Massive displays like this one in a window of an A&P grocery store in Wilmington, Delaware, made seeing products like Sunnyfield Corn Flakes, Mello Wheat, and the store's own brand Ann Page Sparkle Gelatin Desserts unavoidable. Flat-top boxes and cans were ideal for floor, table, and window displays. Designers experimented with new shapes for packages, including the traditional beer bottle, to meet this need.
The Chug-a-Mug beer bottle was one of these experiments. It was packaged in a standard six-pack carton, but because all six sides were flat, it was much easier to stack than six-packs of traditional tall bottles. Large retail displays made possible by the Chug-a-Mug’s design made Rheingold brand beer more visible than other bottled beers. It brought Rheingold’s bottles into direct competition with canned beers, which already benefited from similar cartons.
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