Tobacco Documents Online

BUYING GUIDE Cassette recorders up 150% Sales expected to hit $350 million in 1970; tape volume also soars Time was when only a relatively few Americans owned tape re- corders. 'Most of them were the "hi- fi" hobbyists, who were willing to put up with the need for threading tape from one reel to another ... with the agony of watching tape come spilling out of the machiner,, • in wild disarray because of some malfunction. The dedicated hi-fi aficionados still, for the most part, stay with their open-reel machines. But mil- lions of the more fumble-fingered public have come into the tape re- corder market, as a result of the ad- vent of the cassette-the self-con- tained unit in which tape moves from one reel to the other without need for the user ever to touch the reel or the tape. So ppopu.la,r„ so ubiquitous has the cassette recorder become that indus- try leaders estimate 'U. S. retail vol- ume will reach $350 million in 1970. This would represent an increase of more than 150% over 1969. AAMERICAN DRUGGIST'S most re- cent big ticket survey indicated that more than 1G,000 drug stores car- ried cassette recorders. Nor is the business limited to the recording devices. A cassette re- corder is of no use without cassette tape-and sales of blank tape are expected to exceed $80 million this year. While no one knows for sure- because the market is still in its for- mative stages-what percentage of the business is done by drug stores, guesses by those in the field vary frb+m 151%d to 17%. t , J 13ristol 'Labs has chomd its cash dis- eount policy to 2%-35 days, nst 45 days, based -on date of invoi6i,'retroactive to July 1. •Dn July 1, the ti;ompany had adopted a policy of 2%-15 days, met 30 days. But it reports that'now that we have had a month' s experience behind us, we realize these terms placed an untimely burden on our customers." . Philips Roxane has rescinded a change in wholesaler terms from 1%-30 days to 1%-10 days. "We f ind [the change] will work a consider- able hardship on many wholesalers, " the company said. 'Philips Roxane remains a 20% lii;e at 1%-30 days. " ~ TRADEMARK APPLICATIONS: "Clockwork", for a laxative, by Carter-Wallace..."Bions", for a breath freshener, by Miles Labs...'Medrol Acne Lotion", for a medicated skin prepara- t i on, by Upjohn... "Sucaryl Sugar" , f or a l ow calorie sweetener, by Abbott..."Extra Hours" and "Stay Free", for sanitary napkins, by Johnson & Johnson••.'Second Wind", for keep alert yafers, byBristol-Myers. • . "TeddyBare" , for sun tanning lotion, by Chesebrough-Pond ' s.  An eyeglass re air kit that comes complete with nose and temple comfort pads, temple- tites, replacement screws, precision screw- driver and magnifying glass is being marketed by Evans Case Co. $3•49.  PRODUCTS IN TEST MARKETS: "Shield", a deodorant soap, by Lever Bros..."Vitamite", a vitamin-fortified thirst quencher drink in powder form, by Gold Medal Products... "Help", a drink concentrate for children, by H. J. Heinz..."Vantage" cigarets by Reynolds. I s A_ humidifier with a spout that rotates 130°, enabling users to direct the mist to any desired area, is available from DeVilbiss, Called the "Director", it retails at $17.95. i Igher rp icesz Reversing the trend toward hi M. Hohner, Inc, has reduced the suggested re- l tail price of the "American Ace" harmonica from $1.50 to $1. Buying Guide 0 91