Happy Holidays & Best Wishes to all in 2009

On behalf of the Sherman’s family and all our employees, we hope you and your family have a great holiday season and a happy New Year! We truly appreciate your business, and will continue doing everything we can in 2009 to help our local families like only a local family can.

The “Other Half” of HDTV

As you know, with HDTV you’ll see details you didn’t know were there on your favorite shows or sporting events. But did you know you could still be missing half the detail? Unless you are taking advantage of HDTV’s Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio with a complete home theater system, you aren’t hearing the whole picture! If you attended a ball game and couldn’t hear the crowd all around you, it just wouldn’t be the same; so why not experience the same thing at home? HDTV already broadcasts great multi-channel surround sound; all you need to do is set up your home theater system and take advantage of it (or let Sherman’s do it; our HomeWorks install crews can take all the hassle out of the setup for you).

Right now Sherman’s is featuring 10 special system deals priced between $499 and $3499; so it’s a great time to start experiencing the other half of HDTV!

Four hours only: $2,300 in rebates and gift cards on a GE Profile Kitchen!

I’ve never seen this many overlapping rebates in my life! For some time now, GE has been offering a rebate on a 5-pc appliance package, up to $500. Overlapping this with their December rebates on Energy Star refrigerators, washer & dryer pedestals, and delivery can add up to an additional $300. And since GE’s business has been soft, for THREE DAYS ONLY, Friday, November 28th through Sunday, November 30th, they are DOUBLING the $500 rebate to $1,000 (if you take delivery in a week) just for Sherman’s customers and our fellow buying group members. And between 6am and 10am Friday morning the 28th, Sherman’s is offering a $200 Christmas Gift Card (to be used one-for-one on any item in our store after Christmas) on any item $500 and up. So you can buy a GE Profile kitchen and get $2,300 back in cash and gift cards! It’s really incredible to see this many overlapping promotions at once. And if you don’t make it in before 10am on Friday, you still get a $100 Sherman’s Gift Card with each $500 item, so you’ll total $1,800 back on the package. Suffice it to say you won’t see this level of savings on GE Profile for a LONG time. If you’ll need new appliances anytime in the coming year, this is the perfect opportunity. We’ll be offering 12 months 0% interest, so you won’t have to pay for them right away. GE is requiring you take delivery in one week, so if you’re not ready, Sherman’s will deliver the appliances for you in the box to your garage; and when you’re ready for them to be installed, for a nominal fee Sherman’s will come out to your home, uncrate them, and perform whatever delivery and installation services you need. If you need to take some time picking out your appliances, it might be a good idea to come in this Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and get your models selected; I’m afraid it will be so busy early Friday morning we won’t have the usual time available to properly talk about all the great features of the various Profile models. Stop in our store for all the details, and see just how much you can save with GE and Sherman’s overlapping rebates and gift cards this weekend only at Sherman’s!

5 Years 0% Interest!

Here we go . . . Sherman’s biggest event of the year! What else would you expect when you can spend $6,000 and pay only $100 a month with no interest? Five year 0% starts today and runs through Sunday, November 23rd. Included is all furniture, mattresses, audio systems, GE Profile appliances, and select Hitachi and LG HDTV’s. The minimum purchase is $3,000 (only $50 per month!), but you can mix ALL the categories I listed to get to the $3,000 minimum. Stop in today and treat your family to something new for your home!

Jack & Sharon spend a week back home

As many of you know, my mom & dad now live year-round in southwest Florida. They came back to visit this week, and we spent a lot of quality time together. We also spent some time on the construction sites of our new Peru store and Peoria distribution center. It’s quite a contrast to our humble beginnings in 1976, when mom & dad started with the basics: a small shop, personal service, and the best price. As my dad likes to remind me, it’s best to always stick to the basics. I think a lot of the turmoil we’re now seeing in our economy and banking system is due to losing sight of these basics. History has proven that any time we stray from fundamentals and think we’re in a “new age” we do so at our own peril. Well you won’t find us straying from the basics here at Sherman’s. Just like mom and dad did for so many years, what we do here is pretty basic: work hard, provide personal service, have the best price. We really mean it when we say we’re helping local families like only a local family can. Our new store in Peru and our new distribution center in Peoria won’t change any of that; it’ll just help us do it better!

