The New Year’s almost here!

This Friday is New Year’s Day; and at Sherman’s it’s the best day to get the most for your Christmas cash! We’re marking down nearly every item in the store for this special day, which is sure to get the New Year started off right. We’ll be closing early on New Year’s Eve at 5:00; then open special hours 10:00 to 6:00 on New Year’s Day. Don’t miss the first big sale of 2010 this Friday at Sherman’s!

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of the Sherman’s family and all our employees, we’d like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! We hope Santa got all your Christmas wishes right, and you are able to spend some extra time with your family. We appreciate your business throughout the year, and hope to see you in the store again soon.

THANK YOU for your Toys for Tots support!

WOW! Your response to our Toys for Tots drive has been tremendous; we’ve collected hundreds of great toys in the past couple weeks and delivered them to the Marine Toys for Tots program. We’d like to offer our thanks for your support; it makes a real difference for hundreds of area children. Keep those toys coming between now and Christmas, and we’ll keep those 15% discounts coming on GE Appliances, Furniture and Mattresses!

Help Sherman's brighten a child's Christmas!

This holiday season Sherman's is partnering with the Marine Toys for Tots program. Today through Christmas Eve donate any new unwrapped toy at one of our three locations and receive a 15% off coupon good towards GE Appliances, Mattresses, Sofas, Loveseats, and Bedroom and Dining Furniture! You will receive one item at 15% off per toy that you donate; so be sure to bring a toy for every item you wish to purchase. All of the toys that we collect will be delivered to local Toys for Tots offices, who will distribute the toys to local children. Help us spread the Christmas spirit this season by donating any new unwrapped toys at your nearest Sherman's location! See our store for complete details.

LG Appliances now at Sherman’s!

LG washers are among the most energy efficient and high-performing on the market; in fact, they are now the best-selling brand of front-load laundry in the country. We’re pleased to add LG’s quality line of washers and dryers to our selection at all three of our locations. Our selection of high-efficiency laundry is now better than ever; in addition to the new LG units you’ll find a full selection of front-load units from GE, Whirlpool and Maytag, as well as the popular GE Harmony top-load high-efficiency machines, and GE’s traditional top-load HE line. Stop by Sherman’s today to hear all about the latest in high efficiency laundry.

Memory Foam Comfort at ONLY $699

Memory foam mattresses are well known for the deep, pressure-relieving sleep they deliver; but you’ll often pay $1,000-2,000 for a top brand. So we’re excited to offer a special truckload buy on Sealy’s memory foam queen set at only $699! Sealy’s memory foam beds offer firm support; but unlike firm spring beds, after you lay on it a few minutes certain areas, like where your shoulders and hips push deeper into the mattress, actually become softer while the rest of the bed remains firm for proper spine alignment. This continuous low pressure support across your whole body results in better blood flow, which means less tossing and turning; and that’s why most people sleep better on a Sealy memory foam mattress. In addition to the queen set special at only $699, special pricing is available on the twin set at $559; full at $689, and the king size at $999. Did you sleep great last night? If not; check out Sherman’s $699 Sealy Memory Foam mattress special today!

Complete Room only $1186

It’s never been easier, or more affordable, to give your living room a complete makeover. We’ve put together six specially matched sets consisting of a sofa, loveseat, lamp and table set, and are offering the complete sets for only $1186. No worries about searching for the perfect match between the cocktail table, end tables, lamp and upholstery; we’ve done it for you! And for only $1186, it’s an unbeatable deal. Stop in and see which of these six great room groups would work best in your living room today.

Sherman’s own “Cash for Clunkers” Program

A ten-year old car is often inefficient and lacking many of the features standard on any new car today. Audio products are a lot like that; a receiver or speaker system from ten or twenty years ago may work; but today’s technology is far more advanced. This is most evident when it comes to movie viewing, the original Dolby surround of the eighties can’t even approach the quality of today’s Dolby TrueHD systems. That’s why Sherman’s is offering a $100 trade-in value for any old receiver or speaker pair, toward any audio system $499 and up. One trade-in is allowed per $499 purchase. It’s a great opportunity to update your technology, and get rid of old unused equipment, whether it’s working or not. Visit one of our stores today to get all the details; and don’t forget to bring in your clunkers!

