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'Free'-dom comes at a price; Wal-Mart, Walgreens war of the word puts marketers in the middle.
Crain's Chicago Business, January, 2005 by Neff, Jack
Byline: JACK NEFF Crain News Service A battle over the word "free'' could cost packaged-goods marketers millions of dollars. The nation's leading drug retailer, Deerfield-based Walgreen Co., is bucking a 2-year-old edict by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. against using the word on packages. Packaged-goods suppliers bowed to pressure from Wal-Mart two years ago to stop using the word "free'' on items that are packaged to include an extra product at no extra cost.
Since Wal-Mart accounts for 35% or more of sales in many non-food categories, most marketers ditched "free'' for all retailers in the name of efficiency. Packs that once read "20% more free!'' became "20% bonus!'' or "20% more!'' That may not seem like much difference. But Walgreens, citing research that...
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