Although it wasn't the most environmentally conscious packaging, something about the way oldie 45s were presented at Record Bar made me want to buy them there as a kid. Instead of filing the 45s by themselves in a bin, each oldie was wrapped up against a large piece of cardboard that said "OLDIES" repeatedly, and the label at the top would leave no doubt about the artist or song on each side.
An example:
"MITCHELL, JONI
HELP ME
b/w Free Man In Paris"
It was assumed that the customer knew or could figure out that b/w stood for "backed with."
The giant, attached cardboard label made oldies easier to flip through in the bins and also gave the impression that you weren't just buying a small, mass-produced slab of wax. It felt as though you were buying a musical artifact that had stood the test of time. With or without the cardboard, the music was the same. I wonder, though, what percentage of record-buying consumers bought their oldie 45s at Record Bar without being fully aware of why they'd chosen that store.
Looking back, the packaging was rather wasteful. I don't doubt that it increased sales, however.
