Consumers Research
Encyclopedia
Consumers' Research is a defunct non-profit organization established in 1929 by Stuart Chase
(1888-1985) and F.J. Schlink (1891-1995), after the success of their book Your Money's Worth: a study in the waste of the Consumer's Dollar galvanized interest in testing products on behalf of consumers. It published a monthly magazine of the same name.
Consumers' Research published comparative test results on brand-name products and publicized deceptive advertising claims. F. J. Schlink published a book with Arthur Kallet
entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, which helped popularize the use of the word "guinea pig
" as a subject of experimentation, and which became a national bestseller as concerns over the potentially adverse effects of commercial products increased.
In 1936, Arthur Kallet
and others in favor of a more active organizational philosophy broke with Consumers' Research to found Consumers Union
and its magazine Consumer Reports
.
Consumers Union grew strongly while Consumers' Research languished. In its later years, Consumers' Research stopped testing products and instead focused on providing consumer advice and covering policy issues from health and safety issues to cable TV competition.
Stuart Chase
Stuart Chase was an American economist and engineer trained at MIT. His writings covered topics as diverse as general semantics and physical economy. His hybrid background of engineering and economics places him in the same philosophical camp as R. Buckminster Fuller...
(1888-1985) and F.J. Schlink (1891-1995), after the success of their book Your Money's Worth: a study in the waste of the Consumer's Dollar galvanized interest in testing products on behalf of consumers. It published a monthly magazine of the same name.
Consumers' Research published comparative test results on brand-name products and publicized deceptive advertising claims. F. J. Schlink published a book with Arthur Kallet
Arthur Kallet
Arthur Kallet was a leading consumer advocate.An engineer, Kallet co-authored a 1933 book entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics with fellow engineer Frederick Schlink.In 1936 he left as director of Consumers Research after its head F.J...
entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, which helped popularize the use of the word "guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
" as a subject of experimentation, and which became a national bestseller as concerns over the potentially adverse effects of commercial products increased.
In 1936, Arthur Kallet
Arthur Kallet
Arthur Kallet was a leading consumer advocate.An engineer, Kallet co-authored a 1933 book entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics with fellow engineer Frederick Schlink.In 1936 he left as director of Consumers Research after its head F.J...
and others in favor of a more active organizational philosophy broke with Consumers' Research to found Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...
and its magazine Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...
.
Consumers Union grew strongly while Consumers' Research languished. In its later years, Consumers' Research stopped testing products and instead focused on providing consumer advice and covering policy issues from health and safety issues to cable TV competition.