32 
BULLETIN 1109, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
certain the amount of the charges entailed by a second wholesaler, 
for it is not possible to learn the percentage of berries handled in this 
manner. However, it is believed that an allowance of 12^ cents a 
barrel on all cranberries marketed would cover the charges of " other 
wholesalers" for that portion of the product that is handled by a 
second or third wholesale agency. 
RETAIL MARGINS AND PRICES. 
Inquiry was made concerning the prices at which cranberries sold 
to the consumer during October, November, and December, 1920. 
Reports from 293 merchants in 26 States were collected showing that 
the retail price during these three months ranged from below 15 cents 
a pound in a few cases to above 30 cents a pound. 
Table 
-Retail price of cranberries as reported in 26 States by retailers. 
Number and percentage of retailers selling at specified prices. 
Range of retail prices per pound. 
October. 
November. 
December. 
Number 
of 
firms. 
Number 
of firms 
reporting. 
Number 
of 
firms. 
Number 
of firms 
reporting. 
Number 
of 
firms. 
Number 
of firms 
reporting. 
25 
134 
89 
26 
8 
Per cent. 
9 
47 
32 
9 
3 
15 
117 
121 
30 
8 
Per cent. 
5 
40 
42 
10 
3 
8 
74 
125 
67 
19 
Per cent. 
3 
25 
43 
23 
Above 30 cents 
6 
282 
100 
291 
100 
293 
100 
Weighted average price (cents) . . 
17.3 
18 
5 
20.4 
It will be noticed that on the whole the weighted average retail 
price advanced 3.1 cents from October to December. The wholesale 
price advanced during the same period approximately 5^ cents a 
pound. This lag in the retail price is due largely to the fact that the 
retailer establishes his selling price on the basis of the wholesale 
price of cranberries at the beginning of the season but fails to advance 
the price as rapidly as the wholesale price advances. Furthermore, 
chain stores, cash-and-carry, and similar stores follow the practice of 
pushing cranberries as a leader on a very narrow margin during the 
Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. Such practices com- 
pel all stores to maintain low prices during this period in order to 
meet competition. Since chain and cash-and-carry stores are more 
numerous in the larger cities, this probably accounts for the fact that 
the retail price of cranberries was lowest in these places. 
Of the total number of 282 retailers in 26 States, 8 reported han- 
dling margins below 10 per cent of the selling price, 6 reported margins 
of 10 to 14 per cent, 37 reported 15 to 19 per cent, 107 reported 20 
