Food, Cars Pace

Food, Cars Pace

Sales in Rappahan’k

How are residents of Rappahannock County spending their money these days?

How much of their shopping dollar is going for food, cars, clothing, furniture, household equipment and the like?

According to figures that have just become available through a new consumer market study, most local families had bigger incomes in the past year than in former years and, therefore, more money to spend in that direction. As a result, although they were somewhat more cautious with their purchasing than in former years, because of the depression and because of inflation, retail business in the local area was at a relatively good level. The findings, by the Standard Rate and Data Service, reveal the spending pattern locally and in all other sections of the country. In Rappahannock County, it is shown, stores selling food and automotive equipment captured a large part of the consumer dollar. Together, they attracted 30 percent of all retail business in the area. The outlay for food alone, in bakeries, supermarkets, butcher shops, delicatessens and the like totaled $580,000, as against the prior year’s $522,000. This was solely for food bought for home consumption. It does not include expenditures made in restaurants and other eating and drinking places. Just how much the take-home food purchases averaged, on a per-family basis, was determined by apportioning the total amount spent equally among the local population. It came to $387 per family. As for stores selling automotive equipment, including cars, motorcycles, boats and accessories, they accounted for $534,000. The SRDS report shows that local consumer buying held up well, under the circumstances, in most other retail lines.

Sales of general merchandise, in department stores and variety shops, totaled $711,000.

Sales of furniture, household furnishings and the like added up to $230,000.