Damascus Do It Best Hardware

Justin & Alison Biery run a Do It Best hardware store in Ohio that, until a few weeks ago, did not have a point-of-sale system. Every customer left with a handwritten invoice or receipt.

This is how the business has run since Justin's father started it, but it stopped working when Justin looked at where his business needed to go next.

When pen and paper stopped working

Customers wanted online payments, Do It Best was offering more integrations, and other members were discussing the future of their technology. None of this would run on a paper invoice book.

"We were going to get left in the dust if we didn't do something. It was just trying to get up with the times, getting more efficiency in the office, and making things simpler here around the store."

There was no single moment of crisis. There was a slow recognition that the future of an independent hardware store, especially one inside a buying group like Do It Best, was going to require something the invoice book could not become.

How Justin found Rundoo

Justin had taken a meeting with another vendor that Do It Best works with about a year before he heard of Rundoo. But two things held him back. First, they wanted a three year contract. Second, he spoke with other Do It Best members on the system and heard bad news. Bugs that had not been worked out. Overseas support that was unresponsive.

"I wasn't willing to commit to a three-year contract with all the issues at hand."

When another member recommended Rundoo, Justin continued his research. The pitch that landed was not a feature list, but a company that seemed like a true partner. A smaller company, no contract, and real people that would work with him.

"It was also appealing dealing with a somewhat smaller company that offered good support."

Live by noon

The Rundoo team came out to Ohio for the go-live. The staff at Damascus Hardware had closed out the night before as a pen-and-paper operation. They opened the next morning ringing transactions on Rundoo, and were up to speed by lunch.

"It was absolutely seamless. We've only been on it for just over a week. We've had zero issues. By noon the first day all the employees were getting the hang of it. It's been flawless ever since."

The thing that surprised Justin was not the software. He had expected a learning curve. What he had not expected was the response time when one of his staff hit a question.

"Just the responsiveness. There was always an answer provided, with a clear explanation of how to work through it."

Half the time at the counter

A week in, Justin can already name a number.

"I would say it's cut the time of a transaction in half."

The store runs a service-heavy customer base, so transaction time varies. But the variable that changed is the same one in every visit. Lines on a paper invoice, written by hand, replaced by a barcode scanner.

The customers noticed before anyone asked.

"They're all noticing the change. They comment on how much more efficient it is getting in and out of the store. Having the capability to scan the bar codes, ringing big transactions quicker. We've had a lot of positive feedback from our customer base."

The invoice book is in a drawer and the barcode scanner is on the counter. Whatever comes next from Do It Best or his customers, Damascus Hardware now runs on a system built to keep up.