This month's lead story on the results of Grainger's look into the buying habits of its customers follows a July story on the distributor's efforts to bring a retail look and feel to its branch operations. This is news for PURCHASING readers, not only because of the size and scope of the distributor's operation ($5 billion in annual sales), but also because nearly every MRO buyer has probably ordered items from Grainger at some time or other. In the story, the distributor suggests that MRO buyers take a look at their unplanned purchases and try to organize them into a category for added leverage. It's not a bad idea. Grainger also tells of how its sales force is taking a more consultative approach with its customers to help them optimize their MRO buys. In the same vein, next month, PURCHASING takes a close look at a partnership between an MRO buying operation and its industrial distributors. A feature story will provide readers with more information on the MRO buying strategy in place at the company of one of the magazine's recent MRO champions. Our champions were profiled in our August issue. Look for it in the archives at www.purchasing.com.