DIY Market Outlook Looks Promising

Over-the-counter sales is "an up-and-coming business," says Tom Klein, president of Professional Pest Control Products, Atlanta, Ga. He should know - he sells pest control products retail to DIYers as well as to the pest control industry. "Several of my PCO customers have their own little retail operations," he notes. "It’s the best of both worlds for them: if the can’t sell service, they sell product. And if the product fails, the customer will come back and buy (our) service."

The DIY market, he adds, is here to stay: too many people aren’t home weekdays and too many PCOs don’t provide service on weekends. Plus, there’s the cost factor. Although homeowners and apartment managers can drop by their local hardware store for bug spray and other products, they want more - the kind of guidance Klein provides. His PCO son offers advice - on site if necessary - while safety and proper application techniques are emphasized by in-store personnel. Goggles and gloves are on sale, and there is even a department devoted to non-chemical control techniques, although it’s not particularly popular among homeowners - yet.

"Not everyone wants service, and we fill that void," he says. Klein has been so successful in filling that void that he recently opened a second store in Orlando, Fla., to meet increased market demand.

Barry Glass, president of Big Apple Pest Control in New York City is another PCO who recognized the profit potential of retail sales. Several years ago, Glass envisioned a DIY center designed "to serve the public." It took a little time for he and wife Nora to get the business started because people didn’t associate pest control with product sales, but now profits are up and business is good. "When customers call, we give them the options," he says. "We provide literature and advice in the store, and if they can’t handle the problem on their own, then we’ll send a technician."

The company’s retail operation features an extensive product line. "We don’t sell concentrates to the general public," Glass observes. "We have to be careful. The DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) checks us often, since we are right here in the public eye and they can walk in anytime.

Big Apple, like any successful pest control retailer, maintains a high community profile. A master publicist, Glass as been quoted in the New York Post and appeared on ABC’s 20/20 newsmagazine. And as every successful entrepreneur knows, publicity and good will is essential to the success of any retail operation.