Full text of G.17 Department Store Credit : June 6, 1957

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BQAED OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
G.17

June 6, 1957,
DEPARTMENT STORE CREDIT - APRIL 1957

Instalment accounts outstanding at department stores
at the end of April were down 1 'per cent from the preceding
month-end, "but were 9 per. cent; larger than a year earlier. The
ratio of instalment collections to first-of-month "balances continued at 15 per cent.
• Charge accounts receivable were 5 per cent above the
month-ago level, and 4 per cent above a year earlier. Collection's
during April amounted to 4$ per cent of'accounts outstanding at .
the beginning of the month, 3 points less than in March and 2
points more than in the corresponding month last year.
Each type of sale at reporting department stores was
up substantially from March, to April, and also.from April last
year. Both month-ago and year-ago increases reflected, in-part,
the later date of Easter this year.
Changes in Department Store"Sales and Accounts Receivable
Percentage change from:
Apr. 1956
Mar. 1957
to
to
Apr. 1957
Apr. 1957

Item

Sales during month:

Accounts receivable.,

Total
Cash
Charge
Instalment
end of month:

Charge
Instalment

+13
+12
+15
+14

+12
+12
+13
+14

+ 5
- 1

+ 4
+ 9

Collection Ratios and Percentage Distribution of Sales

April
1957

Item

Collection ratios l/:

Charge accounts
Instalment accounts

Percentage distribution of sales:

Cash
Charge
Instalment

45
15
44
43
13

'

March
1957

- April
1956

48
.15

43

44
43

44
"43
13

13

',|

15

1/Collections during month as-a percentage of accounts receivable at
•beginning of month.




G.17
DDP.JITMIIT STORE CkLDIT - APRIL 1?$7
Sales by type
(Percentage changes)
Charge-,account

Federal
Reserve
. District.

Kansas'City
Dallas

+ 22
+ 12
- +10
' +13
+ 12
+
9
+ 12
+ 16.
| + 10
i + 3
+ 20

U. S. Totalj

+ 13

+ 12
• + 9
+ 18
+ 11
+ 22
+ 15
+ 8
+ 1U
+ 16
+ 10
+ 9
+16
1. +12

Cash :
sales
Mar.'57 Apr.'56
to to .
Apr. '57-

|;

Philadelphia
Cleveland

Total sales
-Mar.<57 Apr.'56
to
to
Apr.'57 Apr.'57

+ 2k
+ 11
+ 9
+ 18.
+ 15
+ 9

+ 13
• 8
+ 20
+ 11
+ 22
+ 17
+

.

7

+i2
I +ia
+ 17
! + 19
+ 10 •
+ 10
+ 1
+ 13
+ 17
+15
+ 12 .

+ 12

Apr.'56
to
Apr.'57

Mar.'57
to
Apr.'57

Instalment
sales
Mar.'57 1Apr.'56
| to
to
Apr.,57^ Apr.'57

+ U
+ 21
+ 13 '
+ 7
+ 28
+15
+ 16
+ 17
*10
+ 11
+ 17 | +10
+ 23 - + 16
+ 25
+ 1L ! + 8
+ 17
+ 10
+ 7 ; + 9
+ 16'
+ 12 1 + h+12
+ lli | + 18
+ 16 ! tilt
+ 9
+ 8
• -1
1 + 7
+ 21 : +18
+ 15

+ 21
+ 12
+ 10
+ 20
+ 17
+ 1U
+ 10
. +13
+ 16
+ 10
+ .6

+23

• +13

+1S

+Hi

!

Accounts receivable, end of month
(Percentage changes)

Federal
Reserve
District

|Char&e accounts
(Mar. '57 Apr.'56
j
to
to
(Apr. ' 57 Apr.'57

Bo sto n
Hex-; York
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Rich.m nd
Atlanta
Chicago
St. Louis
Minneapolis
Kansas City
Dallas
San Francisco

1
i

U. S. Total

.




-1
.
+9
+^
. +6
+3
+5 .
+3
+L
+7
+3
•0
+2
+9
+2
+1
+7
+1
+
+ I4
3
+2
-1
+6
+3
+5

-+li

instalment.
Mar.'57 Apr.'56
to
to
Aor.* 57 Apr.'57
-2
• 0
-3
-1.
+2
+1
-1
•:1
-3
-1
-2
-

_1

'

-

h

.

+21
- 2
+ 6
+ 16
. " 5
+ 11
+ 7
+ 20
-13
-5
+ 21

1

i

'

+ 9

.

!

1 + lh