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 amer lean ican scene if the trend toward pre packaging of fresh cut meats con finues at its present pace approximately stores across the nation currently are operating their meat departments on that ba sis and their cash registers are recording ample proof that attractive ly cut meat wrapped in cellophane and placed in display cases sells it self as efficiently as a butcher butchers 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 not be compelled to wait her turn in line from the retail 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 mer chan chandis dising mg plans one has a meat self service experiment in operation in about 10 detroit stores with the prepackaging done at a central dis trib ution point at least one local of the amal meat cutters and butcher workmen s union has vetoed the idea of pre cutting fresh meats but general opinion among other union locals is that the practice would be a favorable one insofar as it would allow butchers to concentrate on their skilled trade instead of spend ing time tame serving customers customer demand which admit gedly takes peculiar turns at times can nevertheless be anticipated by analyzing customer buying habits for instance steaks and chops would be cut in several so that virtually every customer could pick up exactly the kind and cut of meat be he had in mind experiments have almost wholly disproved the theory that loss ot of personal service in butcher shops would result in a decline ot of sales principally because attractively packaged meat displays become an effective selling medium in them selves |