Peoria Distribution Center

For the past few years Sherman’s warehouse and delivery staff has worked out of a facility far too small for the thousands of products they handle each month. We’re all glad to see Phase 1 of our new distribution center complete! The extra storage and preparation space you see here has already made a HUGE difference in their ability to get our deliveries done perfectly and on-time. Phase 2 has now begun, which will add service areas, more docks and preparation space, and a recycling area.
We know you expect the right product in stock, delivered professionally and on-time. This new facility will help us do this better than ever before; we’ll keep you posted on our progress!

Rearrange your furniture without lifting a finger

Sherman’s recently added the capability to create your own custom sofa on our website. Now how are you going to arrange your room? With Sherman’s new “Room Planner” link you can input the dimensions of your room and easily see how everything will fit. If you’re like me, you might overestimate how much furniture can properly fit into your space; with the Room Planner, you’ll get a perfect idea of proper spacing and arrangement. Click here to get started:

http://www.shermansinc.com/furniture.aspx

Create your custom sofa at home

Sherman’s new “Create Your Custom Sofa” link allows you to select from any item in our England Custom Comfort Center, and try out different fabric combinations to see what you like. Choose a new sofa, loveseat or chair; and quickly and easily see what different fabric combinations would look like, created on your screen in seconds. Print out your favorites and bring them in; we can order your custom creation and deliver the finished product in under a month!
Just click the below link, select “Create Your Custom Sofa”, and then click on the type of furniture you’d like to create (Sofa, Chair, etc.). All you options will appear and you will be able to select body and pillow fabrics to your liking. Visit now and begin creating your new furniture!

http://www.shermansinc.com/furniture.aspx

Blu-ray in stock now!

Ever since the format war ended earlier this year, and Blu-ray became the obvious choice for High Definition DVD’s, the factories haven’t been able to keep up with our orders. Finally, after keeping hundreds of units on backorder with Sony, I am pleased to say we have plenty of stock on the new BDPS350 model, Sony’s latest. This unit up-converts your old DVD’s to 1080p, so they’ll look better than ever. And any new movies you rent or buy in the Blu-ray format will be in full high definition; up to 5 times better than traditional DVD’s! And just to make sure you’re covered for the future, it has built-in decoders for the next generation of sound, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. If you’ve been waiting to upgrade to High Definition DVD’s, now is the time to get on board with Sony’s new BDPS350 Blu-ray, in stock now at Sherman’s!

Nationwide Buying Group Meeting

I just got back from a five-day trip to glitzy Las Vegas, where our Nationwide Buying Group held its most recent meeting. I went a day earlier than usual, for the pre-show meeting of the largest dealers in our group. This was my first meeting as part of this top tier of dealers, as this past year was the first time we did enough volume to qualify. Now we can take advantage of the very best deals the major manufacturers have to offer, and be more competitive on price than ever.

During this show I was asked to give a presentation on our 10% lowest price guarantee. Like many of our customers, my fellow dealers asked “How can you give 10% off the big store’s pricing and still make enough profit?” I explained the way I look at it: any sale is better than no sale; so I’d rather do the extra volume at low profit margins AND know exactly what my competition is up to. That way we can honestly say we’re the lowest on everything we have in the store, because any time we are informed of a lower price, we immediately lower ours so it won’t happen again. It’s a great time-saver for our customers to know they can count on our pricing to be the lowest, and the extra volume makes up for the low profit on any individual sale.

In addition to the great buys, I always pick up a few great ideas from my fellow dealers on how to run a more efficient business and improve customer service, and this show was no exception. And in the spirit of keeping those expenses low, I am happy to report I only lost $40 playing video poker!

Stop in your nearest Sherman’s in the next couple months and see all the great buys our manufacturers had for us at this Augusts’ Nationwide Buying Group show.

$6,000 of New Home Furnishings for only $100 a Month

This past weekend was incredibly busy at all three of our stores, as we began our 5 years 0% interest sale. While it’s common to see one or two years 0% interest, five years is quite a long time. In fact, it’s not the easiest thing to offer; it takes a lot of preparation including securing extra support from our product vendors. But the end result is that you can take advantage of all the usual benefits of shopping at Sherman’s, from our guaranteed lowest pricing to our experienced sales and delivery staff, PLUS getting five years to pay.