Adopt a Duck, Win $5,000

Congratulations to Tanya Olds of Washington, IL, the lucky winner of the top prize in this year's Duck Race: a $5,000 shopping spree at Sherman's! Each year the Center for Prevention of Abuse dumps thousands of "adopted" ducks into the Illinois River. Tanya was lucky enough to adopt the fastest swimmer! Sherman's is proud to sponsor the race, an important fundraiser for the Center for the Prevention of Abuse. The Center provides an invaluable service to our community, providing critical help to their clients, when they need it the most. Click the link below to learn more and see how you can help the hard working folks at the center.

http://www.centerforpreventionofabuse.org/

Sherman's on Facebook

Sherman's has joined the world of facebook and twitter. You can now stay informed of all the latest promotions and news that Sherman's has to offer by simply becoming a fan of Sherman's on facebook or by following us on twitter. Join today and check out our photos', news, and upcoming promotions.

Sherman’s Wins Excellence Award

Each year Dealerscope Magazine, a leading industry publication, selects five retailers across the country to receive their "Retail Excellence Award." I couldn't be more proud of our entire team, which was selected for one of the five awards this year! Dealerscope looks for retailers that are exceptional in customer service and business efficiency, and I am honored that they decided Sherman's should receive national recognition for our efforts. I must give credit where it's due; and that is with our entire team: our dedicated warehouse, delivery and installation staff; our knowledgeable salespeople; our support staff in advertising, purchasing and customer service; and an exceptional management team. And most of all, thanks to all our customers in Central Illinois; we'll stay focused on earning your business every day!

Dealerscope Retail Excellence Award

Nationwide Buying Group Meeting

I just returned from our Nationwide Buying Group meeting, and it was a great show. The group is a powerful organization that allows strong local companies like Sherman's to compete with the big national retailers. When we pool our buying power, we're ranked in the top ten nationally, right up there with Best Buy, Lowe's, and the rest of the big chains. Plus, the group has a great depth of resources that help us stay on top of the latest trends; whether it's top-notch training programs for our sales and delivery staff, or strategies to keep our costs low so we can continue offering the best prices. The theme of our meeting was "Your Road Ahead," and it was all about continuing to compete with the national chains on price while maintaining long-term knowledgeable sales and delivery staff in this challenging economy. It's a unique but powerful combination, and one that we can only accomplish through the collective power of our Nationwide Buying Group!

Viking now at Sherman’s

The complete line of Viking performance appliances is now available at Sherman's! The Viking name is synonymous with professional cooking for the home. In addition to Viking's commercial quality cooking products, they offer a complete line of refrigerators and dishwashers to complete your kitchen. As with all the products we carry, you can be confident you'll pay the same or less for Viking at Sherman's. In fact, you can buy a complete Viking kitchen, including the pro range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave for under $10,000 right now at Sherman's! If you're building or remodeling and want to cook with professional results, stop in Sherman's to see the complete Viking line.

What people are saying about Sherman’s

We give each delivery customer a comment sheet that comes straight to my desk, so I hear quickly if we're not doing something right. But the vast majority of the comments are more like the one pictured here:

"I am constantly amazed at how willing they are to go above & beyond expectations. Had a refrigerator delivered a few months ago - they cleaned the sticker residue off my glass shelves! They were just as wonderful with this delivery."

"Jim is absolutely the best ! He is a big part of why Sherman's is the only place we'll shop. We really appreciate his knowledge, honesty, and his ability to assess our family's needs and find a product that is a perfect match."

Or here is an email I received last week:

"I want to thank Sherman's for the quality of staff that they have. We just had a Sub Zero refrigerator delivered and installed yesterday. The delivery team, Matt & Tommy, were very friendly, professional, and helpful. They went above and beyond and really seemed to care. We really, really appreciate it."

It's a pleasure for our whole team to read comments like these, and it motivates us to get better and better at what we do. On behalf of all our employees in Peoria, Normal, and Peru, THANK YOU for your business!

Samsung LED HDTV’s now at Sherman’s

A lot has changed recently in HDTV's. The latest technology is LED; which just a few months ago was incredibly expensive. But recent price moves by Samsung and LG have made this new technology relatively affordable. All LCD TV's have a Liquid Crystal panel that lets light through to create the image. Traditional LCD sets are backlit by a continuous brightness source, similar to fluorescent light bulbs. The new LED backlit sets have a brighter backlight that is capable of varying the brightness, so the whites can be brighter, and the blacks blacker (a traditional weakness of LCD). Plus, the LED backlight is tremendously thin; making possible stunning styling like Samsung's new models. You'll find the best selection of Samsung's new LED models at Sherman's; stop in today and I think you'll agree, these are the most stunning HDTV's you've seen!

