The present invention relates to paperboard boxes, and more particularly to shipping cartons convertible into bulk display bins.
The packaging of an item of merchandise is often a significant part of the total unit cost of the item, especially when they are relatively small and inexpensive. Many "do-it-yourself" electrical, plumbing and hardware items, for example, are individually fastened or encapsulated on a card and hung on a hook for display and self-service in retail home centers. Unpackaged articles, on the other hand, are usually shipped in bulk to the retailers in sealed regular slotted cartons where they may be removed either to storage bins or display shelves.
The growing demand among consumers for "no-frills" merchandise has placed increased emphasis on eliminating expensive packaging and on selling in bulk with savings passed on to the consumer. The retailers simply leave the merchandise in the original folded shipping carton which is improvised into an open bulk display bin accessible to the customer by cutting off portions of the top and sides of the carton with a sharp blade. This, however, adds to the retailers' labor costs and risks injury to both the person cutting the carton and to the merchandise within the carton. Moreover, not all cartons are suited for such improvisation.