[Women's, Girls', and Children's Outerwear at Retail] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov] BULLETIN RMPR 330 OPA TRADE BULLETIN Revised Maximum Price Regulation No. 330 Effective September 18, 1944 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, D. G WOMEN’S, GIRLS’, AND CHILDREN’S OUTERWEAR |T RETAIL' > This trade bulletin is written to help you understand and Jollowr Revised Maximum Price Regulation No. 330. It covers only those main points of the regulation that apply to retailers, and does not take its place. You can get a copy of the regulation from your OPA District Office. The OPA District Office will also be able to help you if you have any questions. On September 18, 1944, the new Revised Maximum Price Regulation No. 330 goes into effect. You will be most interested in the following three changes: File Pricing Chart by October 5, 1944 (1) Up to now, you were required to make out Pricing Charts and keep them for examination by OPA. Under the new regulation, you must file two copies of your Pricing Chart with your OPA District Office. The deadline for filing Pricing Charts is October 15, 1944. After November 15, 1944, you are not allowed to sell any garments until you have received from OPA acknowledgment of the filing of your chart. New Sellers Must File Applications (2) If you are new in business (that is, if you opened after May 18, 1944) you must file an application for maximum prices with OPA. Highest Price Line Limitations Out (3) As you probably know, Congress has recently amended the Price Control Act so that highest price line limitation no longer applies to retailers. So, of course, you won’t find it in the new regulation. Here are the main features of the regulation, as far as it applies to retailers: HOW TO MAKE OUT YOUR PRICING CHART (1) State your name and address. (2) State your type of business (retail basement department, chain outlet, specialty shop, etc.). (3) If you made your first delivery of a category of garments under the regulation after October 1, 1941, state the date of that delivery. (4) List, in Column A, the categories of the garments you delivered in the base period. (See list of categories on pages 5 and 6.) (5) List, in Column B, the cost price lines of all garments you delivered during the base period. The base period is: For toddlers’ gar- August 1 to December 31,1942 ments, blouses; un- or der size 30, slacks The first 4 months after the and slack suits first delivery of these gar- ments (if you made that first delivery between October 1, 1942, and September 18, 1944). For all other garments. August 1 to December 31, 1941 or The first 4 months after the first delivery of these garments (if you made that first delivery between October 1, 1941, and September 18, 1944). If you use the exception to Pricing Rule 1 of the regulation for any cost price line, put an “(S)” before it. (See the regulation for details.) (6) List, in Column C, the discount, terms or allowances at which you bought the largest number of garments of each cost price line listed in Column B. (7) List, in Column D, the selling price fine at which you delivered, during the base period, the largest number of garments of each cost price listed in Column B. If you delivered the same number of garments at two or more selling price lines, list the lowest selling price line. (8) List, in Column E, the percentage markup on each cost price listed in Column B. Figure the markup like this: Step 1. Subtract the cost price (Column B) from the selling price line (Column D). Step 2. Divide this figure by the selling price line (Column D). However, if you usually figure your markups on your cost prices and did it the same way during the base period, you may keep on doing so. NOTE: If you made a mistake in your Pricing Chart, you may file two signed copies of a corrected chart, with an explanation of the mistake. However, you must not use a higher markup than you had on your original chart until OPA- has acknowledged the corrected chart. O. P. A. Order No. 29—608161°—44 SAMPLE PRICING CHART: A. B. C. Dress Co. 123 Broadway, New City, Kansas. Type of seller: Retailer. Pricing Chart A B C D E Category No. Cost price" lines* Terms Selling prices Percentage markup (percent) 1 (women’s coats) (S) $11. 75 12. 75 8/10 EOM $14. 95 19. 95 21. 4 8/10 EOM 36. 1 14. 75 8/10 EOM : 25. 00 41. 0 18. 75 1/10 EOM ___ 29. 95 37. 4 19. 75 8/10 EOM _ 29. 95 34. 1 22. 75 8/10 EOM 35. 00 35. 0 26. 75 8/10 EOM 39. 95 33. 0 29. 75 Net 49. 95 40. 4 21 (women’s dresses) 3.75 8/10 EOM 5. 98 37.3 4.75 8/10 EOM 7. 95 40. 3 5. 50 3/10 EOM 8. 95 38. 5 6.75 8/10 EOM 10. 95 38. 4 8. 75 8/10 EOM _ _ 13. 95 37 3 9.75 8/10 EOM __ 14. 95 34. 8 10. 75 8/10 EOM 16. 95 36. 6 32 (women’s slacks) 2. 87^ 3. 75 Net 4. 98 42. 2 8/10 EOM 5. 98 37. 3 4. 75 8/10 EOM __ __ 7. 95 40. 3 28 (teen age and girls’ snowsuits) 4. 75 8/10 EOM 7. 95 40. 3 6.75 8/10 EOM___ 10. 95 38. 4 8. 