Delivering It Right

Delivery is one of the most important services Sherman's provides. After all, what good are knowledgeable salespeople & great service if the delivery crew doesn't show up when expected or treat your home right? At Sherman's we're constantly working to improve our delivery service. We start with an experienced team of warehouse professionals, who understand how important it is to treat the merchandise with care, and thoroughly inspect and prepare every customer order. Then our professional delivery crews take over. They are all participants in our "Delivering it Right" program, where they track their performance on the three most important aspects of delivery: (1) installing the items in the home with no damage, (2) accurate paperwork and customer review, and (3) everything loaded accurately on the truck. Any issues are covered in a weekly meeting, where everyone has the opportunity to suggest improvements in our procedures or get training on new products and techniques. A customer recently summed it up well: "Your delivery men treated my home as if it were theirs." That's the kind of delivery you can expect when you make a purchase at Sherman's.

A $1499 Mattress for only $799?

Some retailers throw inflated "retail price" out there to suggest you're saving hundreds of dollars at their "sale" price, when in fact they never sell anything at the "retail" price. I wouldn't blame you if you're skeptical when you hear Sherman's has a "$1,499 mattress" on sale at $799, so I'll explain. Our best Sealy Posturepedic mattress over the last 6 months is a model with traditional springs plus a pillow-top of latex and memory foam, and it's been a best seller at $1,499 for a queen set. It's so popular because it delivers the benefits of pressure-relieving foam, yet has the support and reliability of a traditional steel spring system. But with the economy the way it has been, fewer people this year have been spending that much on a bed; whether they need it or not for good sleep, when money's tight it can be tough to spend $1,500. So in April, we offered Sealy an order of three solid truckloads of this bed, in whatever color they had available, at a greatly reduced price so we could offer them at only $799. When business was booming for Sealy nationally they wouldn't have been able to accommodate us; but lucky for our customers they said yes this time! The result is we have the exact same bed we've been selling for $1,499 at only $799; the only difference is a different color cover (if you like the original cover better, it's still available for the $700 extra!). We're working through the second truckload right now, and at this rate we'll be out soon. Shop and compare; I think you'll agree there isn't a bed available anywhere that compares at this price.

A $499 Washer that pays for itself!

I’ve talked before about how much you can save with a high efficiency Energy Star washer. But until now, the price of entry was usually $699, $999 or more. So you can understand our excitement to have GE’s new high efficiency, top-load machine at only $499! If you visit the E-Star website below, and calculate the savings between your average $399 washer and this $499 unit, you’ll see it saves you nearly $50 per year. So the additional $100 is paid back in just over two years, with hundreds of dollars to be saved over the remaining life of the unit. And that doesn’t count the money you save on clothes, because high efficiency machines treat your clothes better, giving you longer life from every clothing item you own. And last but certainly not least, the environment benefits from lower water and energy usage in your home. So when you add it all up, if you have a non-energy star machine at home now, it pays to replace it even if it’s working fine; it literally pays for itself and more over the life of the unit! See the new GE line of high efficiency washers at Sherman’s today.
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=clotheswash.pr_clothes_washers

6 Sofas at only $436!

About a month ago Marsha selected six popular style and fabric combinations and ordered several truckloads of sofas at a very special price; we’re selling them at only $436! We knew they were great sofas, but last week when we brought them out on the showroom floor, our sales staff couldn’t believe we’d be selling sofas this nice for only $436. At that price, you’ll usually find small sofas that aren’t particularly comfortable. These are full-sized, quality sofas that would usually sell for $599 to $799 or more. Matching loveseats and in some cases chaise lounges are available at special pricing as well. Stop in try out all six today, while we still have a full selection of all six sofa groups!

Free Stainless Steel Appliance Upgrade

One of our most popular GE kitchen packages has been their GSH25JSXSS refrigerator, GLD6760NSS dishwasher, JVM1850SMSS microwave, and JB700SNSS electric range (model numbers are for stainless). In black, we’re able to offer a special price of $2,599, a great deal for these deluxe appliances. Stainless is a $600 upgrade, for a package price of $3,199. But GE is running a FREE STAINLESS STEEL UPGRADE special right now, so you can get the stainless package at the black price; only $2,599! A free upgrade is also available for a package with a gas range (gas package is $2,899). Stop by today to see this great package and take advantage of GE’s free stainless steel upgrade! Available through July 6th, 2009.

