F. Diehl & Son: Ahead of their time

The first issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, appeared on Jan. 13, 1975. HBSDealer is celebrating its 50th anniversary with this special series of Throwback Thursday reports.

Under the headline "DIY store and a good Diehl more," the Feb. 10, 1975 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, profiled the Wellesley, Mass.-based F. Diehl & Son and its forward thinking, drive-in checkout.

The caption to the above photos reads: "Driving through Diehl's, the Wellesley, Mass. home center, a do-it-yourselfer picks up an order blank at the entrance and is directed to the proper location for materials he needs. After his trunk has been loaded by a Diehl employee, the customer pulls up to the drive-in check-out, turns in the completed order form and pays for his purchases."

The system foreshadowed the popular acronym "BOPIS" — buy-online-pick-up-in-store. But it's not the only modernity that appeared in the profile. There was this quote from John Murphy, president of the home center.

"People are what makes this business," he said. "Our strength over the years has been in our people and our service to the customer."

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Do you remember F. Diehl & Son? Share your story with us at news@hbsdealer.com.