Joseph Goldberg, curtains and drapery buyer,
shows hoxv cellophane pre-packaged curtains are
displayed to customers. Note the full flowing
curtain draped for easy inspection. Hearn’s is
converting its entire store to cellophane packag
ing, using techniques devised by Olin Cellophane.
chine in the store itself, as is the case both at
Bamberger’s and Hearn’s. Bamberger’s found that
increased sales in a single department, layette,
paid for the complete store-wide installation, in
cluding bag-making and bag-sealing equipment.
Hearn’s has added a development of its own, a
mobile sealing unit placed on a caster-equipped
table which rolls anywhere in the store. Thus
merchandise may be wrapped at self-service sales
areas, or at the receiving room, whichever is more
convenient.
At Bamberger’s, many items are packaged and
sealed with cellophane tape by sales people at the
selling areas. Sales people save much time through
the easier "housekeeping” and added sales stimulus
of cellophane packaging, Olin Cellophane found.
Mrs. Martin, who directs Hearn’s cellophane
wrapping operation said, "The mobile sealer unit,
equipped with extra bags in several widths, lets
us keep sales areas spruced up at all times, thus
sharply reducing soilage.”
Hearn’s soon will add a marking device to its
heat sealer. Merchandise then can be inserted,
sealed and automatically ticketed in one operation
in the same amount of time usually taken for
marking alone.
At that time, said Mrs. Martin, Hearn’s plans
to centralize its entire receiving, cellophane pack
aging, sealing and marking operation in a single
area, still retaining the mobile sealer and ticketer
for on-the-floor needs.
Many of Hearn’s departments already have per
manently added cellophane packaging.
Joseph Goldberg, buyer of curtains and drap
eries, said the Olin Cellophane packaging program
is the best merchandising aid he has encountered
in his years of department store experience. He
displayed cellophane-packaged curtains vertically
for better eye-appeal than is possible with the
usual flat display of this merchandise, and found
that sales increased substantially.
Jewelry buyer Marilyn Dick reported the new-
type packaging has three major assets. Fitted as
an over-wrap over costume jewelry and similar
items, it adds sparkling eye-appeal, protects the
items from dust and reduces pilferage losses of
individual pieces practically to the vanishing point.
Hearn’s officials believe these same advantages
apply equally to all types of flat-boxed goods.
In the layette department, related items ranging
from safety pins to blankets are packaged together
in cellophane, then displayed vertically on a wall
fixture This has been found to spark multiple
sales.
Children’s sleep suits also are packaged in cello
phane, sized according to age and weight of the
children. This ingenious sizing system was worked
out by Hearn’s to permit easiest possible refer
ences by self-selection customers. The package is
ticketed with the accepted size identification, and
a wall fixture chart relates each size to age and
weight.
This chart also is employed in selling cello
phane-wrapped men’s pajamas. A sign at eye level
matches size with measurements of chest, shirt
size and weight.
It also has been proven that sales increase for
many non-soft goods when cellophane is added.
In the slipper department, sales increased and
soilage, scuffing and mis-mate losses were reduced
by more than fifty per cent when each pair of
slippers was sealed into a cellophane bag.
Throughout, Hearn’s uses the system of having
an un-packaged sample, which permits the custo
mer to examine goods closely.