Evening star., 1952-07-17
Behind the Food PIuns
By WiIliom Hines

Several million American fami-
lies own home freezerS, and find
them the ultimate in convenience.
A relative few who live on farms
find them to be real money savers.
But for the city dweller, the home
freezer is not a necessity of life;
That is the way the Better Busi-
ness Bureaus look at the subject
of home freezerS and the question
of whether to own or not to own
one. Given a reliable freezer, sold
by a reliable merchant and used
by a family that can afford it. the
freezer is likely to give years of
valuable service.
But, the BBBs across the Ma
tion have found, in the so-called
food plan campaigns now being
conducted here and elsewhere, the
dictum "caveat emptor" seems to
prevail. This is the age-old warm
ing-let the buyer beware-that
the Better Business Bureaus are
continually sounding in an ef-
fort to lessen the risk involved in
the perilous business of being an
individual consumer.
The BBBs' national battle is
being waged primarily against the
hustlers who tell families they can
save so much in food that a
freezer won't cost a cent. Any
way you look at it, say the BBBs,
a freezer will cost several hun
dred dollars to buy and at least
a dollar and a half a month in
electric charges to operate.
Food Plan Comment.
About food plans in general,
here are some comments from
Better Business Bureas from coast
to coast:
Los Angeles: "In the course of
investigation, a BBB representa-
tive called one of the food plans
that advertised T-bone steaks at
50 cents a pound. The BBB rep
resentative said he would like to
have 100 pounds of T-bones de-
livered right away at 50 cents a
pound. The food man simply
laughed. When it was pointed
out to him that the advertising
was misleading, he simply laughed
again"
Dallas: "The Bureau is con-
cerned with the prevention of
widespread gyp practices. in
which racket operators have de-
vised numerous schemes to Short
the customer"
Cleveland: Advertisements pre-
senting exaggerated claims of saw
ings in food buying, if it was
tied in with the purchase of food
freezers, rained down on Greater
Clevelanders, as the Cleveland
BBB predicted last month"
Chicago: "Steak. 81 cents a
pound It's baloney. The magic
word wholesale. as so often hap
pens, is again the potent adver-
tising bait. One may not only
buy at wholesale or 'super-whole-
sale but, through savings thus
effected, make the freezer pay for
itself. - Did you ever know of
neutrality-suspicious. could or
did do that?"
nomN RoI;oxn II
Long Beach, Calf: eff some
one tells you the cost of living
can be reduced through buying
wholesale from one of the many
food plans now in operation
don't you believe it."
Hartford, Conn.,: "Some of the
advertising copy we have seen or
heard makes it a little confusing
as to whether the advertiser is
selling food or a freezer since
most of the promotion is directed
to the quantity purchase Of food
and the savings claimed"
Oakland, Calf: Dealers in
frozen fruits and vegetables who
supply the plans tell us that they
try to give 10 per cent off the
retail price E. in quantity buying,
Yet these food plan promoters in
some cases herald their approach
to the consumer with such state
ments as save IS per cent on your