Problems with Self-Adhesive Labels

"People who keep things organized are just too lazy to look for things"—so goes an old saying. I love organization, which is why I labeled the drawers of my small-parts storage bins with self-adhesive labels: rowlocks, hinges, clevises, ball joints, M3x10 screws, etc. But it’s all for nothing if the labels gradually fall off after a few months.

About three years ago, when I was standing in front of the large selection of Herma labels at “Heim & Hobby Heimberg” and searching in vain for the 13×40 mm size I’d been using, the saleswoman explained to me: “Well, you know—ever since Coop bought the company, the products are being phased out one by one and replaced with private-label brands.” Not suspecting anything was wrong, I just went ahead and bought the

13×40 mm self-adhesive labels from the Qualité & Prix brand, which read: “Fabriqué en Suisse.”

In the spring of 2019, I noticed in the workshop that labels were starting to peel off, and I soon suspected it might be the Qualité & Prix labels. A parallel test conducted with both brands twelve months later confirmed this: The Herma label is difficult to remove, while the Coop label falls off at the slightest touch. (Testing other labels by touching them immediately led to disaster!)

Hypothesis 1: A marketing strategist with no knowledge of adhesives finds the Herma labels in the Coop lineup too expensive and launches a private label—with 320 labels instead of 112, and at a much lower price. Made in Switzerland—customers will be delighted!

(Note: The “Swiss made” label may be used if at least 60% of the manufacturing costs are incurred in Switzerland—see the Trademark Protection Act (MSchG) of 2019. This might even be possible with a cheap, adhesive-coated paper roll from China.)

When I stopped by the store mentioned above about three months ago, just out of curiosity, to look for self-adhesive labels, my suspicion was confirmed: The selection had been reduced to just two label sizes!

Hypothesis 2: Based on sales figures, the person in charge of the product line has since determined that customers are no longer buying labels and has decided to streamline the product line due to lack of demand.

It actually makes sense: If you sell three times as many labels in a pack, customers will come back three times less often to buy more—unless you know that the labels fall off and need to be replaced more frequently. But then again, maybe customers won’t come back at all.

Conclusion: With its private label, Coop has successfully eliminated itself from the label market.

“The end.” In any case, my small-parts drawer is labeled again today—with labels from Herma GmbH in Filderstadt. Made in Germany—quality built in, not just on the package insert.