Evening star., 1934-09-14
RETAILERS SALES
OF $241,5 ,515,0()O
HERE LAST YEAR
Gain Shown in Number of
Stores Over 1929, but
Trade Dropped.
.$179,O77,OOO WHOLESALE
BUSINESS is REPORTED
Jobs Held Up, but Full-Time Pay
Rolls Declined 26 Per Cent and
Price of Goods % Per Cent.

xr1Ce OIL 0O0QS 20 1eT OcuCs
Washington retail stores, employ
ing 2S,508 workers, had total sales
of $241 Sis, 200 in 1888. and whole
sale houses here, employing 7,444 men
and women, had net sales OF
$17s,o77, 900.
These figures were made public
today by william L. Austin, director
of the Census Bureau, and are the
result of the special census of Amerl-
can business taken last January.
In both classes of business there
was a decided drop from 1929, The
last pre-depression year, and a CORE
spending decrease in both the num-
ber of employees and total pay rolls.
For all retail stores in the District
there was an increase in number
from 5,931 in 1929, when the last
census of American business was
made, to 6,156 in 1888. Sales de-
clined from 1896, ,262, 900 to s24l,-
$4,000, or 2s.2 per cent.
Pay Roll Drops Sharply.
Full-time employment decreased
from 1,453 employees just before the
depression to 28,508, or "a per cent,
but the full-time pay roll decreased
from $43,172,831 to $31 $4,000, Or
26 per cent. On the other hand, the
part-time pay roll gained ass per
cent, increasing from $l,2ll,744 TO
81, ,763, 1868.
The average earnings of employees
of retail stores decreased 18 per cent.
In 1929, they averaged $1,37a per
year and last year, $l,l20.
AN important factor in the decline
in sales volume between 1929 and
1885," the report said, sis the decrease
in the general price level Of consumer
goods. Estimates by competent au-
thorities indicate an average decline
greater than the 28 per cent decline
In dollar volume in the District Of
Columbia
The report also shows people are
buying a far greater volume of mer-
chandise at these lower price levels. !
Five business classifications showed
an increase in dollar volume of busi-
ness during the four years Of depres-
sion and eight additional classifica-
tions showed declines Of less than
IS per cent.
Filling Station Sales Gain.
Those business groups which showed
an increase in dollar volume were fill
ing stations, heating and plumbing
dealers. dry goods and general mer-
chandise stores, farmers supplies and
county general stores and second hand
stores.
The new census showed sales by I'LL
ing stations jumped from $11, 1855 900
to $12,318,000, or 8.5 per cent.
Sales by heating and plumbing
dealers increased 10 per cent, the
actual comparative figures being
$1,131, 900 and $1,249,000.
Dry goods and general merchandise
stores, exclusive of variety and de-
partment stores, showed an increase
from 81, ,103, 900 to 81, ,368, 900, or 13 per
cent.
The classification described as farm
ers' supplies and country general
stores included IS retailers in the Dis
trict, whose sales increased from
1881 900 to $2,077, 900, a gain of IA
per cent.
Restaurants Hold Own.
Second hand stores had 81 per
cent gain in sales, the figures rising
from $l,147,OO0 to $1,734,000. This
classification also showed a so per
cent increase in pay rolls and 100 per
cent in employment.
Restaurants virtually held their own
their sales decreasing only from
$18,549, 900 to $18,008,00
The largest volume of business, OF
course, was done by retail food stores
25.6 per cent of all the retail sales
going to this group. Actual sales
however, dropped from $81 ,668, 900 in
1929 to SCI, ,796, 900 last year.
Sales by department stores declined
81 per cent, although there are II
such business houses here now as
against 10 four years ago. The COM
parative figures were $45, ,939, 900 in
1929 and $500 $4,000 in 1888.
Jewelry Stores Hard Hit.
Jewelry stores suffered the greatest
slump in business. The number drop
ped from 104 to 70 and their sales
decreased from $4,695 900 to $2,131,-
900, or SIS per cent.
A breakdown of the retail sales
among the several classes of business
showed that the consumer dollar was
divided among the stores as follows
Food stores, 25.6 cents; restaurants
rs cents; farmers supplies and coun-
try general stores, .09 cents; general
merchandise, 18 cents; apparel, 9.5
cents; automotive purchases, 15.e
cents; furniture and household goods
3.8 cents; lumber, building and hard
ware, 80 cents, and all other stores
1919 cents.
try general stores, g cents; general
As for wholesale houses, their net
sales dropped proportionately more
than those of the retailers, decreas-
ing from $261 ,083, 900 in 1929 to $l79.-
077,000 last year, or 31.4 per cent
The number of wholesalers, however
increased from 496 to SIS, or 1873
per cent.
The total pay roll of all Washing
ton wholesale houses last year was
$40 ,sSs 900.