ASHLEY FURNITURE UPD ATE FOR Volume 2, Issue 11

DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY &

PENNSYLVANIA O C T OBER 201 0

Featured Stationary & Motion Products

52101 – Keystone Basil

Take charge of your living room decor by getting your hands on the
beautifully styled contemporary design and comfortable plush
padding adorning the arms and bustle back of the "Keystone-Basil"
motion upholstery collection to create the home of your dreams.
DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY & PENNSYLVANIA

Also available in Walnut, you

can order with or without the
power recline option.
Ashley Update

52101 – Legacy — Shitake

With a unique sweeping design, the "Legacy-Shitake" uphol-

stery collection features flowing arms and a plush pillow back
style that bring out the comfort from the subtle upholstery
tone enhanced with an exciting accent pattern. A swivel chair
is available to compliment the collection.

Newspaper Ad Spending Drops Least in 4 Years Amid

Web Strength by Amy Thomson

U.S. newspaper publishers reported the smallest drop in second-quarter advertising spending in four years as
online sales strengthened, Newspaper Association of America data show.
Overall ad sales shrunk 5.6 percent from a year earlier to $6.44 billion, the smallest second-quarter decline since
2006, according to the group. Online sales grew 14 percent to $743.9 million.
Online advertising has helped bolster revenue from advertisers as sales of print editions shrank, contributing to 16
straight quarters of ad-spending declines. Web sales have grown in the first two quarters of this year.
“The fact that online now represents nearly 12 percent of overall newspaper advertising revenues bodes well for
our medium’s future in an increasingly digital environment,” John Sturm, chief executive officer of the NAA, said in
an e-mailed statement.
Retail advertising, the largest sales category, fell 9.6 percent to $3.22 billion, according to the Arlington, Virginia-
based group. Classified advertising shrank 6.3 percent and national print ads declined 3.1 percent.
 Page 2 ASHLEY UPDATE

Simplifying the Candidate Selection Process

From the Retail Contrarian

"Nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies." - Larry Bossidy

In the very early days of the Bose retail group I was running a job fair looking to hire a new staff. At the end of the day I sat down with the contract recruiter I had hired to
review who we liked and who we didn't.

After a few minutes it became quite clear that my "like" pile matched his "reject" pile, and vice versa.

The recruiter only wanted to hire people with retail experience. I wanted to hire people who smiled. I wanted to hire people with energy and passion. He wanted people to have
a college degree. The recruiter wanted people with a consumer electronics background. I wanted people who wanted to work for us.

Then we tried to merge the qualities we were looking for in applicants. Not surprisingly, everyone ended up in the reject pile.

We finally decided to break down want we wanted in an applicant into four areas:

1. Has to have
2. Nice to have
3. Would rather not
4. Absolutely not

This simple approach made the whole interview process so much easier, and is the approach I recommend to clients today. I know that many might think,
"We can't do that in our company, it's way too simplistic," but I've learned through experience that overcomplicating the hiring process does not always result in a better hire. In
fact, it's usually it's the opposite.

This approach will keep you from compromising on a candidate, which I think is one of the biggest mistakes hiring managers make. The long-term pain of
a poor hire is much worse than the short-term pain of having an open position.

Things in the "Has to have" category are usually qualities that you can't teach or give a person. A longtime retailer once said to me, "I can give an employee product knowledge,
but I sure can't give them a personality." A "has to have" can also be a skill or competency the job requires someone to use immediately. This might be something like manage-
ment experience.

The "Nice to have" are qualities that may increase the potential contribution of the employee, or make it easier to integrate him/her into the job.

A lot of hiring managers and owners confuse those two. People applying for a retail job rarely have retail experience. It's a "nice to have." Of course, it could also be a "would
rather not." It depends on your perspective.

I also see hiring managers put qualities in the "Has to have" because it makes the manager's life easier. It's easier to ramp-up an employee who has retail experience or expe-
rience selling the products the store sells. But be careful - making experience a "Has to have" might also keep you from hiring someone with incredible ability and potential.

