56 BULLETIN 1317, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
It is to be noted that in chain systems the buying and manage- 
ment salary expense was lower than in the largest individual con- 
cerns by approximately one-half of 1 per cent. (See Table 32.) As 
compared with smaller individual concerns, the difference would be 
still greater. In so far as definite conclusions can be drawn from 
data which are not perfectly comparable at best and in which there 
is much variation of individual instances, there seems to be a lower 
salary and wage expense for buying in the chain-store systems, where 
operations are on so large a scale, than in individual markets, where 
operations are on a smaller scale, but a higher wage expense for 
ordinary routine selling in the stores of these systems operated en- 
tirely by paid employees, than in the individual meat markets, where 
the selling is done under the immediate direction of the owner. 
The portion of total salaries and wages devoted to delivery of mer- 
chandise in individual meat markets, weighted average for all stores 
maintaining delivery service, was 1.61 per cent of sales. (See Table 
28.) The difference in salaries and wages between carry and deliv- 
ery stores was 1.09 per cent. Since the comparison resulting in the 
figure 1.09 per cent is between two entirely different sets of stores, 
embracing all from which data could be obtained in the cities can- 
vassed in all sections of the country, the fact that the variance from 
ihe figure of 1.61 per cent is so small is a strong indication that the 
data obtained are fairly representative of both classes of markets. 
It is noticeable that the difference between the carry and delivery 
stores is somewhat higher in the groups with smaller sales than in 
those with larger sales, corresponding to the fact that delivery wages 
bear a higher ratio to sales in the smaller than in the larger stores 
furnishing delivery service. 
The salary and wage expense in stores with a large element of 
restaurant trade is decidedly lower than in stores with family trade 
only, even in those with approximately an equal volume of sales, 
the amount of labor involved in handling meats in large quantities 
in the trade with restaurants being, of course, less than that of 
handling an equal volume of family trade. If the trade of these 
stores were entirely of a semiwholesale character, instead of being 
on an average approximately one-half family trade, the percentage 
relation of wages to sales would be still lower. 
ADVERTISING 
The weighted average for advertising in individual stores with 
family trade is 0.19 per cent of sales. In the carry stores it is 0.27 
per cent, and in the delivery stores 0.15 per cent. The reason for 
the difference is obvious. Delivery stores rely upon holding their 
trade by delivery service and usually by extension of credit also, 
whereas the carry stores attract transient trade more largely through 
advertising. It is to be noted also that the larger markets advertise 
more freely than the smaller. This was found to be particularly 
true in the large cities, where it would, of course, be useless for the 
small concern to advertise in the metropolitan newspapers and 
where there is very little advantage of advertising by means of 
circulars, since the local customers frequently pass the door of the 
shop in any event. In smaller cities the meat markets of small 