During this sale, many people buy multiple items. For example, a $1,500 HDTV and a $1,500 mattress set would be only $50 per month. Or a $1,500 HDTV, $1,000 Home Theater System, $1,000 front load washer, and $2,500 furniture group would ALL be only $100 per month. Our customers tell us the five-year 0% terms make it easier than ever to get all the nice things they need for their homes.

Our five year 0% interest promotion continues this week and weekend. Stop in your nearest Sherman’s store today!

February 2009 DTV Transition

We’re now about 6 months away from the federal deadline to shut down analog over-the-air broadcast TV. What’s this mean to you? To find out, make a list of all the TV’s you have in your home, and whether they are connected to cable, satellite or antenna. You don’t need to worry about the ones connected to cable or satellite right away, those will continue working normally past the deadline (how long after is still not known). For the sets connected to an antenna, unless they are a new HDTV with a digital tuner, they will not work after February 17th, 2009. Your options are:

(1) Replace these with a new, digital TV (all TV’s currently made have digital tuners, and if a store has an old set without one, it’s required to have a warning label on it).

(2) Get a digital converter box, which will convert the digital broadcast into the analog signal your older TV can display. Sherman’s currently sells these for $49.99, and you can get up to 2 $40 coupons toward them at http://www.dtv2009.gov. The manufacturers of these boxes underestimated demand, and have been behind on shipments. Sherman’s presently has several hundred on backorder. As soon as you get your coupons, you can bring them in and place your order, and we’ll call you as soon as they become available. Now’s the time, since you don’t actually need the boxes until February 17th.

It is important to note that in most cases, the converter box will neither improve nor degrade your picture quality. Even if it receives an HDTV signal, it down-converts it to analog so it can display on your old set. For a secondary, smaller set with plenty of life left, this is the most practical and economic solution. On the other hand, if you want to take advantage of the razor-sharp quality of HDTV broadcasts, you’ll need to replace your set with a new HDTV.

If you have questions about how this will affect you, call or visit with one of our HDTV experts in Peoria, Normal or Peru.

New Peoria Distribution Center Phase 1

In the next 60 days the first phase of our new distribution center will be complete. This facility will allow our warehouse and delivery teams to provide unprecedented quality in their delivery service. Included will be a new retail clearance center, state-of-the-art service shops, expanded storage, preparation and staging area, plus offices for management and customer service staff. The facility is designed to keep our costs down so we can continue offering the lowest prices, while increasing the quality of on-time, perfect deliveries. For example, the lighting in the product inspection area is 7 times as bright as we now have so we can make sure everything is perfect; yet the efficient fixtures and zoned sensor system allows for far less energy usage. After over a year of detailed planning we are looking forward to using this new facility to bring our valued central Illinois customers even better service!

A penny (or $500!) for your thoughts

Last week Judy of Bloomington, IL won a $500 Sherman’s Gift Card just for sending in our survey letting us know how we did during her recent purchase. Each month we select a returned survey randomly, and send that customer the $500 gift card. We hand out one of these surveys after each delivery, and we learn a lot from the feedback we get. Our best delivery crews and sales team members get recognized, and anything that isn’t going right can immediately be corrected. I know some companies do surveys and ignore the results; but at Sherman’s, we take them very seriously. We want to be absolutely sure we are meeting your expectations for professional delivery, attentive sales help, etc. You might say it’s a matter of family pride. And since we recognize your time is valuable, we figured a $500 gift card a month wasn’t too much for your trouble! So the next time we deliver something new for your home, don’t forget to let us know what we’re doing great, and what we could improve; you may get $500 toward your next purchase for free!

