Full text of G.17 Department Store Credit : December 5, 1952

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BOARD OP GOVERNORS OF -THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
G.17.3

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December $, 1952

' DEPARTMENT STORE. CREDIT - OCTOBER 1952

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„ I n s t a l m e n t accounts- o u t s t a n d i n g a t department . s t o r e s , con-=
tinned, t o i n c r e a s e during 'October-. The g a i n , . l a r g e l y s e a s o n a l in
• n a t u r e , . brought o u t s t a n d i n g balances a t - t h e month-end t o a l e v e l 5
per cent above September 30 and-17 per cent above t h e l e v e l of Oct- ..
ober 31 a year ago. C o l l e c t i o n s on i n s t a l m e n t accounts i n c r e a s e d 5
per cent in October, but t h e r a t i o of c o l l e c t i o n s d u r i n g the month
t o f i r s t - o f - m o n t h accounts..receivable remained unchanged from t h e
preceding month a t 18 per c e n t . T h i s , however, was 3 p o i n t s below
the c o l l e c t i o n r&tio of .a year ago.
Charge accounts o u t s t a n d i n g a l s o i n c r e a s e d i n October, a
month d u r i n g which an expansion u s u a l l y o c c u r s . At the end of the
month, o u t s t a n d i n g b a l a n c e s .were 9 per cent above a month ago and 5
per cent above October a year ago. C o l l e c t i o n s on charge accounts
i n c r e a s e d 15 per cent in October, and amounted t o 50 per cent of
balances o u t s t a n d i n g a t the f i r s t of t h e month. This .was 3 p o i n t s
above t h e c o l l e c t i o n r a t i o f o r September, but t h e same as f o r October of l a s t y e a r .
•' ;
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In s ta lm e n t s a l e s a t department s t o r e s in October were up
20 per. cent from the p r e c e d i n g month, while charge-account, and cash
s a l e s gained 15 per c e n t . 7 I n c r e a s e s over a y e a r - a go were a l s o shown .
by each type of t r a n s a c t i o n — 8 per c e n t f o r i n s t a l m e n t s a l e s , 3 percent f o r charge-account s a l e s , and 1 per cent f o r cash s a l e s .

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Department S t o r e S a l e s , Accounts.Receivable, and C o l l e c t i o n s

Item
S a l e s during month
Cash
Instalment
Charge accounts

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:.

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Accounts r e c e i v a b l e , end of month
Instalment accounts
Charge accounts
C o l l e c t i o n s d u r i n g month
Instalment accounts
Charge accounts

Percentage change from:
S e p t . 1952 . Oct. 1951
to
to
Oct. 1952
Oct. 195.2

/-

••

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'

;

+15 .
+20
+15

+ 1
+ 8
+ 3

+"5
+ 9

+17
+ 5

+ 5
+15

.

•

- 3
+ 3 :

R a t i o of c o l l e c t i o n s during month t o accounts r e c e i v a b l e a t beginning of month: ~
Oct.
• 1952
I n s t a l m e n t accounts
Charge accounts

Sept.

1952

18
.50

18
/

hi

. Oct.

192:
21

50

Digitized forNOTE:—Figures
FRASER
f o r October 1952 a r e p r e l i m i n a r y and s u b j e c t t o r e v i s i o n .


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G.17.3

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DEPARTlnlH? STORES - OCTOBER 1952
Cash and C r e d i t S a l e s , by F e d e r a l Reserve D i s t r i c t s
Federal
Reserve
District

Oct.
l%2p

Boston" . ..
. Kew'York
Philadelphia
Cleveland
"Richmond Atlanta
Chicago .
S t . Louis
-Minneapolis
Kansas.City
• Dallas
bar. F r a n c i s c o

100
104
105
112
111
103
107
115
102
113
91

U. S. T o t a l

102

Indexes.: • 1947-1949 ay age = 100
Charge-account'sales
Cash s a l e
instalment
Sept. Oct.
Oct.
Sept.
t7
Sept 7
Oct.
Oct.
1952p _1952_ 1951
W2_
J^gl_
_195& 1951
123
lk3
131.
140
139
175

94
89
85

96
102
102
103
109
rlOl
101
101
108
103
100
- 69

205
1%

238
161
157
.175

89

101

-178

149

• 85

81
92
89

-97

101
90
90
96

113
185
150
169'
190
191
176
157

m

161.
m

97
118
132
128
133
127
125
125
148
128
140
110

87
102
111
109
117'
112
111
107
112
117
121
101

111
117
129
123
127
rll'6
121
118
138
126
125
110

161

124

108

121

166
169
111
168
159
rl57
158
150
326
1.76

Accounts Receivable and C o l l e c t i o n s , by F e d e r a l Reserve D i s t r i c t s
-Federal
Reserve
District
Eeston
Rev; York
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Richmond
' Atlanta
Chicago
S t . Louis
l.Iinneapolis
Kansas C i t y
Dallas
San F r a n c i s c o
U. S. T o t a l

Accounts o u t s t a n d i n g , end of month
Indexes: 1947-1949 average = 100
Instalment
Chare^e-account.
Oct. Sept, Oct. Oct. • Sept. Oct.
' 1952% 1952 1951 1952P 1952 1951
192
190 163
186 .168 163
157 ' 151 lk3
151
17k 165
190
177 156
220 r l 9 6
231
186 179
198
2 CO 194 175
156 159
175
228 20a
235
263
218 203
262
250 189

117
112'
113
119
149.
138
127
137
127 '
135 •'
Ik3
128

201

128

190

172

C o l l e c t i o n ratios-::Tnstalment
Oct. Sept. Oct,
1952p 1952 1951

101 . ill*
16
15
101
15
18
110
127
17 . • 17
133
110
16
117
. 17
136
132
15
15
130 r l 2 6
• 15
15
120
124
21
20
12k
19 • 19
132
109
123 ' 20
20
130
- 17 16
135
127 . 129
13
13
126
116
18
19

. 118

122

• 18

18

Char,ze-account
Oct. Sept. Oct.
1952p 1952 1951

18
ko
47
47
18 • 15
47 • 45
20
42
48
15
19'
50
46
51
19
ko
42
43
17
38
37
r39
2k
57
57
53
23
51
50
.47
61
25
57
55
21
51 • •kd
53
18
k7
46
50
22
k9
52
5it
21

50

47

50

Revised
->__0ollections during month as percentage of accounts r e c e i v a b l e a t beginning of
.month.
NOTE:--These d a t a a r e based on r e p o r t s • o f about 550 l a r g e department s t o r e s r e p o r t i n g s a l e s by type of t r a n s a c t i o n , about 1*75 having charge accounts and
about 375 having i n s t a l m e n t a c c o u n t s . Back f i g u r e s may be obtained on
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. r e q u e s t from the Division of Research and S t a t i s t i c s .