Guardian of the Gullible

The U.S. is, in Adam Smith's phrase, "a people of customers." And in the affluent 1960's the voice of the customer is increasingly being heard and heeded. It is a predominantly feminine voice, since American women buy an estimated 75% of all goods and services. Thus it was a characteristically canny decision on Lyndon Johnson's part not only to decree the new post of Special Presidential Assistant on Consumer Affairs in January 1964 but also to appoint a woman as the first holder of that office. Her name is Mrs. Esther Peterson, and if gimmickry, guff and guile are ever banished from the Eldorado that U.S. industry has created for the shopper, Esther may well go down in history as St. Peterson.

Economy Buy? In her nearly 21 years on the job, grey-haired Mrs. Peterson, 59, has waged unremitting warfare on those manufacturers and retailers who resort to deceptive labeling, packaging and pricing devices. Armed with a slide rule to make her point that every shopper needs one, the "guardian of the gullible," as Mrs. Peterson styles herself, invades supermarkets throughout the nation to document such casuistic come-ons as the "jumbo quart" (exact volume unspecified), the "25-c--off" special (off what?), and the "all-new" product (only the price is). Among her particular betes noires are the "giant-size" box that contains more air than substance and the practice of pricing by fractions, whih forces the consumer to decide between, say, a 1-lb. 4 1/2-oz. can of pineapple chunks at 37-c- and three 15 1/4-oz. cans for 89-c- (which, ounce by ounce, are more expensive than the single purchase).

A onetime schoolmarm from Utah, Mrs. Peterson has crisscrossed the country organizing consumer conferences and censuring petty-minded manufacturers who, in her words, find it "profitable to confuse." The wife of a State Department officer and a mother of four, she does her own shopping, makes a practice of challenging dumfounded clerks to explain which products are the best buys. Denounced at first by the food industry--which has since heeded many of her suggestions--Mrs. Peterson received angry letters addressed to "Mrs. Snoopy." In defense of her mission, she points-out that in contrast to yesteryear's corner grocery, the modern supermarket stocks an average 8,000 items, contends that the citizen's "ability to judge must be aided." She has won high praise from President Johnson, who declared that "through her dedication a new day has dawned for the American consumer."

"Simple Information." Last week the Senate Commerce Committee had nearly completed its study of a "truth-in-packaging" bill that would 1) require "simple, direct, accurate and visible information" on each container about the product's nature and quantity, 2) prohibit use of "deceptively shaped boxes, misleading pictures, confusing or meaningless adjectives, inappropriate size or quantity markings," 3) outlaw promotional devices "that promise nonexistent savings," and 4) institute "reasonable and appropriate weight standards to facilitate comparative shopping." Though pigeonholed since 1963, the bill is given a good chance of passage in an election year.

The Johnson Administration has yet to propose a Department of Consumers to give the buyer Cabinet-level representation along with special interests like agriculture and industry. However, several bills for such an agency have been submitted in recent years, and a House Government Operations subcommittee last week began hearings on the latest, introduced by New York Democratic Representative Benjamin Rosenthal. It has little prospect of approval this year, but if and when the housewife joins the Cabinet, her first ambassador could well be Mrs. Snoopy.

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