Get your electronics under control with Control4

O’Neal Builder’s home in Waterstone was featured in the Peoria Parade of Homes this weekend (which continues this weekend as well, there is a link below to view). Our HomeWorks team installed a whole-house Control4 system in this beautiful house, which I stopped by to see on Friday. I have grown up with electronics, but I’ve rarely escaped the complex operation of high performance theater systems or whole house sound. That’s why the simplicity of Control4 systems like the one in the O’Neal home never ceases to amaze me. The Waterstone model home features:

· Whole house audio, with access to thousands of digital music titles/radio stations

· A home theater room
· Lighting control, with one-touch “scenes” adjusting lighting throughout the house
· Heat and Air Conditioning Control from every room

The best part is the simplicity of operation: there is one simple method of control, either on a touch screen in the room or using a single remote when watching TV. It really is amazing; anyone could operate these systems with very little to no instructions. Most of our customers barely have time to enjoy their electronics; they sure don’t need to spend unnecessary time learning complicated operating procedures. Stop by O’Neal’s beautiful home from 1-5 this Saturday or Sunday. And if you’d like to find out more about how Control4 can help you get your electronics under control, call our HomeWorks folks at 309-691-4100 x160.

http://www.peoriahba.com/pohpics/08%20Parade%2027.pdf

Preparing for Progress

Pictured here is what used to be the back half of our Peru store, coming down to make room for our new store construction. Sherman’s Peru team and our whole family is excited to begin this project that has been in planning for years. With a targeted opening in Spring of 2009, this new store will be Sherman’s largest and will bring a selection of furniture, appliances, HDTV’s, audio and mattresses unlike anything presently in LaSalle/Peru. During construction you’ll find the same great products and sales staff you’ve known at our Peru store (with a slightly consolidated product display!). Ironically, since we don’t have a warehouse at our Peru store during construction, we can actually deliver more products faster to the LaSalle/Peru area than ever before: near daily trucks running from our Peoria warehouse and its multi-million dollar inventory offer daily access to thousands of in-stock products. Please pardon our dust during construction while we expand to offer you more!

Custom Order Furniture Without the Customary Wait

A new customer bought her Sofa from Sherman’s a few weeks ago, and it was interesting listening to her story. She’d shopped for furniture all over town, and she quickly found that no store stocked the exact style and color she was looking for. Now that’s pretty typical if you spend the time to really think about what will best fit your tastes, family’s use and décor. Rarely will that style and color happen to be in stock or even on display at a store, so you’re kind of settling for “good enough” when you pick from in-stock product. So as is often the case, she had to go the special order route. The trouble was, everywhere she went she found special order furniture took 10-12 weeks to get. And she wasn’t too excited about that. Here are her exact words: “I have a couple stories I could tell you about ordering furniture and was told it would take 12 weeks and it ended up that I either never got it or it took about 6 months to get.” She was excited, though, to hear how fast Sherman’s could deliver a special order sofa: “I was floored to hear at Sherman's it only takes 3 weeks.” And sure enough, her new sofa was custom made and delivered in exactly three weeks. Our Custom Comfort Center features exclusively England furniture (a La-z-boy company). Every Monday we order a truckload consisting of the special orders from the week prior, and it’s manufactured to specification in about two weeks, leaving one week for transport to us and for us to deliver it. In fact, at all times we have an electronic message board in the store giving our customers the exact date we can deliver any custom furniture ordered on that day. It’s all made to exacting standards by quality craftsman right here in the good old USA (New Tazewell, TN to be specific) which is a nice departure from all the furniture made in China these days. If you need a new living room, want exactly what you have in mind, and want it fast, Sherman’s Custom Comfort Center just might be the answer.

Sherman’s Memorial Day Cookout

It’s not always easy getting the whole family together! With ours working in the business at different locations (and my mom and dad living in Florida) it’s quite a trick. But we were able to accomplish it for Memorial Day.

Jack and Sharon (sitting in front) now live year-round in Florida, enjoying the quality time together they never quite had during the grueling years building our business. They come back to Peoria a few times a year to visit. Even though they live in Florida, dad and I talk every week about the business (he gives great advice, we just have to do all the work!) My sister Marsha (standing to right) picks out all the furniture for our stores, no small job. Her husband Rich is our operations manager, running the warehouse and our all-important delivery department. He’s holding his grandson Gabe. That’s me in the green shirt, with my wife Bridget, and our kids Elizabeth and Zachary. Not in the picture are Gabe’s dad David, who is our Peoria assistant store manager, and his wife Cassie. Also attending our Memorial day get-together but busy TAKING this picture are my sister Sheila, who works in sales, and her husband Glen, who takes care of our builder customers and picks out all the appliances for our stores.

