4 BULLETIN 1442, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
STALLS IN PUBLIC MARKETS 
In some of the cities a considerable number of such meat stalls 
in public markets were encountered — so many that they were impor- 
tant factors in the retail distribution of meat in their localities. In 
general these stalls more nearly approached a straight meat and 
meat-products distribution agency than any other type of retail 
meat distributor. 
COMBINATION STORES 
Stores classified as combination stores were usually those having 
meat and grocery departments. Numerically, this type of store 
was very important. Practically, it was difficult to obtain reliable 
figures from any considerable number of them, since they did not 
departmentize their businesses to the extent that costs and profits 
could be determined separately for the several departments. In some 
instances such data were available, but it was generally found 
that separate records for each department were not kept in combi- 
nation stores. 
CHAIN STORES 
The chain systems studied in this survey consisted of two general 
types: (1) A number of straight meat markets under one ownership, 
engaged in the retail, or partly retail and partly wholesale, distri- 
bution of meat, and (2) a group of stores of the combination type 
having both grocery and meat departments, all under one manage- 
ment and ownership. 
CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO SERVICE RENDERED 
In addition to this classification by types, the group of individual 
stores, or unit stores as they are sometimes called in contrast to chain- 
store systems, was subdivided according to the services which they 
were prepared to furnish customers. The usual classifications of 
stores according to services rendered were: (1) Cash-and-carry, 
(2) cash-and-delivery, (3) credit-and-carry, (4) credit-and-delivery. 
The predominant types of retail meat markets were the cash-and- 
carry stores and the credit-and-delivery stores. The other service 
combinations of cash-and-delivery and credit-and-carry were rela- 
tively of slight numerical importance in this survey. 
In each store the proprietor was asked to estimate the proportions 
of his total business which he believed to be cash or credit, carry or 
delivery. After the data were gathered from all the stores an 
examination indicated that if the various stores were divided be- 
tween carry-and-delivery groupings and the delivery group sub- 
divided as to whether the store maintained its own delivery facilities, 
the entire group of stores fell into three classifications: (1) The 
carry group which consisted of cash-and-carry stores, (2) the limited- 
delivery group which included stores generally using contract or 
central-delivery systems, and (3) the unlimited-delivery groups 
which included stores owning and operating delivery facilities. 
A uniform profit-and-loss statement was prepared for each store, 
and certain additions to the expenses shown on the books were added 
