Background: When I buy cold cuts at the deli, I like to get them thicker than usual, because they keep better. At most of the supermarkets where I have shopped over the last 20 years, I have had a real hard time getting thick slices. Sometimes I have to almost shout at the clerk to get my message across, which I don't like to do, because it seems rude. 5 years ago I began shopping at a chain store where customers asked for thickness by number. It was wonderful. I gave a number and the clerk knew just how thick I wanted it sliced. 6 months after I began shopping there, they abolished the number system. I asked them why, and they said it's because they use different makes of slicers at the same time and different makes of slicers have different number scales for thickness. For example, "6" might be thick slices on one slicer and thin on another. So, my idea is for manufacturers of deli slicers to standardize their thickness-number scales. I am 90% sure there is a standards organization for makers of supermarket food machines, just like the IEEE issues standards for electronic devices and chips. This would have to be driven by some sort of standards organization. If these numbers were standardized, stores would be able to mix different makes of slicers and still allow customers to specify thickness by number. In addition to customer goodwill, this would also enable stores to save money on wasted food. I estimate supermarkets throw away 10-20 pounds of deli meats a day because the clerk didn't slice it to the thickness the customer wanted and had to slice it again.

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