SELF-SERVING IN RETAILING 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 many articles 
it is almost impossible to write the price so that it can be found 
readily by 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 
