As stated earlier, very few of those interviewed had received

 the styrofoam container, so no firm conclusions can yet be drawn

 comparing it with the crate or carton. One retailer in Philadelphia

 and two each in Boston and Detroit had received celery in the styro-

 foam carton. Their observations were that product arrival condition

 was excellent and superior to any other container. However, several

 complained that the empty styrofoam carton was bulky, took up more

 room in the retail store, and was more trouble to dispose of. One

 retailer also stated that it is more difficult to stack and handle.

 All were concerned that the cost of that container might also be

 higher than crates or waxed cartons.


 Product Characteristics

 A large portion of the executive interviews in the wholesale-

 retail phase of the celery marketing study was concerned with trade atti-

 tudes and opinions toward the particular characteristics of Florida celery.

 Those interviewed were asked for their evaluation of color, leaves, com-

 pactness, rib size, and quality of pack of Florida celery, and then asked

 to compare the Florida product with California celery on each of those

 points. Evaluations and comments from 19 retailers and three full-service

 wholesalers, who provide storage, merchandising and other services to

 smaller retailers, are discussed in this section.

 Color


 The color of Florida celery and its comparison with the California

product generated considerable response from retail personnel. Of the

22 responding, 12 stated that Florida celery generally is more green in