50 BULLETIN 1044, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
implies operation on a very narrow margin of profit, and -where 
margins are narrow under any system it is important that managers 
be able to follow costs of operations, volume of business, and rapidity 
of turnover very closely. 
Data, as well as general ideas as to the practicability of self-service, 
have been gathered from numerous self-service stores located in nearly 
every section of the country. Some of these stores have been very 
successful and have applied the principles of self-service to their 
business intelligently, while others are operating on almost the same 
basis as when on the service plan, except for a mere changing of the 
physical arrangement of the stores. Some operators who tried self- 
service have gone back to the service plan, asserting that self-service 
was not a success. It was usually found that in those cases the results 
of the o23eration showed a lack of knowledge of the fundamentals 
of self-service. Some failures were due to the poor location of the 
stores, the operators believing self-service could be made a success in 
ordinary * ; neighborhood " store locations. On the whole, it was 
found that self-service in the distribution of food products is oper- 
ating successfully wherever the principles of self-service have been 
intelligently applied, and that where the operations are in the hands 
of particularly well-qualified operators the success is marked. 
Form 1. 
Operating Statement. 
Per cent 
Sales (net) 100 
Inventory at beginning 
Purchases 
Inward transportation 
Costs of goods handled 
Inventory at end 
Cost of Goods Sold 
Gboss Peoflt 
Management expense 
Rent 
Interest 
Insurance and taxes 
Heat, light, and power 
Repairs- _ 
Depreciation 
Wages 
Advertising 
Ice and cold storage--- __ 
Wrapping 
Miscellaneous 
Total Expense 
Net operating profit or loss. 
