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Throwback Thursday: Payless Prototype

8/24/2018
The Aug. 8, 1994 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, showcased the Payless Cashways prototype – its “Quantum Leap” store in Lincoln, Neb. The focal point of the 168,000 sq. ft. store was its drive-through lumberyard.

Here’s a description from the article, under the headline, Payless Cashways signals new image:

“The yard entrance is a toll booth-like structure where customers are directed to three long sheds of studs, furring strips, plywood, treated lumber, panel products and specialty woods like cedar.”

The plan called for 55 of Payless Cashway’s 199 stores to be retrofitted with the new driver-thru lumberyard. The company had been developing the format for a couple of years. It was first tested in Corralville, Iowa in 1992.

The NHCN feature on Payless Cashways was part of an "Innovations" series of articles. Other topics included "interactive video kiosks," and "free delivery."

Payless Cashways survived and thrived for 70 years, but closed its doors in 2001. Tell us here about your memories of this Kansas City-based retailer.






HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact us at SchafferAssociates.com
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