146 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



The displaying of living lobsters in a tank is excellent 

 advertising, but it has not been exploited sufficiently. A dis- 

 play tank should be visible from the sidewalk, without re- 

 quiring an observer to enter the store. The modern knowl- 

 edge of how to use artificial sea water makes this possible. 



Consumer wants. Not much thought has been given 

 to how consumers would like lobster to reach them. 



It is probable that women are the principal buyers of 

 lobsters, yet many women are afraid of them and dread to 

 handle them because of the threat of one unplugged claw. 

 Lobsters are now plugged in the big claw, not for the bene- 

 fit of the consumer, but to prevent them from injuring each 

 other. It would be good merchandising to consider the 

 housewife, and secure both claws; also to eliminate the 

 black meat in claws caused by plug infection by using rub- 

 ber bands instead of plugs. 4 



Is there a better way of delivering a fresh lobster than 

 alive? Few kitchens are equipped with lobster shears 

 which make it easy to open the shell, and there must be 

 many a woman who is unskilled in handling a knife to slit 

 open the body and break the claws. Poultry is sold freshly 

 cooked and all cut up, needing only rewarming. Does this 

 suggest any better way of selling a lobster? 



Numerous printed instructions on how to open a lobster 

 have been published, but how often do such instructions 

 reach the buyer? This may mean that there are potential 

 buyers who do not purchase because they are stumped on 

 how to open a lobster. 



Cooperatives. Lobster cooperatives are patterned after 

 farmers' granges, which were established after the Civil War 

 as a fraternal organization to improve farm conditions. The 

 amazing number of 24,000 were formed. The granges un- 

 dertook the purchase of implements and supplies, selling of 

 farm products and operation of grain elevators, ran coopera- 

 tive stores; and even went into banking and the manufacture 

 of farm machinery. Many of them were not truly coopera- 



4 See page 56ft. 



