A system and method for automatically advertising items put on display, as well as protecting those items against theft. A fluid container can be used with the device and often has a moveable piston at one end and an outlet at the other. The maximum required power of an electric steering assistance system is thus greatly reduced. The laundry articles can take a variety of forms in a variety of physical states all of which will rapidly dispense a unitized amount of one or more selected fabric care agents to a wash andor rinse bath solution during the laundering process under a variety of conditions. The rapid bidirectional tri-state switching device is advantageous for its short switching time, small size and contact reliability.