2 BULLETIN 1142, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Since the portion of the retail price of meat absorbed by retail 
agencies usualty averages between 22 and 25 per cent, attention is 
directed toward retailers as a result of the size of this margin. An- 
other cause for. the focus of attention upon the retail distributor of 
meat is the fact that in this phase of distribution the effect of the 
disproportionate demand for various cuts of meat becomes most pro- 
nounced through the wide differences in price. The difference 
between prices paid to producers of livestock and prices paid by con- 
sumers for the more favored cuts is marked, and questions regard- 
ing retail costs and profits of operation are the result. 
As information regarding operating costs and profits of retail 
meat dealers was desirable before answers in whole or in part could 
be made to these questions, provision was made for the study here 
reported. 
COLLECTION AND NATURE OF DATA 
The field work connected with the margins, expenses, and profits 
portion of the survey of retailing meat was begun in July, 1924, and 
was completed in May, 1925. Collection of cost data and related 
facts was carried on in 16 cities distributed throughout the United 
States. These cities were : Bridgeport and New Haven, Conn. ; 
Binghamton, N. Y. ; Baltimore, Md. : Washington, D. C, Lincoln, 
Nebr. ; St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn'. ; Oklahoma City, Okla. ; 
New Orleans, La.; Birmingham, Ala.; Jacksonville, Fla. ; Denver, 
Colo.; Cheyenne, Wyo. ; Seattle, Wash. ; and San Francisco, Calif. 
In addition, data were obtained from chain-store units located in a 
few other cities and towns in connection with the collection of chain- 
store data. 
For the year 1923, data were obtained from 142 individual retail 
straight meat markets, 9 semiwholesale markets, 15 units of chain- 
store systems selling meat at retail in straight meat markets, 20 units 
of semiwholesale straight meat chains, 14 individual combination 
stores which sold both meats and groceries, and from 26 units of 
combination retail chains, selling both meats and groceries. 
For 1924, figures were obtained from 111 individual straight meat 
markets, 9 semiwholesale straight meat markets, 18 units of retail 
straight meat-chain systems, 20 units of semiwholesale straight meat- 
chain systems, and from 8 units of combination retail chain systems, 
which sold both meats and groceries. 
In 74 of the 111 individual straight meat markets from which data 
were obtained for 1924, figures were also obtained for 1923. This 
permitted comparison between the results of 1923 and 1924 operations 
in the same stores. Data for both years were obtained for some of 
the stores in the other groups, but the number was limited. Accord- 
ingly, no comparisons between the two years for these stores are 
presented. 
No figures were obtained in Chicago and New York. Since these 
cities were included in a study for the year 1923 conducted by the 
United States Department of Agriculture in cooperation with North- 
western University. 2 Comparison was made between the results 
2 Results of this survey were published in a minieograpb report of the Bureau of 
Agricultural Economics, U. S. Dept. Agr. : " Margins, Expenses, and Profits in the Retail 
Meat Trade, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York, Mar., 1923, to Feb., 1924." 
