Evening star., 1947-04-25
NeWburyporf Plans
Indefinite Extension
OF Price RoNback
sy The Associated Press

NEWBURYPoRT, Mass, April
25.-With sales still booming, re-
tailers here prepared today to ex-
tend indefinitely their To-day ex-
pertinent In rolling back" prices
10 per cent on everything.
More communities-and whole
salers, too-throughout the Nation
were enlisting In the 'Newburyport
plan" as its sponsors insisted It'll
was not q @mark-down sale"
Norman j. Randell, director OF
the Essex Development Council
supporting the plan, said hundreds
OF inquiries reached his office and
that it was clear much nisunder-
standing had developed.
Some seem TO think this is al
mark-down SALE" he asserted. at
isn't, Price tags aren't being
changed. It's just that the con-
sumner is refunded 10 per cent of
the amount Of his purchase"
Even Bar Rooms Join.
Even bar rooms were joining in
the crusade launched Tuesday in
response to President Truman's
appeal that prices be cut.
In many bars, you get cent
back on glass of beer.
Chester Saunders, who owns q
neighborhood drugstore, has intro
duced novelty. Handling a large
volume Of low-priced items, he has
placed a bowl filed with pennies on
the counter with 4 placard "help
yourself to your 10 per cent refund"
One automobile dealer, Mr.. Ran
dell said, had only one new car on
the floor but was ready to sell it
under the 40 per cent refund"
Virtually 100 per cent of the
retailers in Newburyport are pledged
to support the plan. Only two ma
tional food stores are not officially
participating, Mr.. Randell said, ex-
planning they took the view they
were reducing prices to consumers
as much as they could along with
reductions in the market.
Sponsors Of the anti imitation CAM
paign reported they were "swamped
with queries" from communities
across the Nation considering adopt
ing the plan, which they said lifted
dollar volume of sales as high as
ITO per cent. GF
After more than a score of cities
from coast to coast reported they
had adopted q similar plan, Mr..
Randell said:
We're swamped. We've got
queries from all over. It's so bad
we've got out form wires to give
general outline of the plan. We
don't have the staff to handle them
individually"
The response to the inquirers was:
Take an inventory and then cut
prices 10 per cent all the way along
the line"
Several Large Cities Join.
Included among those joining the
ranks were several large industrial
cities. In a number of communities
merchants were acting independ-
emily, advertising their own 10 per
cent discounts.
A few New England cities, how
ever, rejected the plan as an "in-
ventory sale" after observers came
ulLO IIllS area W see Illc CAPCIilIlCit
in operation. They figured the pro-
gram could not be sustained.
Sponsors reported number of big
wholesalers had fallen in line" and
we're granting reductions that might
make it possible 20 carry on the cam
paign indefinitely. Several manu-
facturers of various products also
had announced slaShes.
Two Michigan cities, an industrial
center and a quiet farm-belt COM
munity, adopted the Newburyport
program yesterday. Governing
bodies of Hamtramck, Detroit sub
urb Of $4,000 population, and Otsego,
Southern Michigan city of $500,
approved campaigns to induce mer-
chants to cut prices.
Retail merchants in Chester, Pa,
will decide today whether to accept
the Newburyport plan. If accepted,
the plan will become effective