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Show NO THUMB ON SCALES Extend Prepackaging to Meat That old caricature of the butcher resting his thumb on the scales as he weighs out the meat soon will vanish completely from the American Amer-ican scene if the trend toward prepackaging pre-packaging of fresh cut meats continues con-tinues at its present pace. Approximately 100 stores across the nation currently are operating their meat departments on that basis, ba-sis, and their cash registers are recording re-cording ample proof that attractive- ' ly cut meat wrapped in cellophane and placed in display cases sells itself it-self as efficiently as a butcher's sales talk could. With the popular cuts of meat in weights most in demand placed in open-top refrigerated cases, the housewife can shop at her leisure and net be compelled to wait her turn in line. From the retail standpoint, stand-point, prepackaging cuts down store overhead and increases turnover. Although so far, prepackaging largely has been confined to retail shops, large chains are becoming more interested in streamlined merchandising mer-chandising plans. One has a meat self-service experiment in operation in about 10 Detroit stores, with the prepackaging done at a central distribution dis-tribution point. At least one local of the Amalgamated Amal-gamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen's union has vetoed the idea of pre-cutting fresh meats, but general opinion among other union local, u that the practice would be a favorable one insofar as it would allow butchers to concentrate on heirskled trade instead of spending spend-ing time serving customers teSf,Tr demand' which "dmit.: tedly takes peculiar turns at times, can nevertheless, be anticipated by analyzing customer buying habits ! would h "' St0akS and chP wooid be cut in several thicknesses! could ;irtuaUy every cust! could pick up exactly the kind and cut of meat he had in mind Experiments have almost wholly d.sproved the theory uhat loss of Personal service ln Dutcner o would result in a decline of 21 Pnnclpaily because attractively Packaged meat display, become an efjecnve .elllng medium |