W E LC O M E TO T H E B U S I N E S S, J E R R Y • 41 A STEEP FLIGHT UP Stop & Shop was a major player in the grocery business in the mid 1960s. They had a buying office in South Boston, which I visited fairly often. On this particular day I went to see buyer Eddie Buckley to present the new Wayne promotion. Wayne was a family chocolate company and had a just launched a program of six different kinds of chocolates in one pound bags. Chocolate covered nut clusters, drops, chocolate peanuts, peanut crackle, cream maple and vanilla. The merchandise came with a beautiful display unit that had plastic trays on top for showing samples. I brought the display up a very steep flight of stairs and set it up in Buckley’s office. He looked at the product with some interest but not enthusiasm. He moved slightly faster than a turtle when making decisions on new items. He said, “OK Young, it looks good. You can take it away now.” Looking at the steep flight of stairs I had just climbed with the heavy display, I suggested that I leave it behind. “Perhaps others buyers in your area would like to try some samples.” “OK Young. Leave the display here. I’d like to try a test in five stores. Can you do it?” “Of course I can,” I responded and then spent the best part of the next week setting up the displays in five Stop & Shop stores. The candy retailed for a dollar for a pound bag. We put