[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 21631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10720]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under 
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: Census Bureau.
    Title: Current Retail Sales and Inventory Survey.
    Form Number(s): SM-44(00)S, SM-44(00)SE, SM-44(00)SS, SM-44(00)B, 
SM-44(00)BE, SM-44(00)BS, SM-44(00)L, SM-44(00)LE, SM-44(00)LS, SM-
45(00)S, SM-45(00)SE, SM-45(00)SS, SM-45(00)B, SM-45(00)BE, SM-
45(00)BS, SM-72(00)S, SM-20(00)I, SM-20(00)L-Replacing B-101(97)S, B-
101(97)B, B-111(97)S, B-111(97)B, B-111(97)L, B-113(97)I, B-113(97)L.
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0717.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 14,761 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 9,417.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 8 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The Current Retail Sales and Inventory Survey 
provides estimates of monthly retail sales, end-of-month merchandise 
inventories, and quarterly e-commerce sales of retailers in the United 
States by selected kinds of business. Also, it provides monthly sales 
of food service establishments. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 
uses this information to prepare the National Income and Products 
Accounts and to benchmark the annual input-output tables. Statistics 
provided from the Current Retail Sales and Inventory Survey are used to 
calculate the gross domestic product (GDP).
    Estimates produced from the Current Retail Sales and Inventory 
Survey are based on a probability sample. The sample design consists of 
one fixed panel where all cases are requested to report sales and/or 
inventories each month.
    As of April 2001 (June data month), we started publishing retail 
sales and inventory estimates on the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). Prior to that period, estimates were 
published on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis. As a 
result of NAICS, we will continue to collect monthly sales on food 
services and publish a retail trade and food services total in addition 
to a retail trade total. NAICS provides a better way to classify 
individual businesses, and is widely adopted throughout both the public 
and private sectors. NAICS is more relevant as it identifies more 
industries that contribute to today's growing economy. NAICS was 
developed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in order to produce 
comparable data between neighboring countries.
    In 2000, we redesigned our current retail forms to incorporate a 
new series of form numbers, and to include the e-commerce screening or 
data request as a separate item. The content of the forms did not 
change; therefore there was no change in reporting burden.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Section 182.
    OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Madeleine Clayton, Departmental Paperwork 
Clearance Officer, (202)482-3129, Department of Commerce, room 6608, 
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 
Internet at [email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer, room 10201, New Executive Office 
Building, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: April 26, 2002.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-10720 Filed 4-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P