MARGINS, EXPENSES, AND PROFITS IN RETAILING MEAT 
41 
N". Y., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D. C, St. Paul and Minneapolis, 
Minn., Lincoln, Nebr., Denver, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo. (See 
Table 15.) 
Table 15. — Gross margins, expenses, and profits in 143 individual retail meat 
markets in Chicago, Cleveland, and New York, and in 79 markets in 10 other 
eastern and central United States cities, 1923 1 
[Amounts expressed in percentages 
of net sales] 
Item 
All stores Profit stores 
Loss stores 
79 stores 
143 stores 
61 stores 
85 stores 
18 stores 
30 stores 
m 
77.6 
22.4 
19.5 
12.8 
1.8 
.9 
.9 
3.1 
2.9 
77.1 
22.9 
19.5 
12.5 
2.2 
.8 
1.0 
3.0 
3.4 
76.6 
23.4 
18.8 
12.3 
1.7 
.9 
.9 
3.0 
4.6 
76.1 
23.9 
18.7 
12.0 
2.0 
.8 
1.0 
2.9 
5.2 
80.6 
19.4 
21.9 
14.6 
1.9 
1.0 
.9 
3.5 
79.1 
Gross margin . 
20.9 
23.8 
15.0 
Rent 
3.3 
.9 
Refrigeration . . 
1.5 
Other expense . - . _ . . ..... 
3.1 
Profit 
Loss 
2.5 
2.9 
1 Data for the 79 stores (61 profit and 18 loss) in the 10 cities (New Haven and Bridgeport, Conn., Bing- 
hamton, N. Y., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D. C, Minneapolis, Minn., St. Paul, Minn., Lincoln, 
Nebr., Denver, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo.), were collected during the course of the present study. The 
data for the 143 markets (which included the 85 profit and 30 loss store groups) in Chicago, Cleveland, and 
New York were obtained during a previous study made by the department in cooperation with North- 
western University. 
2 Interest on investment not included as an expense. 
When the gross margin percentage of 22.4 for stores in the 10 
cities was compared with those of stores located in Chicago, Cleve- 
land, and New York, it was found to be 0.5 per cent lower in the 
10 cities than in Chicago, Cleveland, and New York. Total ex- 
pense was 19.5 per cent of sales in both surveys. The salary and 
wage percentage of 12.8 was' higher in the 10 cities than in Chicago, 
Cleveland, and New York. Rent was 0.4 per cent lower in the 
10 cities. This no doubt reflected the tendency toward lower rents 
in the smaller cities. Wrappings and refrigeration varied by 0.1 
per cent each from the averages obtained in the survey of the 143 
stores in Chicago, Cleveland, and New York. Other expense varied 
only 0.1 per cent, and profit was 0.5 per cent lower in the 10 cities 
than in the 3 cities. 
Data for 85 profit and 30 loss stores were presented in the report 
of the Chicago, Cleveland, and New York survey, whereas the sur- 
vey in the 10 cities in the northeastern and central sections included 
61 profit and 18 loss stores. 
Comparison of the gross margin percentage in the 61 profit stores 
in the 10 cities with that of the 85 profit stores in Chicago, Cleve- 
land, and New York disclosed that the 0.5 per cent difference 
previously indicated was also shown by the profit store group. Total 
expense varied by 1 only 0.1 per cent. Wage percentage in the 10 
cities group was 0.3 higher. Rent percentage was lower in the 10 
cities than in the 3 cities, wrappings, refrigeration, and other ex- 
pense percentages showed slight variations, profit percentage was 
0.6 per cent lower in the 10 cities than in Chicago, Cleveland, and 
New York. 