We had a great time together. After the usual stuff, like my brother-in-law Glen trying to convince my 5-year old that he’s set for a lifetime of disappointment as a Cubs fan and should switch allegiances to the Cards (ever try to reason with a 5-year old?), the conversations inevitably turned to business. Right now, it’s hard not to; we’re starting site work on our new Peru store next month (it will be our largest when complete in early 2009), and our 20,000 sq. ft. distribution center addition is underway. When you’re growing there is a lot to do and talk about!

And while you’d probably find our business discussions boring (budgets and schedules are like that) you will be interested to know that we came up with a plan for some killer email-only specials. Now would be a great time to click on the “sign up to stay informed” tab on our home page and give us your email address. Sign up and we’ll be in touch soon!

I hope you and your family had a great Memorial Day together like we did.

Strength in Numbers

Last week Robert from the Nationwide group flew into town and spent the day with us here in Peoria, to help make sure we were up to speed on all the latest deals from our manufacturers. Nationwide Marketing Group is the buying group Sherman’s belongs to that enables us to buy like the big chains. We and about 2,000 other dealers across the country pool our $2+ billion buying power when negotiating. While Sherman’s does a lot of business in central Illinois, alone we buy only a fraction of what a Best Buy or Sears does. But combined with our fellow Nationwide members, we have become one of the largest, fastest growing customers in the nation! In fact, many of our manufacturers have recognized that local businesses with long-term employees like Sherman’s do a better job than the national chains explaining their products, so they end up with more satisfied customers. That’s sure no surprise to us, but it’s nice to see the big companies recognize it. In the past, many quality retailers like Sherman’s had to charge more for this better service. But today with the benefits of the Nationwide Marketing/Buying group, we’re able to buy like the big chains AND offer the quality, knowledgeable help central Illinois expects.

Folks You Can Trust

This weekend I stopped by Beck’s Florist to pick up some Mother’s Day flowers for my wife. As is often the case, all the nice folks at Beck’s and I were soon discussing their past Sherman’s purchases and what they’d need soon. I love to hear about what customers do and don’t like about their purchases, so I can pass that along to our sales staff and improve their ability to help customers select the right products. And more than the products, they said they really liked the fact that their salesperson recognized them whenever they came in, even if it had been a year since their last purchase. While we spend a lot of time and effort having the right products and prices, I guess there just isn’t any substitute for dealing with a person you know and trust. My wife and I always want a good deal, but all else being equal we end up buying at a place we trust the people. That’s why I buy my flowers at Beck’s, and I’m glad to hear that it’s the reason people shop at Sherman’s.

Hippie Radio and Sherman’s May HDTV Giveaway

Listen to Hippie Radio 101.1 in May and you could win a free HDTV from Sherman’s! Hippie has teamed up with the HDTV experts at Sherman’s to give away “A Plasma-a-Day in the Month of May”. Here’s the link to Hippie’s site for more details:
http://www.myhippie.com/index.html

And to see the specific 42” plasma you could win, click here: http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/tvaudiovideo_plasma20flat20panel__42PG20.jhtml20panel__42PG20.jhtml20panel_

_42PG20.jhtml20panel__42PG20.jhtml20panel__42PG20.jhtml

Tune in to Hippie Radio 101.1 for your chance at a plasma a day in the month of May!

Final week of 5-Year 0% Interest!

This Sunday the 27th is the final day of 5-Year 0% Interest, where $3,000 is only $50 per month, and $6,000 is only $100 per month. For a glimpse of what central Illinois is buying during this promotion at Sherman’s, here are a few of our best sellers during the past week:

· Hitachi P50X901 Director’s Series Plasma 50” HDTV

This exceptional HDTV features 1080 x 1920 full-HD resolution, and Reel60 processing to give the smoothest possible motion from film-based DVD’s.

· England 7201 Double Reclining Sofa

Many of our customers have said this is the most comfortable sofa they’ve seen. Folks are ordering it in dozens of different leathers and fabrics, and with our Custom Comfort Center, special orders are delivered in about three weeks.

· GE Harmony Washer & Dryer

This pair combines high efficiency washing with a top-load design. The combined wash and dry time is the fastest in the industry. In addition to standard cycles, there are special ones for virtually anything you’d need. I have this set at home, and after attending the muddy air show this weekend, my wife was pleased to find it even has a “tennis shoes” cycle (tip: if your kids have tennis shoes that light up, don’t put them in the washer! Oops.)

