Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-13
OMAHA BUSINESS
SHOWS INCREASE
Retail Sales for November, 1915,
Thirteen Per Cent Greater
Than for 1914.
RESEARCH IS COUNTRYWIDE

Retail sales by leading merchants in
Omaha IN six representative lines OF
business showed an average increase OF
y per cent in November, 1915 over No
Nember. 1914 This improved condition OF
business is revealed by the second annual
merchandising research report Of the As
ISOLATED Advertising Clubs of the World,
which has just been received here.
Clothing store and hardware sales
made gain of 10 per cent each. and gro
Gerry sales made a gain of iS per cent.
Jewelry store advertising increased II per
cent. but the jewelry sales showed a gain
of q per cent. The increase in jeweiry
GALES is regarded as particularly signifl-
cant and indicative OF prosperous busi-
ness conditions. as people generally buy
Iuxuries only when prosperous. Omaha
was selected by the research committee
rs one of the marketing centers of the
country and information obtained from
local merchants is embraced in this COM
prehensive report.
Consumer demand in 1915 as indicated
by retail sales throughout the United
States, Increased approximately i6 per
cent over 1914. and collections improved
materially, according TO tho second an
nual report Of the merchandising re-
search committee Of the Associated Adj
Vertislng Clubs Of the World. which has
5ust been received here in the January
number OF Associated Advertising. the
monthly magazine published by the AS
Hociated Advertising clubs In compiling
tho report. November was taken as an
index month OF business conditions.
The investigation touched nearly 200
leading market centers In every part OF
The United States and in n number OF
Canadian cities. covering stores selling
both luxuries and necessities Grocers.
Jewellers, department store owners hard
ware dealers, clothiers and druggists.
representing the six lines OF business in
regtisated, willingly opened their books
TO the hundreds OF Investigators who in
ferviewed them.
one Thousand Investigators.
Encouraging increases in sales in all
lines investigated were reported prac-
tically everywhere In the United states.
and the average increase over 1914 in
business in all the thousands Of stores
that participated was shown to have been
1888 per cent. Business conditions in
5slS. as compared with those OF 1914 fol-
lowing the outbreak Of the European
war. were decidedly improved
No less than 1000 investigators called
upon and interviewed merchants In the
leading marketing centers, In each city
ct least three representative merchants
IN each Of the six lines investigated we're
1nterviewed. Assurance was given that
names Of individuals or firms would not
appear in the report. the object being to
present only figures showing percentages
of increase or decrease
The Investigations were made by com
snerciai club secretaries and members OF
local advertising clubs. under the general
direction OF Mac Martin of Minneapolis
increase In AdvertisinR.
Sales. local advertising collections and
she amount of stocks carried by mer-
chants In November. 1915. were compared
with those Of November. 1914 and Novem-
her, 1918, TO get the facts for the re-
search report. Business experts concede
shat ''as is November. so Is the years
business in retailing" and November 10
recognized as an index month in the
business world.
The frequency with which the inves-
tigation showed that sales rise as adver-
Using Is increased IN community--that
Increased sales and increased advertising
so hand in hand-is an interesting feature
Of the report. An average increase OF rs
per cent in local advertising throughout
the country Is disclosed. Retailers In
creased the stocks they are carrying Asl
per cent
Consumers Buying Luxuries.
Satisfactory increases in Jewelry sales
were reported IN practically every city.
the average jewelry sales for the country
being 1879 per cent higher that those In
zSia This shows that people everywhere
. are buying iuxuries. which is taken as q
certain indication OF good business, for
necessities naturally come first and lux
urles afterwsrd.
An interesting fact which the report al
Huiges Is that while the jewelers. sslel
Increased more. proportionately, than
those OF the grocer. the grocer. as rule
collects what Is due him with much
81 greater ease than any other kind OF mer-
chant
COLLECTIONS Above Normal.
In addition 10 the fact that consumer
6emand-retail saies-showed healthy
increase. collections also were better. the
average for the whole country beng 81
points above normal as compared with
1914 TIE point system OF scoring collec
tons. as used in the report. consists Of
pssignins forty points for report Of
1oor collections, sixty points for a repor
Of normal collections and eighty points
5or report OF good collections. The re
ports Of the retailers are thus given nu
1nerlcal value for the purpose OF tabula
aion and averages.
The following table shows average per
centages Of increase in sales and adVer
Using In the United States ia the sii
lines Of business investigated; the figure
under collections indicate the number o
points collections are above normal. a
reported by the merchants:
Adver- Coilec
Sales. Using tion,
Department stores. 10. ~ s
Iroeery stores. SIS 81 A.
flOtf ing stores.......... lI.a 10 q
Hardware stores........ 1873 4
Drug stores ........-.,. ll6 4.3 4
JeWelry stores ....t..... 1919 20 .
How Purchases Increased.
The following table shows TO what Q,