Throwback Thursday: Computers at Guadalupe Lumber
The Feb. 26, 1983 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, profiled the POS enhancement at San Antonio's Guadalupe Lumber.
The article quotes 30-year-old manager Mark Grothues, who trumpeted the store's new AID/MAN System 5 computer's POS equipment. "It won't print an invoice for any customer who is past due, or allow customers to overcharge their credit limit," he said, The cash outlay for equipment amounted to $150,000, according to the article, and payback period was a quick 18 months.
Plus, "we can bring in 2,000 items a week and adjust the pricing smoothly," Grothues said.
The article adds that vendor price increases are absorbed instantly because each increase is flagged by the system.
The Grothues family continues to own the business, which now has three locations in San Antonio. Fourth-generation GM Kyle Grothues appeared on the HCN cover in September 2013 as one of 50 Hardware Store All-Stars (left).
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