Briarcliff Food Center

Library and Archives Canada: 16mm, 1/4", VHS, Digibeta.
"The film was sponsored by C-I-L to encourage the use of cellophane in in-store packaging in grocery stores. But rather than focus on this sales point, the film presents an extensive over-view of the history and methods of grocery marketing. The focus is the Briarcliffe Food Centre, a supermarket, and its owner Martin Mulloy. We are introduced to the fictional community of Briarcliffe. Three residents go grocery shopping and their purchases are classified as staples or impulse buys. Statistics provided in the film indicate that 43.5% of items are purchased on impulse, and that these are the items which provide the highest profit margin for the owner. A history of the store is provided, starting from a black and white photograph of the original store. Mention is made of the early acquisition of a panel delivery truck (c. 1926); of refrigerated meat and dairy sections (l934); of moving cash registers to the front of the store (1939), with the introduction of self-serve counters. In 1948, Mr. Mulloy re-designed the store using modern equipment and sales theories. The film demonstrates the development of the floor plan to control traffic flow, the choice of non-glare lighting, of appropriate shelving. Various items which are pre-packaged (in cellophane) in-store are illustrated, as well as tours of the sorting, washing and pre-packaging rooms for produce, meat and dry-goods, such as peas, beans, cheese and baked goods. While encouraging the use of cellophane in in-store packaging, the film primarily discusses methods of maximizing impulse purchases in self-serve markets."