Even before arriving at his new Abbott Road office as store director, Vinson began preparing for the Feb. 20 opening. Nearly four months ago, he started coordinating efforts to debut the new store, which typically stocks more than 225,000 food, apparel and general merchandise items.

As Fred Meyer finishes its opening preparations timeline, a similar countdown is under way in Fairbanks where Home Depot is set to open Feb. 28.

Fourteen weeks before the February Fred Meyer opening, Vinson began hiring department managers, including some employees new to the retail industry while others transferred from Fred Meyer stores or other retailers. The store will employ 320 workers with about 60 percent full-time employees, Vinson said.

For some of the experienced retail staff, landing a job at a new store fulfills an objective.

"Their goal is to open a store," he said.

Vinson has helped open other Fred Meyer stores in Portland, Ore. In 1997 he moved to Alaska to serve as Juneau store director. In 2000 he was chosen to lead the Dimond Boulevard store in Anchorage.

On the countdown with nine weeks to go, Vinson dispatched workers to clean floors among other duties.

Hiring the remainder of the staff began eight weeks before the store's grand opening. Fred Meyer worked with the Anchorage Job Center to recruit applicants during a three-week process, he said.

With five weeks left, employee training began, including orientation plus cash register and telephone lessons. Meanwhile, contractors installed shelves and departments took shape.

In late January workers began stocking the shelves of the new store.

One challenge to opening a new store is planning for shipping times, which in Alaska can be up to six days longer than in the Lower 48, Vinson said.

Depending on the size of the store, stocking initial inventory can range from 150 to 350 trailer loads, said Curt Stoner, Alaska sales manager for Totem Ocean Trailer Express.

Two, three and sometimes four weeks before a store opens, the retailer is ordering merchandise to replenish stocks, Stoner said, including the new Fred Meyer store.

With nine days to go, Vinson and his crew were on schedule, fine-tuning the setup and installing a few final fixtures.

"At this point we're buttoning it up," he said.

Perishable products like produce, meat and bakery items, however, would not arrive until arrive Feb. 17, three days before opening, Vinson said.

The 179,000-square-foot, $25 million Fred Meyer store will include design features new to the retailer and Anchorage. Cherry-wood decor accents check-out stand dividers and shelves, contributing to what Vinson called an upscale look. The magazine and books section will offer a seating area, while the paint department will include a service seating area.

Alaskans will see other differences in the chain's ninth Alaska store and fourth in Anchorage. Changes include a self-service shoe department and a kitchen for cooking demonstrations. Also, instead of building materials the store will have expanded home decor, furniture, storage and garden sections.

Two tenants with inside entrances are Alaska USA Federal Credit Union and Vista Optical. Other tenants, Papa Murphy's Take 'N Bake Pizza, Cafe del Mundo and Perfect Look hair salon, will have outside entrances.

Store director Vinson believes his main role is to encourage and lead employees. "I'm kind of like the glue that holds everybody in place," he said.

He delegates some tasks to department managers with whom he meets daily at 1 p.m. Vinson also endeavors to lift morale which can falter during hectic pre-opening preparations.

"Just have fun at what you do. That's what I tell them every day."