28 BULLETIN 1044, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
ment are obvious, as the customer is required to carry purchases to 
the cashier's desk at the exit. 
The display of merchandise will be dealt with here only in so far 
as it is a means of identifying merchandise. Such articles as rice, 
beans, dried fruits, and many other bulk goods are usually put up in 
paper bags by the dealer before they are put on the shelves or tables 
for sale. That the customer may know exactly what he is buying, 
both as to quality and grade, it is almost imperative that he see the 
article itself, or a sample of the article. Any description that the 
dealer might place upon the package would not fully identify the 
goods. If every customer knew the exact quality of the articles car- 
ried and had complete confidence in the dealer, such an identification 
might suffice. But, unfortunately, this condition does not usually 
exist. 
Some method must be used by which the customers may see the 
goods or a sample of the goods. The use of " window " bags is not 
practicable because of the expense involved and the lessened dura- 
bility of the container. The only satisfactory means yet devised is 
the display of a sample which exactly corresponds, in both grade and 
quality, to the merchandise in the packages. This is usually done by 
suspending from the shelf above a small container having a trans- 
parent face. It is so made that the sample that it contains can be 
readily changed. Care should be exercised in placing the samples so 
that there will be no mistake as to the commodity represented. It is 
advisable to divide the shelves into sections of only sufficient size to 
hold the desired number of packages of any one commodity, or any 
one grade of that commodity. 
PRICE DISPLAY. 
All merchandise for sale in a self-serve store should be so marked 
that the customer will have no difficulty in determining the price. 
This can be done by marking the individual articles, or by having a 
price tag for each different kind or grade of article, so placed that 
there can be no misconception in regard to the article to which the 
price relates. 
The main advantage of marking each article is that there can be 
no question as to its price and the cashier or checker at the exit does 
not have to remember it. This reduces the possibility of argument 
between the employees and the customers, thereby saving time and 
reputation, and also aids in the accuracy of the work at this point. 
But there are numerous disadvantages in this method, the greatest 
being the labor involved in marking the packages. This requires as 
much time, if not more, than is used in putting the articles on the 
shelves. The marking is usually done by pencil, either on the arti- 
