36 BITLLETIX. 10-44, U. S. DEPAET:\IEXT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



easil}- injured, are heav}' and bulky in relation to value, and since 

 they must in most cases be carried by the purchaser, they constitute 

 more of a problem under self-service. Potatoes, however, are prac- 

 tically a necessity in the average American household, and in spite 

 of the drawback of bulkiness considerable quantities are sold through 

 self-service stores. 



A great deal of difficulty in the handling of fresh fruits and 

 vegetables under the self-serve plan can be overcome by careful 

 buying. The buyer should have in mind the problems arising from 

 the handling of such products and do his buying accordingly. He 

 should buy only those commodities which have been very carefully 

 graded and only those grades which can not be readily confused. 

 Take, for example, oranges, which usually come 96. 100, 126, 150, 176, 

 200, 216, 252. 288, 300, or 32i to the box. It would be an unwise 

 policy on the buyer's part to choose the sizes 176, 200, and 216 for 

 sale at different prices according to the size of the oranges, because 

 it would be almost impossible for the cashier or checker to distinguish 

 the size and make proper charge for those oranges. It would be 

 much better, if he wished to have three sizes, to buy one size around 

 100, one around 200, and one around the 300 size, so that the cashiers 

 and checkers would be able to distinguish readily the different sizes. 



Special attention also should be paid to obtaining a uniform 

 quality throughout any particular grade. The more uniform the 

 cjuality. the less the customers will handle or pick over the mer- 

 chandise, which will, of course, reduce the loss through spoilage or 

 necessary price reductions. 



The grading of fresh fruits and velegtables can be done in the 

 store after they have been purchased, but the proper selection of 

 these products at the time they are bought will help considerably. 

 If little attention is paid to the buying, the products will lack uni- 

 formity, and in regrading at the store it may be difficult to sort 

 them into distinct classes. Unless this can be done loss is likely to 

 "occur, either through the unnecessary handling of the product by the 

 customers or the mistaking of the grade by the cashiers and checkers. 



After the merchandise has been j^roperly graded it should be dis- 

 played in such a manner as to attract the attention of the customer 

 and at the same time to meet the special requirements of the product. 

 Probably the most effective display is by the use of tables or similar 

 unit fixtures, the tops of which may be divided into bins for display 

 of more than one kind of article on the same table. In some instances 

 fresh fruits and vegetables have been put into packages and a sample 

 of the contents displayed. This has proved unsatisfactory, as cus- 