An Incredible Grand Opening!

Now that’s what I would call a busy night: 500 people through the doors in 5 hours! I’d like to extend a special thanks to everyone in LaSalle/Peru that supported our new store and attended our grand opening event. After the ribbon cutting, everyone had a nice time previewing the latest in electronics, appliances, furniture and mattresses while enjoying great food from Monari’s101.

The four lucky door prize winners were Margie Vandewyngaerde (42” LG TV), Kathy DeServe (Sealy Mattress Set), Steve Mobley (England Sofa), and John Wujek (GE Front Load Laundry Pair). Congratulations!

A $999 Hybrid Latex/Coil Mattress for only $599!

One of our best selling mattress sets this year has been Therapedic’s $999 hybrid latex/coil pillowtop. Some people prefer latex beds, and some innerspring. This bed combines the best of both; a traditional, quality innerspring support system with a thick pillowtop of pressure-relieving latex. Since we’re always trying to secure better and better deals for our customers, we went to Therapedic to see if they could create something like this bed for $599; and they came through for us! We made a special purchase of a bed that’s a near carbon-copy of the popular $999 model, with the same spring system and latex pillowtop. One of the keys to this special price is the fact that the color of the fabric will vary; we purchased the mattresses with high quality but discontinued covers. All are variations of the popular beige and cream colors, so you’ll never know the difference if it wasn’t for the extra $400 in your pocket. If you’re looking for a great value on a quality, supportive mattress, you won’t want to miss this $599 discontinued cover special!

Special buy on Sony’s latest 1080P 40" HDTV!

We just made a special purchase on Sony’s KDL40S5100, their new 1080P 40” HDTV. This is actually the brand new model; many stores still have the old 4100 series model in stock. Both Best Buy and Wal-Mart featured this set in their flyer last Sunday at $998. Sherman’s special price is only $899.99; we have 100 to sell at that price, $100 less than Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart did have the older 4100 series on clearance at $899 as of this posting, but who would want the old model when you can get the new one at the same price?). It’s a great value, and a great example of how Sherman’s Nationwide buying group helps us level the playing field with the national chains. And sometimes, like in the case of Sony’s new 40” HDTV, we can be substantially lower. Stop in this weekend while they are still in stock!

New Peru Store Opening Thursday

With just four days left until we open our new Peru, IL store, there’s a lot of work left to be done! We’ve been working day and night for two weeks filling our new store with the latest in appliances, furniture, mattresses and electronics. We have over 1,000 items in the new store; and every one needs unpacked, assembled, cleaned and tagged; and we’re certainly not done yet! We aren’t promising everything will be perfect by Thursday, but barring any major setbacks the new store will be open for business. Now you won’t see this advertised, as we have another month of work before our grand opening, including demolishing the old building to make room for our front parking lot. But if you’d like to be among the first to see the store, we invite you to stop in this weekend. We’re located at 3333 Frontage Rd in Peru, which is across from K-Mart on Route 251, just south of the Peru Mall.

High Efficiency Pays Off!

One of our most popular washers right now is GE’s WCVH6800; the February 2009 issue of Consumer Reports rated this front-load model a “Best Buy.” In addition to great wash performance, front-load units like GE’s 6800 will save you a LOT of money over their lives vs. a top-loader. Check out the link to EnergyStar’s site below, which gives more information about the savings these machines provide. It depends a bit on your usage and utilities cost, but it’s a safe bet that most front-load models will actually cost less to own over their lives than a less-expensive top load unit. And as an added benefit, they treat your clothes more gently, so you’ll get more from your wardrobe investment as well (have you every added up just how many dollars in clothing you own?) Stop in to your local Sherman’s today and find out more about all the benefits to owning a great high-efficiency washer like GE’s WCVH6800!http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=clotheswash.clothes_washers_save_money

Special buy on Sealy Pillowtops!

Sherman’s is bringing back two very special buys on Sealy pillowtop mattress sets. One with pressure relieving memory foam, regularly sells for over $1,000, is only $599, and a Sealy pillowtop without the memory foam is only $399. It took a lot of work for us to get the pricing this low again, and Sealy can only guarantee us availability through March 22nd. Stop in today to one of our three locations and take advantage of this really incredible pricing.

