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The success of this flat rate payment system, together with the administrative arrangements
has resulted in one being able to record last year that every single child in this area who required
glasses obtained them.
In 1934 we got the only multiple store in existence at the time, to cover in their sweet
counter and fifty lineal feet were put under glass. The glass covered top was carried right to the
back of the goods displayed so that no droppings of dust, with the accompanying bacteria, fall
on the goods. In the majority of exhibits of this nature in Stores and shops (and I spend a
lot of time prying into these things), the top glass slab does not extend far enough back to really
keep the goods displayed clean. In a very large number the top shelf is limited to about 6" or
9" instead of the 20" in the case under discussion.
The Manager reported that from the point of view of display the arrangements were
"very satisfactory" but the actual result was that the sales dropped by 26% right through the
sweet department although wrapped bar chocolates which were displayed on the top of the glass
case showed an increase in the sales of 75%.
With regard to biscuits, at my request they tried to decrease the sale of loose biscuits,
and increase the number of packeted varieties. At that time they had only mild success with
two varieties, namely cream crackers and ginger nuts. Six of the best sellers were selected
and packeted, and put in front, the bulk of the display being immediately behind on the counter.
The sales dropped 50% and 40% as compared with the same displays of loose biscuits.
It must be borne in mind that these multiple stores have a totally different problem to
deal with from the point of view of cleanliness, to the ordinary shop. Whereas the ordinary
shop has nothing but potential customers coming in for some specific article, the multiple stores
are thronged with numbers of people, and particularly children, who have no definite idea of
making any purchase at all. The older people come in to have a look round and see if there
is anything they may want, and the children very often out of curiosity.
Various kinds of coverings were used at my suggestion. Cellophane windows, afterwards
complete cellophane, but the results were little better than the completely opaque coverings. Six
varieties were prepared in both coverings. The ordinary packing sold as before, but the cellophane
was a complete failure. However, in the interests of hygienic trading the experiments
were persisted in and now the packeted varieties have been increased to 30, although these are
responsible for only 15% of the volume of trade of the whole department. The packeted
biscuit section occupies the premier counter position. The only other way we found we could
cover in biscuits was to have them displayed in the original 7 lb. tin with a plate glass cover which
just fitted the tin. The firm are anxious to win the public over to the sale of the packeted
biscuit as not only is the packet ideal from a health point of view, but it is also of great interest
to the vendor as this method of sale involves no waste whatsoever.
One of the other big multiple stores in the district has put in an extremely well constructed and
efficient glass covered and fronted stall for the sale of biscuits, many of which are chocolate
covered. It would be thought that this effort to keep the food clean and wholesome would be
appreciated by the purchasers. Not a bit! The District Surveyor of the firm in question rang
me up one day to inform me of their difficulty. The matter was so important that I went down
to the Store and had a long conference with him. The position was illuminating and made one
wonder what the intelligence of our British public really is. I was shown the cash receipts of
all the stores of the firm in the neighbourhood of this district and as far round as the north of
London, where they had not, so far, attempted to cover in the biscuits in this manner. Whereas
during the previous year the receipts had increased steadily in all the surrounding stores to a
very material extent, in the store in our district where they had got the best arrangement for
keeping the display clean and wholesome, not only had the receipts not increased but they had
materially decreased. Such is the encouragement to a firm who has spent a considerable amount
of money in trying to conform with the desires of the Health Department and at the same time
make its display more attractive.
I make a point of going round the various towns to see how these things are dealt with.
I went over during the Christmas Holiday to a neighbouring town where biscuits are quite
uncovered, and stood, as I usually do, and watched for a considerable period, the way the public
re-acted. Here, during the Bank Holiday period, the biscuits were all open to dust and dirt
blowing about, but what made me furious was the way in which people, particularly old people,
coughed with hearty liberality all over the biscuits, or sneezed with colds that were rife at that
period of the year, and yet any effort to try and keep the biscuits clean and wholesome is very
nearly defeated by the public.
The second firm referred to rang me up because they felt that the loss they were incurring
was such that they must revert to their previous open method of selling biscuits, open but unhygienic.
I finally induced them to give the glass case a further three months' trial. It is a
lamentable thing to see the splendid efforts of the people providing food for the British people
defeated by the utter lack of intelligence of those whom they are trying to help.
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