"Absolutely not" can be the toughest category to define. It usually includes someone who has made a mistake that got them in to legal trouble, or has other qualities you'd
rather avoid in a new hire. At the same time, I do think people need second chances in life. That's why I like the "Rather not" category, but of course that's your call.

Football Inspired Promotions

Are you considering a football themed promotion for
your stores? If so, you will want to order your inflat-
able football player. Whether you use it to draw
attention to your store front or a prod-
uct grouping or you offer it with a
qualifying purchase, they are sure to
generate traffic. Inflatables are available for all
NFL teams as well as many college teams. Most
orders ship the same day they are placed. For
more information, see
our website or
sales@scherba.com.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 Page 3

Casegoods Featured Product: D430 Holfield

Help your customers prepare for their holiday gatherings with a new Dining Room set. With the warm finish and inviting country design,
the "Holfield" dining room collection creates a relaxing cottage atmosphere perfect to enhance the comfort of any dining experience. The
select oak veneers are bathed in a burnished brown finish that flows beautifully over the thick stacked top profiles and ornately turned
legs to create a rich cottage style. The solid wood chair seats of the stylish ladder back chairs feature a comfortable scoop design to help
you relax within your dining room decor.

Available in your choice of a rectangular extension table, round

dining table or as a counter height trestle table, this should appeal
to a wide variety of customers. A matching server, buffet and hutch
are also available.

Promotional Event Ideas

Looking for another promotion to keep things fresh? Consider adding the
following to your calendar:

Super Fan/Super Package - Play on allegiants to your area’s favorite

teams
Same Products, New Combinations
Halloween - No tricks, just treats

Veteran’s Day - Special discount offers to the military and their families

Thanksgiving/Black Friday - need we say more?

Winter begins - Cold weather means hot values

Holiday Bonus Days - Santa? A Coat Drive? Toy Drive? Spruce up for the
holidays!

New Year = New Look

January Clearance Event

College Bowl Games and NFL Playoffs are Here - Set up your enter-
tainment area with a new entertainment center and comfortable furniture
from your Ashley dealer!
Recently a North Carolina store found themselves with extra D351 stools in blue so they
paired then with an extra D569 table.
The result: an awesome look – and another option if a customer doesn’t want to use
a glass top table.
Y o u r A s h l e y R e p r e s e nt a t i ve s
Case Goods:
Bill Nagle - (215) 933-9595
billnagle@ashleyfurniture.com
Bob Nagle - (215) 528-2006
rnagleoffice@ashleyfurniture.com
Jay Ferber - (267) 265-5597
jayferber@ashleyfurniture.com
John Nagle - (215) 704-1174
jnagle@ashleyfurniture.com
Dan Nestor - (610) 931-6795
dnestor@ashleyfurniture.com
Motion:
Sean Orlando - (215) 669-1242
sorlando1@ashleyfurniture.com
Paul Morris - (267) 249-1010
pmorris@ashleyfurniture.com Have you seen this person?
Richard Prince - (610) 350-7290
rprince@ashleyfurniture.com Bob Nagle in his NEW Ashley Casegoods Cruiser
Stationary:
Tom Moore - (973) 897-9122
tmoore@ashleyfurniture.com
Anthony Forrest - (215) 880-5122
aforrest@ashleyfurniture.com
Eric Wenger- (215) 919-2277
ewenger@ashleyfurniture.com
Todd Csencsits - (610) 909-3031
tcsencsits@ ashleyfurniture.com
Scott Deibler - (717)689-0142
sdeibler@ashleyfurniture.com

Welcome Dan Nestor

to the Ashley Casegoods
Team
We are pleased to announce a new member of your
Casegoods team. Dan Nestor recently joined the
team and is anxious to work with you to increase
your sales traffic and revenue. He brings with him
an excellent sales and marketing background. Dan’s
email is dnestor@ashleyfurniture.com. You can
also reach him by phone at (610) 931-6795

Remember to check out our website at www.tristatefurn.imagineretailer.com