CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN PURCHASE OF MEAT 23 
dissatisfaction. Similar percentages with minor variations were found 
in the colored and foreign groups. 
In those cases in the American white group where it was stated 
that trading had been stopped because of dissatisfaction, more than 
half the housewives replied that they had stopped patronizing the 
markets because of poor quality of meats. 
In the poor class of the American white group, two-thirds of the 
housewives gave poor quality of meats as the principal reason for 
dissatisfaction. This reason was not quite so frequently stated by 
the housewives of the other classes. 
Dishonesty as a reason for stopping trade with a meat dealer was 
the reason given by more of the housewives, of the well-to-do and 
wealthy classes than of the other two classes. 
High prices were given as a reason for transfer of patronage because 
of dissatisfaction somewhat more frequently by the housewives of the 
poor class, although the difference in the other classes was so slight 
as to be of small importance. 
Poor service was definitely indicated as a reason for discontinuance 
of trading with a meat dealer by 15.1 per cent of the wealthy class 
housewives who stated that they had stopped trading with a dealer 
because of dissatisfaction. This was almost two and one-half times 
the importance assigned to this reason by the housewives of any of 
the other three classes. 
Housewives of the well-to-do class were first in their statements 
that they stopped trading with meat dealers because of insanitary 
shops. 
In the colored group, quality and prices were the main reasons 
stated by housewives for changing meat dealers because of dissatis- 
faction. 
In the foreign groups, the numbers replying that they had stopped 
trading with dealers because of dissatisfaction were so small, that 
the percentage distributions of these replies by reasons may not have 
been representative. Accordingly no great emphasis should be placed 
on the differences observed. 
The importance of quality in meats was indicated by the results 
in Tables 26 and 27. In the first table the predominating reason 
for trading with present dealers in preference to others was that the 
quality of meat was satisfactory. The quality factor was again 
stressed in Table 27 where the replies showed that poor quality of 
meat was the principal reason assigned by housewives for discontin- 
uance of trading with dealers because of dissatisfaction. 
_ The reasons stated by housewives in ■ answer to the question of 
dissatisfaction should be of particular interest to retailers of meat. 
Poor quality of meat, dishonesty, poor service, insanitary shop con- 
ditions, and variety of stock are the responsibilities of the dealer. 
Avoidance of personal differences with customers lies very largely 
within the power of the retailer, and to some extent the question of 
high prices may be satisfactorily met by' efficient operation of the 
shop and by educational efforts designed to acquaint customers with 
the various qualities of meats and the general levels of meat prices. 
Question 12. — (k) Why did you stop buying from your last meat dealer? 
(Table 28.) 
A total of 1,650 housewives of the American white group answered 
this question, which was the final one of four directed toward deter- 
