The White Falcon - 22.09.1995, Page 2

NEX serves customer needs with renovations
By J02 David W. Crenshaw
“Where shopping is a pleasure” may be
the motto of many retail stores, but during
a major renovation, shopping is anything
but. When stores are as abundant as dol-
lars, the obvious choice is to close the
doors and reopen with a brand new look.
But when the store is the only game in
town, the sole choice becomes working
around the customers and have the cus-
tomers shop around the work.
According to Sam Word, Keflavfk’s
Navy Exchange (NEX) officer, the latter
has proven to be the solitary alternative
since renovations began earlier this year.
“The construction should result in a bet-
ter organized, better balanced place to
shop with a greater selection,” explained
Word.
Most obvious will be an all-new look to
the store. “Formerly, the store had a big
barn-like atmosphere that looked like
Kmart in the 1970s, and we’re going to
break that up,” he said. “We’ll still have
the same high overhead in the store, but
there will be a visual break.” For instance,
there will be a wall behind the jewelry
counter that will face you.
Other moves are also planned. Located
upstairs will be sporting goods, hardware
and an outdoor shop. Toyland will also
move out of the air terminal and relocate
to the top floor of the main store. Word
noted that the electronics, tapes, compact
discs and computer supplies have already
made the move to new spaces downstairs.
Many clothing lines will be expanded.
The most noticeable changes will be in
men’s and children’s clothing and ladies’
lingerie, according to Word. However,
expanding some things in finite spaces
means that others must shrink, such as the
giftware section.
“We need a mix of the basics,” explained
Word. “There are many people on the
base who would prefer that giftware be
maintained or expanded. It’s very prof-
itable, and we’ll keep those type areas to
offset the areas where there is low profit,
like toothpaste and aspirin.”
As the NEX strives toward the perfect
mix, Word pointed out that most giftware
There is always room for one more
items are still available through the NEX
Catalog.
Some of the exchange’s services will all
be moved. “We’re going to demolish th
Cash Cage,” Word reported. Check cash-
ing will be relocated to the customer ser-
vice center in the back of the store.
Layaway, special orders, catalog sales,
returns, refunds and exchanges will also be
taken care of at the customer service cen-
ter. Photo services will also be moved.
Word noted that all good things come
with a price, and that these renovations
were no exception. “Between now and the
grand reopening on Nov. 3, customers will
still have to endure a few growing pains.
The price of the progress here is having to
put up with the uncertainty of knowing
where something is,” he said. “The easy
solution to that is to ask the nearest store
personnel where it is. It may have been
moved upstairs temporarily or across the
store from where the item was previously
located,” he added.
Layout maps of the store will be avail-
able on Nov. 3.
m
By Chaplain Curtis D. Wallace
The way his mouth formed into the shape of a huge Cheerio
and the way his face turned radish-red told me he hadn’t exactly
taken what I had said the way I meant it. The manner in which
he leaned forward in his chair also suggested he was either ready
to fall on his face or lunge at me.
What had riled him so was that I had just finished uttering the
statement, “There’s always room for one more.” It caught him
off guard - the way water going down the wrong pipe does. But,
as far as I was concerned, it was the truth and I told him so.
Like most people who are invited to church but don’t attend,
this man had his favorite reason. He skipped the usual excuses
like it is boring, they ask for money, and it is the only time to
sleep in. This gentleman went straight for the coup de grace,
which contains an undeniable truth about the true nature of any
church. Looking me in the eye the way a gunslinger would eye a
tin-horned sheriff, he stated, “The reason I don’t go to church is
because it’s full of hypocrites.” I immediately responded, “Well,
there’s always room for one more.”
I’m glad he wasn’t sipping on his coffee just then because I was
sitting right in the middle of his spray pattern. It was obvious our
interpretations of the meaning of church were different. To him
a church was a place phony people got together and tried to
outdo one another in piousness. I’ve always seen a church as the
best place on earth for hypocrites, drunkards, fornicators, sinners
and the like because it lets us know there is real hope for some-
thing better in life. Church is that place all of us imperfect peo-
ple go to find strength and healing. So, it seemed right and prop-
er that this imperfect man should be just as welcomed as any
other imperfect person.
I know a wise man who once said that even if a perfect church
did exist, it would cease to be perfect the moment we joined it.
As for me, I’m glad a spiritual hospital does exist for all of us who
are less than perfect.

Commander, Iceland Defense Force Rear Adm. Stanley W. Bryant t3p Deputy Commander, Iceland Defense Force Col. David L. Lay
Commanding Officer, NAS Keflavfk Capt. W. Robert Blake Jr. Commander, 85th Group Col. Stephen H. Spencer Chief of Staff, Fleet Air Keflavfk Capt. Walter C. Spearman Jr. Command Chaplain Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital Keflavfk Cmdr. Michael A. Walsh Capt. John A. Mitas 11
dx uilfe paLcot) Public Affairs Officer Lt. Vince Broome Deputy Public Affairs Officer Fri6|>6r Kr. Eydal Leading Chief Petty Officer JOC Dave Marr Editor JOl(AW) B. Natalie Dias Staff JOl Kevin A. Mills Tech. Sgt. Michael J. Chatfield YN2 Pearlette Pitts YN2 Ronald J. Lema Administrative Assistant Ingveldur Sigurj6nsd6ttir The White Falcon is printed by the NAS Keflavfk Print Plant. Photo processing is provided by Fleet Imaging Command Detachment Keflavfk. The White Falcon is an authorized, government-funded weekly pub- lication of the Public Affairs Office, Iceland Defense Force. Contents of The White Falcon are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Iceland Defense Force. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, mar- ital status, physical disability or any other non-merit factor. The deadline for story submissions is noon Monday for the following week of publication. "Die White Falcon is located in Bldg. 936. The telephone extension is 4612 or 6492.
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