Right Package, Shipping Go a Long Way

David Goldberg may be a whiz at selling his BearBath Teddy Bear Cleaner, but he readily admits flunking his latest attempt to package and ship his sudsy product to toy and teddy bear stores across the country.

Goldberg developed his non-toxic cleaner with the help of a chemist after searching for a way to clean up a bedraggled teddy bear hanging in his car window. Perhaps he could have used the help of a packaging expert as well.

“Unfortunately, there is no one else to blame because I came up with the package concept,” said Goldberg, president of Bear Care Co., which has sold 40,000 bottles of stuffed-animal cleaner since March.

The new BearBath package looked great, but it was a disaster as far as Goldberg’s retailers were concerned.

His idea was to attach a plastic bottle of BearBath to a cardboard card designed to hang from a peg on a display rack. It was simple enough to find a graphic artist to design the card and for a packaging company to produce the plastic “blister wrap” that held the bottle in place. “It was beautiful,” said Goldberg, who was so sure it would “jump off the shelf” that he ordered 12,500 packages.

But shortly after he shipped the first few thousand bottles, retailers called to complain. When they unpacked the BearBath, they found the cardboard “header” with the product message and peg hole bent and crumpled. And, in many cases, the BearBath bottles had spun around in their sealed plastic wrappers so the back, rather than front, label was showing.

“The problem was caused because the bottles, which weigh half a pound, moved around when the box dropped three feet off a conveyor belt,” said Goldberg. He said it was his own fault for not designing the package properly or packing it right for shipment.

The 27-year-old Goldberg figures that the mistake cost him several hundred dollars in replacement costs and the good will of several customers. He is redesigning his package and looking for suggestions to prevent problems.

“A lot of times, bottles are very hard to work with,” said Sandra Plympton, owner of Plympton Packaging & Graphics Co. in Van Nuys. Plympton, who has been in the packaging business for 11 years, said, “you have to decide whether a bottle should go into a folding box or be packed in shrink wrap so there is no way for it to turn around.”

Plympton and other package designers said a company may have the best product in the world, but sales will suffer if it is not packaged and shipped properly. She works mostly with small businesses and encourages clients to bring their products to her early so she can help them design the best possible package.

Sometimes the product may be perfectly packaged, but is improperly packed for shipping. “If your box cannot withstand a 2- or 3-foot drop, 25 times, it was not packed properly,” said John Angelo, owner of American Packing & Crating in Culver City. Angelo, who has 15 years’ experience in the packing business, suggests that manufacturers bring a sample of their product to their shipper to determine the proper way to pack it before a major shipment goes out.

Even the smallest company with the simplest shipping department can improve the chances of their packages arriving safely, according to a spokesman for United Parcel Service. UPS, which delivered 15 million packages a day during the Christmas season, provides a list of good packaging techniques for its customers:

1) Use a good, corrugated cardboard box, with all flaps intact. Make sure it has no punctures, tears, rips or corner damage. Select a carton large enough to hold the cushioning material and the contents.

2) Use enough cushioning material to prevent the contents from moving easily when box is shaken. Heavy brown grocery bags or crumpled newspapers stuffed around the item are good cushions.

3) Close the carton securely with a strong tape at least 2 inches wide. The best tapes are pressure-sensitive plastic tape, or paper tape with glue, at least 3 inches wide. Masking or cellophane tape are not strong enough.

4) Be sure the package is properly addressed on top of the carton. UPS also suggests placing a duplicate label with a return address inside the package. UPS also tells customers that their packages must be able to withstand a 3-foot drop off several conveyor belts, according to company spokesman John Flick said.

Meanwhile, Goldberg has taken some of the experts’ advice until his new packaging is ready. He has scored and folded the cardboard cards to protect them during shipping. He’s also added extra packing material to his boxes. His new package will secure the bottle at the top and bottom, similar to the way baby bottles are packaged and sold on the rack at grocery stores.

Goldberg, who attended law school, but never practiced law, said he started his home-based business with about $15,000 in credit card cash advances. This year, he expects sales to reach $100,000. BearBath retails for between $4 and $6. In addition to mail-order sales, BearBath is sold to toy stores by the same sales representatives who sell stuffed animals.

“It’s like selling shoe polish with shoes,” said Goldberg.

A Help Line Is Just a Call Away

A new Small Business “Help Line” provides about 60 taped messages of interest to small business owners, according to Oscar Wright, California’s small-business advocate in the state Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

“From the comfort of their home or office, entrepreneurs can learn valuable information on a variety of topics including how to start a business, state-sponsored financing programs and information on toxics,” Wright said. To take advantage of the taped information, callers need a touch-tone phone and a pen and pad to take notes. (The tapes I listened to were well-produced and interesting.) The 24-hour Help Line number is: 916-327-HELP.

Looking at Workplace of the ‘90s

“The Changing American Workplace of the ‘90s” is the focus of Tuesday’s meeting of the National Assn. of Women Business Owners. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W. 7th St. in downtown Los Angeles.

Program Offers Something New

California’s Competitive Technology Program is seeking companies interested in using technology or research being conducted at state universities and national laboratories. The program has a $6.6-million grant to help transfer new technologies to California companies.

“This new program will help accelerate the transfer of technology from our state labs and research institutions to private industry for commercial application,” said Kenneth L. Gibson, director of the state Department of Commerce. The deadline for applications is Feb. 10.

Applications are available by writing to the Office of Competitive Technology, Department of Commerce, 1121 L St., Suite 600, Sacramento, Calif. 95814, or by calling (916) 322-5139.