SELF-SEEVING IN EET AILING FOOD PRODUCTS. 29 



cle itself or on a small sticker that can be put on the article. There 

 are special machines made for this purpose that print the price on 

 a perforated, gummed sticker. This sticker may also carry the 

 store's identification mark if desired. In opening up a case of goods 

 to be placed on the shelves, the desired number of stickers can be 

 run off on the machine and then put on the articles as they are taken 

 from the case. This is the most satisfactory way of marking the 

 individual items, as it not only makes a good appearance but helps 

 to identify the article as being purchased at that particular store. 

 Another advantage of this method over marking the price with pen- 

 cil is that when price changes are made, another figure can be placed 

 over the old price, whereas when marked with a pencil the old price 

 has to be either erased or crossed out and the new one written on, 

 which detracts from the appearance of the article. On manj^ articles 

 it is almost impossible to write the price so that it can be found 

 readily b}^ either the customer or the cashier. 



The chief advantage of using a single price tag to apply to a 

 number of articles of the same kind or grade is the saving of time 

 effected over writing the price on the individual articles. Time is 

 saved when the articles are first placed on the shelves, when any 

 change in price is made, and at the cashier's desk. When a price 

 change is made and a number of articles on which the change is 

 made are on the shelves, the first method discussed involves the 

 changing of many prices, while this method involves the changing 

 of only one price. At the cashier's desk a considerable amount of 

 time in the aggregate is involved in hunting for the price on each 

 article. It might be thought that the cashier and checker would 

 become so familiar with the prices that they would not have to 

 look on the article for the price, but this is not as true as might be 

 supposed. In the second place, the cashier and checker rely on this 

 marking to determine the changes, and through force of habit will 

 look for the price even on articles of which they know the price. 

 Also, they might, if they should rely upon their memory, overlook 

 price changes recently made, because under this method they are 

 not necessarily informed of the changes. 



The location of the group price tag is an important matter. The 

 most common method is to place it on the edge of the shelf, as rep- 

 resenting the goods on that shelf. But the customer does not always 

 know that the tag represents the price of the goods immediately 

 above, and when the goods on the shelf below are of such size or piled 

 in such a way as to bring them near the bottom of the shelf above, 

 there is likely to be confusion. The most satisfactory way is to sus- 

 pend the tag from the shelf or cabinet so that its location will be' 

 immediately in front of the articles it represents. One method used 

 is to hang the tags on a fine wire across the face of the shelves or 



