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C-"1 <^v*

FEDERAL

RESERVE

BOARD
June 9, 1931
r&s r t p - 78

For r e l e a s e i n morning papers
Thursday, June 11.
DEPARTMENT STORE SALES III MAY 193I
Preliminary r e p o r t

P r e l i m i n a r y f i g u r e s on t h e volume of department s t o r e s a l e s show a decrease
of 6 per cent from April to May on an average d a i l y "basis.
Th6 Federal Reserve
Board's inde::, which makes allowance both f o r number of business days and f o r
usual seasonal changes, was 95 i% May, on the b a s i s of the 1923-1925 average as 100,
compared with 10b i n A p r i l and 97 i n March.
In comparison with a year ago the value of s a l e s f o r May, according to the
p r e l i m i n a r y f i g u r e s , was l 4 per cent smaller, and t h e aggregate f o r t h e f i r s t
f i v e months of t h e year was 9 P e r cent s m a l l e r .
PERCENTAGE INCREASE OR DECREASE FROM A YEAR AGO

i

May*

Total
Federal r e s e r v e d i s t r i c t :
Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Cleveland

t

January ]
to
May 31

- 14

J

il

7
g

14
l6

Richmond
Atlanta
Chicago
S t . Loui s

16
12

Minneapolis
Kansas City
Dallas
San Francisco

13
10
12
13

10
10

4

9

s

10
11

13

4
7
10
10

Number of
reporting
stores

Number
of
cities

540

234

21

102
43

2I

30
29
IB
15

So
20

33
9

21
31

12
17

67

zl

*May f i g u r e s preliminary; the month had 25 business days t h i s year and
26 l a s t y e a r .

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