October 1922
1233
FEDERAL RESERVE BULLETIN.
OCTOBER, 1922.
RETAIL TRADE.
The following tables are a summary of the
data obtained from 469 representative department stores in the 12 Federal reserve districts.
In districts Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 12 the
data were received in (and averages computed
from) actual dollar amounts. In districts Nos.
3,4,8, and 10 most of the material was received
in the form of percentages, and the averages
for the cities and districts computed from such
percentages were weighted according to volume
of business done during the calendar year 1921.
The tables for the month of August are based on
reports from 25 stores in district No. 1 (Boston),
64 stores in district No. 2 (New York), 127
stores in district No. 3 (Philadelphia), 28 stores
in district No. 4 (Cleveland), 25 stores in district No. 5 (Richmond), 36 stores in district
No. 6 (Atlanta), 58 stores in district No. 7
(Chicago), 16 stores in district No. 8 (St. Louis),
22 stores in district No. 9 (Minneapolis), 16
stores in district No. 10 (Kansas City), 22 stores
in district No, 11 (Dallas), and 31 stores in
district No, 12 (San Francisco). Figures for
•Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, in district No. 3
(Philadelphia), and Chattanooga, in district
No, 6 (Atlanta), are shown separately for the
first time this month,
A comparison of monthly changes in activity
of different types of retail business since January, 1921, is shown in the second of the fol-
lowing tables. The 158 department stores arc
located in districts Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11, and
12, while the mail-order houses do business in
all parts of the United States. Chain-store
figures are based upon the total sales of the
same reporting chains for each month, but the
actual number of stores in these chains varies
slightly.
Mail-order business for the month of August
is the lowest it has been since August, 1921.
Cigar and shoe chain sales have decreased in
comparison with last month and cigar sales were
less than in August a year ago. All other types
of reporting chains have increased their sales.
A comparison of the course of mail-order and
department-store sales is shown in the chart
below. The mail-order business is dependent
for the most part upon farmers, while the
department stores are situated in the cities
and towns. The excellent condition of mailorder houses in 1919 was due probably to
higher crop prices that year. In the years 1920
and 1921 sales of department stores and mailorder houses were generally moving in the
same direction from month to month. Mailorder sales for the period showed a distinct
downward trend, but there was little change in
the total value of department-store trade. It
is worthy of note that the peak of the mail-order
business generally comes in October or November, while the largest sales of department stores
occur in December.
COMPARISON OF SALES OF
DEPARTMENT STORES AND MAIL ORDER HOUSES
1919 - 1922
( AVERAGE MONTH, 1919 = 1 0 0 )
DEPARTMENT STORES (159)
MAILORDER HOUSES ( 4 )
J. F. M. A.M. J. J. A. S. O.N. D. J. F.M. A. M. J. J. A. S. 0. N, D. U F. M. A- M. J. J. A. S. 0. N. D. J. F. M. A. M. J. J. A. S. 0. N. D.
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