Evening star., 1951-03-29
BY the Associoted Press


II you are a retail grocer, here's
what you must do under the new
price control system ordered last
night by the Office of Price
Stabilize ton.
/. Determine whether your store
belongs in group /, 2, 3 or 4. A
group /. store is an independent
store with annual gross sales in
1850 of less than $4,000. A group
2 store is an independent store
with sales between $4,000 and
$375, 600. A group 3 store is a
chain store with sales of less than
1915, 900. A group store is any
store, independent or not, with
sales of $375 900 or larger. Your
store is an independent" store if
it is not one of four or more stores
under one ownership whose COM
bined annual gross sales are $780,
600 or more.
If you are in group / or 2, you
are covered by Ceiling Price Reg
ulation 16. If you are in group 3
or 4, you are covered by Ceiling
Price Regulation Is.
2. Notify your OPS district Of
flee by April % what group your
store belongs in. You use a form
for this purpose.
3. After April 80 you must post
q sign in your store reading
"OPS-1." or whatever the proper
group number is. Later, the OPS
probably will furnish the sign.
4. BY April 80 you must figure
your new ceiling prices on all
items covered in your regulation.
You do this by finding the met
cost" of each item, and adding to
this net cost the markup per-
centage for the category Of which
the item is part. These markup
percentages are listed in Regula-
tionS Is and 16.
For example, if your store is
in Group /, you will find in Reg
ulation is that the narkup for
breakfast cereals is % per cent.
Therefore, to determine your CELL
ing on a box of corn flakes, you
add % per cent to the net cost.
The regulations explain precisely
what is meant by met cost" (for
example, it includes all the trans
portation charges you pay except
local trucking and local unload
ing).
5. Beginning April 5, you may
put into effect each new ceiling
price as you figure 1t. Thereafter
you may not sell above the ceiling.
You are free, of course, to sell
below the ceiling if you wish. BY
April 80. you must have all your
new.ceilings into effect.
6. Whenever you put a new
ceiling in effect, you must there
after have your current selling
price for that item clearly shown
on the item, or "at or near" the
place in your store where the
item is offered for sale.
Z. On each Monday after April
80 you must re-figure and put into
effect a new ceiling price on any
item whose net cost is different
from the net cost on which your
existing ceiling was based.
8. If you have customarily given
your purchaser a sales slip or
receipt, you must keep on doing
1t. Regardless of your past prac-
tice, you must give any customer
who asks for it a receipt showing
the date, your name and address,
and the quantity and name of
each food item sold, and the price
you charged for it.
8. After April Is you must keep
for one year after you receive
them all your invoices, freight
bills, and other records showing
the price you paid and the date
you received delivery of each item
covered by the regulation. You
must be ready to show all your
invoices to any OPS representa-
tive and furnish a written rec
ord of your ceiling price in effect
at any particular time for items
covered by the regulation apply
ing to you. You must also keep