MARKETING NEW HAMPSHIRE McINTOSH APPLES 



11 



market for these three sizes 

 were $2.25. $2.10 and $1.50. 

 Although the retail price of 

 the 3 inch size was 20 cents 

 a box higher than that of the 

 2*/2 inch, it sold 28 per cent 

 faster. Again, when the 3 

 inch size was priced 70 cents 

 a box higher than the 2*4 

 inch, it sold five times as fast 

 as the smaller size. The 3 

 inch apples cost more per 

 box but they sold faster and 

 yielded a much larger total 

 profit than the two smaller 

 sizes in the same period of 

 time. (See Fig. 8 and Ap- 

 pendix Table X.) 



Influence of Condition 



The larger sizes of Mc- 

 intosh apples on sale in our 

 markets are often conspi- 

 cuously bruised, "hese larg'e 

 sizes should be 



GR.0S5 



100 150 



-P0UUD5 501D- 



200 



given 



L fe v 

 spe- 



Fig. 8. Retail Sales and Gross Profits 



3 INCH. l l / 2 INCH, AND 2% INCH FANCY 



McIntosh Apples Sold in Adjoining Lots 

 over the Same Period of Time 



on 



cial care in inching, packing, trucking, and handling in stores. 



Two lots of large size Mcintosh (3 inch minimum) were pur- 

 chased for experimental sales in the Nashua store. Lot 1 was orchard 

 packed but Lot 2 was rehandled and packed in a city storage. Conspi- 

 cuous bruising was shown in one-third of the apples in Lot 1 and in 

 two-thirds of the apples in Lot 2. Lot 1 cost $2.25 a box as compared 

 to $2.05 for Lot 2, but the higher priced apples definitely proved to be 

 the better sellers. They had a more rapid turnover and netted 22 cents 

 a box more. 



To further determine reaction to bruising, two selected lots were 

 made up from those same apples (Lots 1 and 2) : Lot A - not conspi- 

 cuously bruised, and Lot B - conspicuously bruised. Boxes of Lot 1 

 and Lot 2 together gave equal amounts of Lots A and B. The better 

 apples in Lot A (not conspicuously bruised) sold about three and one- 

 half times as fast at one cent more per pound than Lot B (conspi- 

 cuously bruised). Even though Lot A was by no means free from 

 bruises, it was more profitable to handle. Assuming costs of $2.45 a 

 box for Lot A, and $1.85 for Lot B, gross profits during the sales 

 period were 2.3 times larger for Lot A. (See Fig. 9.) 



It is obvious that for such difference in profit, any reasonable 

 means of reducing bruising would be amply repaid. Some form of 

 protection such as a cardboard flat or heavy paper placed between 

 layers should reduce bruising. If this were done, and the apples were 

 packed face up, fewer stem punctures would occur than when they are 

 packed cheek up with no separation of apples within each layer. 



