1*
New Bern housewives, shop
ping for packaged meat at their
favorite super market, have long
yearned to see what both sides
of what they're buying looks
like. Paper trays prevented
that, although not necessarily
to help the butcher's cause.
A new day Is dawning across
the country. Manufacturers of
plastic, transparent trays are
making great gains in their ef
fort to supplant the molded pap
er trays that have been reaping
$80 million a year from super
markets alone. You, of course,
as a meat consumer, pay your
proportionate part of that huge
sum.
You'll pay for the plasttc
trays too, but if you'reask^tl-
cal soul who is su^lcious of
anything concealed you'll prob
ably/ consider it worth the
price. New York City already
requires that meat be visible
from all sides, and similar
"consumer protection" laws
are in the making in California,
Maryland, Pennsylvania and
New Jersey.
Putting the best on top is
nothing new. It has been the
practice of grocers, and farm
ers who peddled their vege
tables and fruits independently,
as far back as any mortal re
members. However, in the old
days before pre-wrapping you
could always take a gander
at what was underneath.
Supermarkets still sell some
fruit and vegetables from open
bins or tables, much to the
satisfaction of the lady of the
house. Such items take a terri
fic beating from feminine shop
pers who welcome the oppor
tunity to pinch tomatoes or
sink a painter finger nail into a
kernel of corn to determine
its quality.
A male may be gullible when
he goes to the store for a supply
of food, but no woman unless
she is a brand new bride or
habitually careless with money
takes anything for granted.
Even so, in her legendary
eagerness for bargains she is
not as alert as she should be
about checking the ounces con
tained in a can or carton.
Merchandising has come a
long way, as far as packaging
is concerned, from the days
when the grocer cut you a dime
slab of cheese, and we do mean
slab, right before your eyes,
and filled your fruit Jar with
molasses drawn from a big
drum in the back of the store.
Remember how you furnished
your own can for kerosene, and
the grocer stuck a small potato
on the end of the spout to keep
you from filling it on the way
home? "New and improved"
soap powders didn't hit the
market every week, and you
wouldn't have given up your
relied on brand if they had.
In fact, not until SO years later
did Old Dutch Cleanser yield to
the times and drop the "old"
from its label.
Some of the best known pro
ducts of yesteryear have long
since gone by the boards, but
a few refused to give up the
ghost. For the life ot us, we
can't decide whether it makes
us feel even more ancient or
younger than ^ringtime to see
today's kids enjoying Mary
Janes and Tootsie Rolls the way
we used to.
When we were growing up,
Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing
(Continued on page 8)
Sffttt Smt4tniiint Clottnl^ pttltlfr Uilirartf
The NEW BERN
PUBLIfHID WIIKLV
IN THI HIART OI>
^0
’aiy
■ 28660 i
VOLUME 11
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1968
NUMBER 17
LOVED TO EAT—^There’s a moral In what happened
He got stranded in the
residence at 2400 Glen-
helpless and hungry until five
S ear old Melody and three year old Matthew came to
iie rescue. Here you see Melody feeding the little
visitor oatmeal from a medicine dropper, while Mat
thew supervises. Everv time Chirpv opened his mouth,
maybe to say *Tm full already,** he was served more
oatmeal, and next morning Jack and his wife Sylvia
found him deceased. Consiaering Matthew too young
and impressionable for the usual funeral arranged
by grieving children, they told their son that Chirpy
had gone away. Matthew, accepted the explanation at
face value, but one thing disturbed the youthful Good
Samaritan. **Why,** the tot wanted to know, “didn*t
he let me see him fly off?**