Retailers' Practices 



At the time of the October 1, 1955 audit of operations the 28l 

 retailers participating in the Nielsen Company survey were interviewed 

 by the company's field investigators in regard to their attitudes and 

 practices in the marketing of shrimp and shrimp products. A total of 

 255 stores furnished information sufficiently complete to be used in the 

 tabulations of answers to the specially designed questionnaire. The 

 percentages computed on the basis of the questionnaire response are con- 

 sidered by the Nielsen Company as representative for all retail food 

 stores in the country since the sample used was randomized and stratified, 

 providing greater coverage — from a volume standpoint- -for chains and 

 large independent stores and proytortionately lower coverage for smaller 

 stores . 



The subject groupings of the questionnaire and, to a certain 

 extent, the individual questions asked of the retailers, were the same 

 as those in the secondary wholesaler phase of the survey. 



Trade Channels 



Secondary and primary wholesalers ranked first and second among 

 marketing agents supplying retailers with shrimp products. As many as 36 

 percent of the stores in the sample obtained the bulk of their shrimp 

 supplies (three-fourths or more of their purchases) from secondary whole- 

 salers, while 13 percent purchased principally from primary wholesalers. 

 Chain weu-ehouses, fish dealers, brokers, frozen food dealers, and shrimp 

 processing establishments, in that order, were next in importance as 

 soiirces of supply. Table VI - 9 lists the sources of supply for the bulk 

 of retailer purchases of shrimp products as well as of all fish and shell- 

 fish products. 



TABLE VI - 9. —SOURCE FOR BULK (76-100 PERCENT) 

 OF RETAIIERS' PURCHASES OF FISH ANT' SHELLFISH, 

 AMD SHRIMP PRODUCTS, 19^5 



Percent of Percent of 



stores bxiying stores buying 



Source bulk of fish and bulk of shrimp 



shellfish from from source 



source indicated indicated 



Brokers .8 2.2 



Secondary wholesalers 33.8 36,1 



Chain warehouses 5.2 5,0 



Primary wholesalers 1.0 13.0 



Fish dealers 8.6 3.5 



Shrimp processing establishments (1) 1.0 



Frozen food dealers 0.1; 1.1 



Several sources 50.2 38.1 



1/ Less than l/lO of 1 percent. 



^9 