Plasma vs. LCD: What’s the best?

While there is no single answer to this important question, there IS a lot of misinformation out there about the pros and cons. To get the worst of them out of the way first, plasma never needs “recharged."It has an incredible life span, the most common plasma rating is 60,000 hours, which is 20 years at 8 hours per day! Reliability is not a reason to choose one technology over another; both plasma and LCD will last a long time.

LCD’s strengths include razor-sharp still images, and often a more reasonable price for the latest 1080p technology. Plus, plasma is just too expensive below 42”; so if you’re looking for a medium to smaller set, LCD is the only way to go. On the down side, the nature of how LCD reproduces the image can sometimes lead to a slight “blur” on very fast motion. This is more noticeable with larger screen sizes.

Plasma’s strength is rich colors, deep blacks, and excellent motion detail for fast-moving images like sporting events. For the bigger sizes like 60”, plasma is often the best value. If there is a down side to plasma it would be its slightly less crisp reproduction of still images like computer graphics, and the potential that a static image could “burn in” to the screen. While the “burn in” issue is a concern to some, it really isn’t a practical problem; TV images are constantly moving. You’d have to be using the plasma as a computer monitor, leaving still highly contrasted images on the screen for days on end for this to be an issue.

In my home, we have one large plasma, and several smaller LCD HDTV’s. They all look great; there really is no “one size fits all” answer to the plasma vs. LCD question. As you shop, you’ll find good and bad LCD’s, and good and bad Plasmas. Pay attention to the differences; you may have a strong preference one way or another. When you have questions, you can be confident the HDTV experts at Sherman’s can provide you with the right answers!

Our Best HDTV Deal includes a FREE Bose System

Not surprisingly our most popular HDTV lately has been Hitachi’s 50” Director’s Series, ever since we were able to offer a FREE $1,000 Bose 3-2-1 surround sound system with it! The Bose system was already a best seller; it takes advantage of the surround sound available through DVD’s and HDTV, and does it without the hassle of rear speakers. Hitachi’s Director’s Series 50” Plasma is among the best HDTV’s available; and it was a very special buy that allowed us to offer the free Bose system with each one. And our price is far lower to begin with: the Hitachi P50X902 is currently being sold for $3,199 on our biggest competitor’s website; we’re offering it for only $2,599 AND including the Bose system! We love to see our customers enjoy everything HDTV has to offer, and this is a great combination to get the very best in both picture and sound; at one very special price.

Crunch Time on the Details

The weather hasn’t been slowing anything down when it comes to completing our new Peru, IL store! We were lucky to get the outer shell complete before the bad weather hit; so everyone has been working steadily inside to complete what will be our largest store yet. We’re to the part of the building process where all the important interior details are getting completed. Most of the interior walls are up and drywalled, and they have a good start on the painting. I’ve been spending a lot of time onsite with our builder going over every detail as it’s constructed, to make sure the final product is nothing short of the most exciting appliance, electronics and furniture store in Central Illinois. You'll love it when it's complete: 10 complete kitchens; an interactive audio/video demonstration room; eight living room vignettes complete with eight different audio/video solutions; and plenty of well-designed space for mattresses, dining room, bedroom, and living room furniture. When it’s done this spring, we think you’ll agree it’s worth all the attention to the details!

Distribution Center Progress

While the cold and icy weather has been holding up the completion of our new distribution center, we’re lucky to be in and operating out of the large new storage and dock area. This is the important part; giving our warehouse and prep crews enough properly lighted space to prepare items for delivery, and giving our drivers enough time and space to properly load their trucks to ensure everything makes it to our customer’s homes in perfect condition. All deliveries for our Peoria, Normal and Peru locations now leave this distribution center each morning; allowing next day delivery no matter where you live on any product we have in stock! It’s taking the longest to complete the short portion of the facility (that’s short compared to the 35’ high part in the back, it’s where the red door is in the picture). This area is the new customer pickup area, plus it houses the warehouse and customer service offices, our new service shop, and a clearance center. We’re hoping these areas will be completed by March, giving us the chance to put on the finishing touches and landscaping this spring. Thanks for putting up with our mess in the meantime; it’s all in the interests of doing the best job possible for our customers throughout central Illinois!