Keeping an Ear to the Ground

Stan Edmundson is a retailer who does his due diligence.

The director of merchandising for Kerr Drug, based in Raleigh, NC, was familiar with ear candling, a process that some users feel can improve balance or hearing. But Edmundson hadn’t yet tried it himself.

That is, until he visited the Expo exhibit booth of White Egret, which markets ear candling products (see photo of Edmundson here).

Edmundson had good reason to want a first-hand experience. He’s busy at this week’s Expo researching products for the company’s new health initiative. The traditional drug store operation will be opening two test stores geared to organics and natural, with the launch date set for Earth Day, April 22. The stores will focus on grocery and supplements.

“There’s a lot of excitement for health-oriented products despite the economy,” he said.

So what did Edmundson think about his ear candling experience?

“I wanted to see what it was all about,” he said. “I’ve never had ear trouble, so this didn’t make me feel any different, not better or worse. But it gave me a sense of the process.”