BIG BOX POS

Mike Labbe

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I know several people on TFG have worked for the big box framing stores (Michaels, JoAnns, Fast Frame, Aaron Brothers, Corners, Hobby Lobby, etc), and I've always been curious what they use to price jobs. Do they use the same packages we do, do it on paper, their existing cash register s/w, or have their own custom programs?

Inquisitive in RI
 
Are AC Moore and Corners the same folks? I thought Corners was a small chain based in Massachusetts? (there was one here near us but it folded in about a year)

... or is BAFRAMER the sub contractor that operates the framing portion of the businesses for ACMOORE?

I think Michael's might use a modified version of Fullcalc and bought the source code from them in the past.
 
... or is BAFRAMER the sub contractor that operates the framing portion of the businesses for ACMOORE?

There you go. I read somewhere that BAF and Corners merged about a year ago. BAF operates framing counters in a couple different BB environments. I got out of that organization about 3 yrs ago and don't miss it a bit.
 
Mike, Michael's used to use Fullcalc. They now use something called "Frame Magic". I am trying to pull out of my mind who the software comes from and I just can't. I know they had it designed specifically for them. I never cared for it, it was very cumbersome to use. Of course I was raised on Fullcalc even before I went to Michael's. Although you couldn't pay me to use Fullcalc now, I use Frameready and love it.
 
JoAnns stores use FullCalc...

Michaels uses a program evolved from FullCalc - one of the FullCalc programmers, Steve Britz, went over to Michaels after Terry Anderson sold the source to them...

FastFrame uses their own custom software, but I haven't seen it in years so I could be wrong now...

Aaron Brothers, a division of Michaels, probably uses what a Michaels frame shop uses.

I don't know what Corners uses...

And Hobby Lobby uses Specialty Software (well, I'm pretty sure they do..)...
 
The BF I worked for used fullcall also. It is basic and easy to teach 16 year olds how to use.
 
A special thanks to everyone who replied and to those who emailed me privately and didn't want to reply publicly.

Do you think the results would be of interest to anyone and should they be included in a future edition of the pos software list?
 
I guess it wouldn't hurt to know about the POS programs that the boxes are using.

Including them in the list of available POS programs would only be of benefit to the BB's as far as I can see. Why would anyone else have an interest in what they use? Their programs probably aren't available to the framing trade anyway. And the bottom line is I think that the boxes are getting waaaay too much hype here on the Grumble as it is.

I am more concerned with new ideas that will help ME in MY business than I am what the boxes are doing with theirs. Ideas like Jay's about offering framing packages is so much more interesting to me than anything posted about the boxes.

Framerguy
 
I'm not taking sides on this one... but I would like to suggest that, if I were a small inde framer, it would at least be interesting to know how far the BBs are innovating and expanding the technology used to run their business.

And not that this applies to our industry, but I saw this great article on CNN about the beer industry (something else close to my heart
):

66,207,896 bottles of beer on the wall.

There's no way a small brewer could ever compete with that.
 
Steve,

There was a new comedian on late night TV last night and he mentioned the big mistake that the Alkaida would make if they ever bombed St. Louis.

To paraphrase, he said "Boy, if they ever knocked out the Budweiser Brewery in St. Louis, can you imagine the total backlash THAT would have across this country???

There would be a million Rednecks all heading East in their bass boats fully armed and ready to fight!! Those ol' boys in that desert wouldn't have a prayer!!"

(Guess ya had to see the skit to fully appreciate it.)

FGII
 
Hah... then they arrive in the desert and its: "WHAT?!?!? Where's the Wal*Mart?? Where do they git dem ammo over here?"

(I'm allowed to say that, I'm from Georgia
)
 
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