Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 19, 1972, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnic fat miss miday. May 19, 1972 Goff tables consumer demands hurting business by John Mcmanus free press Sulf writer h. Bruce Palmer of new York said the fact that there is a Border does not Divide the two countries on the Issue of consumerism. He said consumerism is a Mutual concern and those who speak for governments or con j Sumers reveal a frightening Prospect for every businessman in the country. Or. Palmer president of the Council of better business bureaus inc., spoke at the first annual meeting of better Busi Ness Bureau of Canada at the Northstar inn thursday. The Man who has been called one of America s great business statesmen said his travels had resulted in cries of consumer alienation discord in the marketplace doubt suspicion and outright hostility to Ward the free Enterprise sys tem the right of redress. It All adds up to consumerism in big bold letters. Lie told the inaugural meeting of the Canadian organization that most manufacturers and marketers had foreseen shifts in the consumer attitude and had put their houses in order in the mid sixties. Some were natural evolutionary changes from listening to their customers. Others had to be forced through Ralph Nader and others but in almost every recent incidence of customer dissatisfaction business has received the Black Eye even when the manufacturer is honestly trying to serve the he said business has not been guiltless. But the lines of communication Between business business is govt. A panel discussion at the an Nual meeting of the Bette business Bureau of Canad thursday at the Northstar inn was not the classic but the common confrontation. It was business versus gov eminent with government re presented by Al Mackling Man i t o b a s attorney general an minister of consumer and corporate affairs and Blair be born assistant Deputy minister of the Federal department of con Sumer and corporate affairs. Business respondents were a g. Finnboga Sori a foods merchandising manager in the Winnipeg area for Eaton s of Canada and w. D. Archbold vice president of marketing for 1m Perial Oil Ltd. Or. Mackling said the Public today demands consumer regu lations and it is up to the gov eminent to respond to this de Mand. Rules of the game must be updated to meet the real need of All concerned and that i All of he he said this could Only be accomplished by the passage o regulatory Law which provide for constant surveillance of tin Law and its provisions. Or. Mackling said the Provin Cial government was not inter ested in impeding truly progressive legislation for the sole Pur pose of preserving parochial authorities. On the other hand the min business Bureau Laudett Conde g. Maiden president of the John Inglis company limited said thursday the for mation of the new better Busi Ness Bureau of Canada will ensure All elements of Canadian society that Canadian business is aware of it responsibilities and has taken Steps to meet them. He spoke at the founding meeting of the held at the Northstar inn Winnipeg. Or. Maiden said business must unite to provide a National voice that will inform the pub Lic of its proper role in society its contributions to the Well be ing of Canada and canadians and How effectively it is meet ing its collective responsibilities. He said the new association has the support of top level business. It will present a cohesive National voice devoted to High ethical standards in the Market place and work towards eliminating the causes of Public Dis he said. Or. Maiden said the contributions of business in terms of consumer satisfaction Are greater than critics concede but that dissenters get the head lines. By concentrating firepower on firms that fail to meet nor Mal expectations they under mine Public Faith in the system of free he said that critics including those that find the issues a convenient bandwagon for politics level unfair and exaggerated charges against business Gener ally rather than the dishonest few and effectively under mine the Confidence Between buyer and seller that must exist in an orderly and mutually satisfactory Toronto men fill top posts c e d r i c a. Edson retiring president of the better business Bureau of Canada said thurs Day it had been an exciting experience to play a part in a program which has culminated in the most important even to the history of or. Edson manager of the Winnipeg Bureau was succeeded As president by w. D. Ardell of Toronto. A. D. Archbold also of Toronto was named chairman. Carne h. Bray of Toronto was elected vice chair Man along with ,1. L. Dutil of j Montreal. Leonard Woolsey another Toron Lorian was elected Secretary treasurer. The first annual meeting of the organization was held at Ihn Northstar inn Isler said we will not neglect our provincial responsibilities to be innovative and exploratory in any Field that commands our immediate and pressing Atten Tion Manitoba is unique in the depth and capacity of its con Sumer legislation and i believe it is the Best in or. Seaborn said there was very useful complementary of activity Between Manitoba and he also said that perfect Competition never existed in the consumer Field and due to the Quantity and variety of goods offered to Consumers today it is impossible for a consumer to make a rational Choice with out careful legislation on the part of governments. Or. Seaborn said How much regulation and what kind is the real Issue today. If More could be done by the better business Bureau there would be less need for government Legisla Tion. Or. Archbold came out pointedly against government regu lation and said we need Dia Logue to get marketplace prob lems into prospective. Regulation should be in the marketplace not of the Market place. We must recognize that each of us is a buyer and seller and that All of us Are govern or. Finnbogason who has been in the retail Field for 33 years said the three largest re Tail companies in Canada that have survived with notable Suc Cess were not successful be cause of government regulation. Do we have to have Over he asked. And consumer have not been open. The consumer does not feel business is responsive to his needs his wants and his yearnings As Well As his com plaints or. Palmer said. It has been said that we have filled the physical needs of the people but failed to fulfil their expectations. Perhaps some of the things that have been bothering Young people have begun to bother their parents. For it is obvious that the new consumer is not Only setting standards for products 2nd performances he is also setting environmental and social standards for business. As a result is can see a new consumer consciousness extending into the marketplace a new system of values which is triggering rising con Sumer the speaker said one thing is Clear. Unless business Moni tors these changes and re sponds with the Way people Are thinking our whole free Enterprise system is he said marketing which is the Basic mechanism of the sys tem stands in very delicate balance and there May be the first full scale consumer revolt in North american history and sponsored by the United states government. There is Little doubt this will be remembered As the decade of the consumer. Social gains really can t be separated from economic gains because the gains must be bought at the Cost of higher taxes. Re alignment of National priorities and reduction of con Sumer spending will not happen unless we Are willing to pay higher prices. Simple economics Tell us a company that spends Money on other than products and services will ultimately increase its costs or reduce its service. It must then charge More for products or go Cut of the marketing expert said. He said it is obvious con Sumer tolerance has reached an upper level with contests that Don t really contest discounts that Don t discount Miracle products that Are not miraculous and new features that Are nothing More than a rehash of existing products. Consumers want the truth they want guidance they want knowledge. They want sufficient facts to judge products on their merits their serviceability and their he said business is about 15 per cent through the decade of the 70s and the foundations of the free Enterprise system Are being challenged not by China Russia and not by minorities. In this turbulent Era of history when nearly every major institution has been challenged business has largely escaped. But now business is being challenged not by employees or stockholders but by its customers. We have now come face to face with the tide of rising consumer expectations. Perhaps what 1 am saying is that the same sense of con science we expect of producers should also be expected of con Sumers because we Are one Ami the same. Council of better Busi Ness bureaus accepts the Chal Lenge of helping make the North american consumer the Wisest and toughest in the world and to make our business men the most responsive to their Halifax up there was a. Difference when Harold judge retired recently after almost a Quarter Century on his parcel delivery route in suburban Fairview. Customers along Bis route got together to make a presentation in appreciation for judge s Friendly service. About 125 customers contributed to a Cash award and a framed sea scape. 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