The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1962-04-05
Behind the Scenes
In american
Business
k, Reunojos Kn;obf
BY Reynolds Knight

The nations toy manuIdctur-
ers, armed with a host OF
exotic new wares and huge
promotion budgets, are pre-
dieting a record year for sales
this year.
New retail outlets and year
round advertising are expect
ed to boost sales well beyond
last years near-record $3.50
million, industry spokesman
say. Toy advertising tradl-
tjonally has been concentrat-
ed in the weeks just before
Christmas, but there is an ac-
celebrating trend to keeping
toy demand lively II months
of the year. In addition, the
expansion of outlets from de-
partment stores and retail
shops to drug stores, discount
houses, supermarkets and the
Ike created an 1875 per cent
jump in toy shipments IN
1861, the highest rate of in
crease since 1858.
Despite the larger ad bud
gets and longer ad schedules
this year, the toy makers still
face serious problems that
could damage sales.
Pressure from consumer
groups has risen steady in
resistance to hard-sell TV
promotions of high-priced
toys on children's shows; bu-
siness groups have become
irate over some of the pro-
motior,al techniques employ
ed by the manufacturers; and
retailers, facing stiff compe-
tition from a vast number of
new toy outlets, are embit-
tered by the loss of sales and
customers.
SOUND SCRUBBING
High-frequency sound waves
have moved from aerospace
industry laboratories into
hospitals as a result of a new
development = a coLveyor-
lied sonic energy system that
automatically cleans surgical
instruments and other hospi-
tai utensils.
Ire new system, developed
by the Pioneer-C Central Divi-
sion of the Bendix Corpora
tor, uses high-frequency
sound waves directed through
a cleaning solution to remove
soil and dirt particles from
hospital hardware. 1t has SO
per cent cleaning efficiency,
compared with 60 per cent
efficiency for 9f mechanical
cleaning methods, according
to a division spokesman.
Instruments are placed in
a tray, which is then auto
matically run through a four
cycle cleaning operation that
consists of pre-rinsir.g sonic
cleaning, post-rinsing and
drying. A special germicidal
formula is introduced into
the process during the sonic
cleaning cycle to provide "a
massive reduction of bacter-
ia"
Sonic cleaning techniques
were first used by aerospace
companies. in critical clean
ing jobs that couldn't be
handled efficiently by mar
ual methods. The adaptation
of the technique to hospitals
sharply reduces cleaning time
and instrument impurities.
The new device can clean
in five minutes a tray of in
struments that would take
so minutes to clean by hand.
SPRING HARBINGER =
Easter is a time for spring
finery and the wearing of the
seasons best for most of us;
for retailers, it is a season
when the cash register is
ajingle with Increased consul
mer sales. This year, if the
current sale of Easter greet
ing cards is any indication,
retailers can afford to be OPP
tismistic. This, at least, is
the conclusion of one spokes-
man for Hallmark Cards, who
that card sales are
showing a healthy Increase
this year.
Easter card sales have more
than doubled since 1850, the
greeting card manufacturer
pointed out. In addition, East
er has jumped into a position
second only to Christmas as
a gift-exchange holiday - a
that has rot only adj
ded volume to the sale of
Hallmark's gift paper and
ribbon but has spurred the
sale of flowers, candy and a
host of other traditional gift
items also, tire spokesman
said.
More intensive and imagi-
naive retail merchandising
practices are among the ir.-