· Therapedic St. Croix Memory Latex Mattress

This comfortable mattress combines the best of both latex and memory foam. While it has the pressure-relieving qualities of memory foam, the material is quicker to react, and feels more like a standard bed.

· Klipsch CS500 Home Theater System

This tiny but mighty system give you surround sound without the rear speakers. If you don’t want the hassle of running speaker wire behind the listening area, take advantage of the incredible technology that actually makes it sound like speakers are surrounding you.

Five Year 0% Interest Starts Today!

Here we go . . . Sherman’s biggest event of the year! What else would you expect when you can spend $6,000 and pay only $100 a month with no interest? Five year 0% starts today and runs through Sunday, April 27th. Included is all furniture, mattresses, audio systems, GE Profile appliances, and select Hitachi and LG HDTV’s. The minimum purchase is $3,000 (only $50 per month!), but you can mix ALL the categories I listed to get to the $3,000 minimum. Stop in today and treat your family to something new for your home!

Demonstrating our commitment to the best delivery service in central Illinois

Dirt has starting moving on Sherman’s new warehouse and distribution center expansion! Phase 1, to be completed by mid-summer, will include a new building, designed for additional product storage and staging space for receiving products. Phase 2, which will take place in late summer, will include six new shipping docks and a state-of-the-art preparation area. Phase 3, to be started in the fall, will complete the project with a new clearance center and inside office spaces. We’re excited about this expansion, which will allow Sherman’s to have even more product in stock for immediate delivery, AND provide a faster, more efficient delivery service. At Sherman’s, delivery isn’t an afterthought; it’s an important part of why our customers shop here. We have some of the best warehouse and delivery teams in central Illinois, and pretty soon they’ll be able to serve their customers even better in a state-of-the art warehouse and delivery facility!

Hitachi sets a record for the thinnest TV’s yet!

“Wow!” “ Incredible!” That’s what we heard time and again from folks when they saw Hitachi’s new super-thin HDTV’s this weekend in the Hitachi 1.5 show truck. Hitachi selected their top retailers from across the country for this tour to showcase their latest products, and we’re glad they selected Sherman’s. The Hitachi representative said he’s never seen so many people stop by the truck; literally hundreds of central Illinois folks stopped by to see the latest in HDTV’s. The new 1.5” line includes a 32”, 37”, and 42” model to begin, with a 47” version shipping this fall. You just don’t realize how thin 1.5” is until you’ve seen it. Stop in Sherman’s today and see the very latest in super thin flat panel HDTV!

DTV Transition

Have you heard the buzz about the coming DTV transition? Here are the facts. . . All local full-power TV stations are currently sending out two signals; a digital one, and an analog one. The digital one is received by newer digital HDTV’s, and the analog one by older analog TV’s. On February 17th, 2009, the federal government has mandated the analog broadcasts be shut down; so that spectrum becomes available for public emergency services communications and other commercial uses. At that time, any analog TV receiving its signal from a rooftop or tv-mounted antenna will go dark. To keep working, it will need a digital-to-analog converter box. These boxes are available at Sherman’s, and you can get up to two $40 coupons toward them by visiting http://www.dtv2009.gov/, or calling 1-888-DTV-2009. If you have cable or satellite, you won’t be affected right away; all your existing equipment will continue to operate normally; though you won’t get the HDTV picture and sound without a newer HDTV. Talk to one of Sherman’s HDTV experts for more information, or visit http://www.dtv2009.gov/.

Super Bowl HDTV Giveaway 2008

Every year we select one of our customers who purchased an HDTV in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, and give them a complete refund. This year it was Lyle and Lisa Dry of Canton. On Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, while Lyle and Lisa were enjoying their new HITACHI 50" PLASMA HDTV, I pulled their name out of the bin and called to congratulate them. Lisa picked up the phone, and I when I told her she’d won, I really don’t think she believed me! She called me back later to make sure it wasn’t a friend pulling a prank. And what did Lyle and Lisa do with the refund for their HDTV? They came in and bought a second (slightly smaller) one for another room! Congratulations to Lyle and Lisa!