Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03
Gains in Retail Trade
Are Likely to Continue
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

An increase of IA per cent in the
total dollar value of retail sales in
the United States for 1894 as COM
pared with the figures for the pre-
ceding year is revealed in compila-
ton by the Department of Commerce
just made public.
The figures collected, trade by trade,
show that retail trade volume for the
whole country expanded in both dol
lar value and physical quantity last
year as compared with 1893. The
rate of increase varied greatly among
the different trades, ranging from
the catalogue sales Of mail order
houses, with rs per cent increase,
to the food group, with z per cent
increase. In between were the auto
motive group, showing a % per cent
increase, followed by restaurants.
clothing stores. farmers supply and
country general stores and furni-
ture and household stores. each show
ing an increase of some 10 per cent.
Next lowest to the food group were
the variety stores. which registered
an advance Of about per cent.
Compared with the total values Of
the retail trade Of 1929. which is
perhaps an unfair comparison but
q natural one, the total retail sales
in 1884 throughout the United States
recovered to So per cent. In 1888, the
low point Of the depression for re-
tail sales was reached when they
were just 81 per cent Of the 1929
- -
were at the low point in the Summer
Of 1888, although the farmers sup
ply and country general stores, the
mail order business, the variety, auto
motive and furniture and household
groups had reached their low point
the year before, and began to re-
cover in 1888.
4 4 4
The figures of the Department of
Commerce show that the stores hit
hardest during the depression were
the furniture and household group.
They reached their low point of 80
per cent Of the 1929 figures in 1882.
The next year, jewellery stores and
farmers supply and country general
stores touched "low," with 80 per
cent, while the lumber, building and
hardware group reached bottom in
the Summer of 1888, with 35 per cent.
Restaurants, variety stores and sec
ond- hand stores seem to have been
least affected by the depression.
variety stores suffering less than any
others.
The showing of restaurants Is par
ticularly interesting. Figures indicate
that, after the repeal of the eighteenth
amendment, large number of new
restaurants, beer parlors and other
eating places were established Next
to restaurants, the automotive group
picked up most irnpressively, especi-
ally when 1t Is considered that sales Of
motor cars were not even an element
In the retail picture few decades
ago. After the necessity to eat, the
average American seems to find his
need expressing itself in terms Of
motor car. The sale of automobiles,
incidentally, influenced the sales of
other elements in the same group, in
GLIDING furnishings for gasoline and
filling stations, garages, tire and bat
terry stores, etc.
In small towns and rural areas, the
sales of general merchandise were fair
ly uniform throughout the different
sections of the country during 1884
as compared with the figures for the
preceding year. In the South,
slightly larger percentage of increase
was noted.
The figures indicate three rather
distinct tendencies in domestic retail
trade at present. The buying power Of
the farmers would seem to have i'm
proved more rapidly than that Of
workers In cities. Then, there has
been an increase in restaurant patron
age.
Agricultural prices have advanced.