40.763-05:00

Once again we all enter the chute, ready to be ejected at warp speed into that alternate reality that we call the Housewares Show.  If you are a buyer it’s a pressure-drenched few days in which to meet with all your current vendors, work on programs, set follow up meetings, and then (oh God, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE) discover THE ITEMS that will make you a star in the coming year.  If you are a

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-345164325275264992011-01-04T11:06:00.000-05:002011-01-04T11:06:53.388-05:00

I suppose that a year-end entry about our Housewares industry, its retailers, manufacturers, and salespeople should include pithy observations about the changing retailing climate, social media, new products, and thought-provoking insights about our economic future.  It could include a screed about how things have changed from what once was, nostalgic glimpses of more exciting times, and wistful

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-54973270602060772492010-11-10T08:04:00.002-05:002010-11-10T08:11:24.348-05:00

After a recent sojourn in Death Valley, Ca. my wife Pamela and I were tooling the rental car through rural Nevada when we saw the large, hand-lettered sign:  ELK JERKY FREE SAMPLES.  Talk about four words you don’t expect to see together. After about a half mile, there on the side of the road outside of Pahrump was a red pickup truck parked next to what looked like a plywood fruit-stand kind of

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-46170149467967357182010-10-08T10:12:00.004-04:002010-10-08T10:17:52.133-04:00

She wanted to know how much molybdenum was used in the construction of the knife.  “It’s important that I know that,” she said, “along with the amount of carbon, chromium and nickel.” I was helping out at one of my accounts during a sales event and had gotten cornered by a consumer.  I was there to help sell my line of gadgets.  I not only didn’t have a knife line to sell, but I didn’t even know

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-76882516723399772282010-08-13T09:20:00.002-04:002010-08-13T09:24:36.831-04:00

Those questions repeated hundreds of times in rapid-fire mode can only mean one thing:  Show time!  Yes, it’s time for the summer edition of the New York International Gift Fair. If you’re attending please swing by Sagaform (booth 3463), Pillivuyt, Marlux, Nogent, and Cornishware (booth 3440), and GreenSmart (booth 8249) and take a look at all the new merchandise that will be available for the

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-28903291034157942992010-07-28T12:28:00.000-04:002010-07-28T12:28:00.426-04:00

I like barbeque.  I like eating it and I like cooking it.  I like to smoke turkey legs, briskets, and ribs.  When I got started about 10 years ago it was a bit of a chore to find a good smoker and an even bigger chore to find a consistent supply of wood to use for smoking.  Backyard smoking just wasn’t a big category here on Long Island and retailers were few and far between. As the years have

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-12910191033291569032010-07-07T10:30:00.000-04:002010-07-07T10:30:35.488-04:00

It was the early 80’s and I was a buyer for a company that owned department stores all across the US.  I was in charge of the tabletop area, specifically  the china department, silver (flatware), and all the crystal and glassware.  Or as the Bronx-ite clerical in the office would answer the phone, “Chiner, Silvuh, and Glaaas.” The Hunt brothers were making a play to corner the international

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-82010791074381451172010-05-06T21:13:00.000-04:002010-05-06T21:13:44.925-04:00

Every industry has its jargon.  Whether it is abbreviations, short-hand, specialized technical terms, or simple agreements about usage, jargon often is used to get a message across in a quick and concise manner.  Sometimes jargon helps us decide whether someone is truly in the industry, has experience, or is completely new to the situation.  A long time back I entered this industry as an

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-2786875269351789152010-03-17T17:25:00.000-04:002010-03-17T17:42:18.549-04:00

So I’m home not even 24 hours when I pick up Wednesday’s NY Times to read a review of the Housewares Show.  I nearly choked on my Grape Nuts as I scanned the article focusing on the preponderance of small electrics with “fast food settings.”  It seems that microwaves with settings for store-bought cookie dough and frozen pizzas foretell the destruction of our civilization as we know it. “

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-90371157068313258942010-03-10T10:31:00.000-05:002010-03-10T10:31:24.308-05:00

The reality for the manufacturer’s representative at a trade show is this:  Some accounts don’t want to be locked in to an appointment and choose to drop in to your booths as they pass by.  Others want to adhere to a strict schedule and prefer to meet you at a specific place and time.  Working out all the details so you can see everyone in a few short days becomes just a little less complicated

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-32840864282480223972010-03-05T13:29:00.000-05:002010-03-06T13:09:29.061-05:00

In a few short days the Chicago Housewares Show will be opening.  I’ve been attending this extravaganza for, GASP, about thirty years.  Yes there have been a lot of changes and no I’m not going to go on a rant about them.  There was one change however that made a difference for me: It was when the Housewares gods moved the show from January to March.  The stress of hoping one’s travel plans would

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335972330029617657.post-3171152033583371062010-03-03T21:30:00.000-05:002010-03-10T10:36:38.887-05:00

When I was a kid growing up in Queens, NY, I had a buddy Steve down the street whose dad was a cookie rep.  Yes, a cookie rep.  Steve’s old man represented different bakeries around the city and sold their baked goods to restaurants, delis, whatever.  After school we would be playing stoop ball or box ball on the sidewalk in front of his house and Steve’s dad would come walking home from the bus

Jeff Loeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07657418121342595648noreply@blogger.com0