Evening star., 1946-11-14

Fear Of Strike K
By Buyers Seen.
As Price Brake
Dealers Watch Stock,
Closely. Foreseeing
Decline Of Sales

l bSCilH6 OF SoieS
Fear Of buyers strike was cred
ited widely today with acting as d
brake on many rising prices, includ-
t.g those of food and clothing.
| The same fear. likewise, was cred
fted with offering the chief hope
that prices won't go much higher,
and might even be reduced below
those prevailing now.
| There also were official figures
which indicated that buying in Dis
Srict department stores already has
begun to fall sharply from q peak
reached last August.
| Spokesmen for food stores-both
independent and chAin-said their
volume Of business, both In dollars
and in tonnage. has been holding
pup, but that they are anticipating q
sales drop unless prices 60 down.
| Retailers Buying Carefully.
| Consequently, the retail stores are
buying cautiously" to avoid the
risk Of finding themselves heavily
stocked with high-priced merchan-
disc on declining retail market.
The stores, in short, are themselves
Joining in b consumer resistance
movement.
Still another development today In
the supply land demand picture was
lthe announcement Of an anti
Christmas buying campaign" spon-
Sored by the Washington Committee
of Consumer Protection. Mrs. Sarah
Newman, 1884 Garrison street NV,
chairman, said the committee, which
has been concentrating its efforts
on meat prices, will give attention
next to butter and Christmas toys.
Agreeing in the belief that "reputa-
lble" merchants are not raising
prices more than absolutely neces-
lsary were Paul D. Herman, presi-
dent of the District Grocery Stores,
Inc, which includes more than $50
independent stores, and Edward D..
SHAW, executive secretary of the
Merchants and Manufacturers AS
lsociation.
They were in agreement that
realistic merchants viii not risk the
Ill will and the future loss Of trade
which would result from prices
higher than is necessary for them
to charge.
Many Stores Shaving Profits.
Both Mr.. Herman and Mr.. Shaw
said that many, If not most, stores
are shaving their own profits rather
than pass all their increased whole
sale costs to the consumers.
Both were of the opinion that
prices won't 60 much beyond pres
ent levels, if at all. They explained
that there will be some fluctuations
and there may be sharp rises in
some commodities. But they pre-
dicted the general level should hold
fairly steady. II !.
Mr.. Shaw said meat prices prob
ably viii go below the formr OPAI
ceilings by next spring.
I In this connection, meat, prices in
District food stores today MAIN
tained approximately the same price
scale-generally above rather than
below OPA prices, but far below the
postdecontrol peak. -
I Hams were advertised for 65 cents
. pound, beef roasts for AZ cents,
steaks and prime beef for 81 and
SO cents.
| Pork Chops at 81 Cents.
: Pork chops, which outstripped all
other meats in cost during the first
few days after controls were re-
moved, were priced at 81 cents, while
lamb chops were 40 cents.
/ MIR. herman said there had been
no reported DECREASE in the volume
of buying in food stores recently.
iCoInpared with the same time last
year, volume undoubtedly is up, con-
Isiderably both in dollar value and
jim tonnage, he said.
+, On the same basis Of comparison,
federal Reserve figures today
Ishowed that the recent volume in
District department stores has been
higher than in comparable periods
last year. For the first nine months
Iof this year, the agency reported,
dollar value of department store
sales was q per cent higher than in
1916. a
Lower Than In August.
However, the same source reported
that, the drop in volume has, been
sharp since last August. Department
store sales for August were 26. per
cent aboye August, 1945. Last Sep
tember the increase was only 20 per
cent-still higher than September
last year, but 6 points down from
the, previous month. Figures had
not been compiled for October, Fed
eral Reserve said.
Added evidence of increasing
buyer resistance was seen in the
fact that dollar volume had started
down, despite increased price levels
and wider range of available mer-
chandise., This was termed conclu-
sive evidence that people as a whole
buy less as prices go UP.
Women Voters Ask Repeal