75 8/10 EOM 13. 95 37. 3 *A11 prices listed are cost per unit. (Signed) A. B. C. Dress Co. By John Doe, President. HOW TO FIND YOUR CEILING PRICE You find your ceiling price for a garment by one of the four rules given below. Whichever rule you use, you will have to compare your present cost with a cost price listed on your Pricing Chart. If you now buy on different terms or a different discount from those listed for the cost price on your Pricing Chart, you must^we the net costs for both before you can compare them. However, you do this only to find which' cost price line on your Chart you must use for pricing. Once you have found it, you must refigure the cost price of your present purchase as if you had bought at the terms and discount listed on your Chart for the cost price line by which you price. After that, add the markup listed on the Chart; the result is your ceiling price. (See Example 4 below.) There are four pricing rules: Rule 1 is for garments Whose category and cost price line is listed on your Pricing Chart; Rule 2 is for garments in a category listed on your Pricing Chart but in a cost price line that is not listed; Rule 3 is for garments whose category is not fisted on your Pricing Chart (for categories see pages 5 and 6); Rule 4 is for sales to persons other than ultimate consumers. * Rule 1. For a garment whose category and cost price line are listed on your Pricing Chart, the ceiling price is the selling price listed for that cost price on your chart. Remember that not only the cost price but also the terms and.discount must be the same; if they are different, you must price by Rule 2 (unless the adjusted cost happens to be exactly the same as one of the cost prices on your chart). If you sold garments during the base period at closeout prices in some of your lowest price lines, you should study the exception to Rule 1 in the regulation. Rule 2. If the category of the garment you are pricing is listed on your Pricing Chart, but the cost price line is not, your pricing method depends on whether the cost price of the garment you are pricing 2 is (a) higher than any cost price listed for that category on your chart, (b) lower than any cost price listed for that category on your chart, or (c) somewhere between the highest and the lowest cost price listed for that category on your chart. (a) If your present cost price is higher than any cost • price listed on your chart for the same category, you price by the “average percentage markup” for that category. Figure the “average percentage markup” like this: Step 1. Add all cost prices listed on your Pricing Chart for that category* Step 2. Add all selling prices listed on your Pricing Chart for that category Step 3. Subtract the first sum from the second sum. Step 4. Divide this difference by the sum of the selling prices. The result is the “average percentage markup” for that category, which you apply to your present cost to find your ceiling price, as follows: Step 5. Subtract this “average percentage markup” from 100%. Step 6. Divide your present cost by this difference. The result is your ceiling price. Example 1. Suppose the Pricing Chart on page 2 is your chart. You.want to price a woman’s dress (Category 21), which you bought for $12.75. This cost price is higher than the highest cost price listed for that category on your chart, which is $10.75. Therefore you must find your “average percentage markup.” You first add all the cost prices listed for women’s dresses: $3. 75 4. 75 5.50 6. 75 8. 75 9. 75 10. 75 $50. 00 Then you add all the selling prices listed for women’s dresses: $5.98 7. 95 8.95 10. 95 13. 95 14.95 16.95 $79.68 Next you subtract the sum of the cost prices from the sum of the selling prices: $79. 68 —50. 00 $29. 68 Finally, you divide this difference by the sum of the selling prices: $29.68-*-$79.68=37.2% Yopr “average percentage markup” is therefore 37.2%. To find your ceiling price for the $12.75 dress, you now subtract 37.2% from 100%, which gives 62.8%, and divide your cost by this difference: $12.75-5-62.8%=$20^0 Note that you will Have to use the same average percentage mark-up of 37.2% for all women’s dresses that cost you more than $10.75. (b) If your present cost is lower than any cost price listed on your chart for the same category, you price by the percentage mark-up listed on your chart for the lowest cost price listed in that category. Figure like this: Step L Subtract that percentage markup from 100%. Step 2. Divide the cost of the garment you are pricing by the difference. The result is your ceiling price. Example 2. You have some women’s dresses (Category 21) that you bought for $2.75. During the base period you did not deliver any women’s dresses that cost you less than $3.75. Your Pricing Chart shows you that the selling price at which you delivered the largest number of $3.75 dresses is $5.98. It also shows you that your percentage markup was 37.3%. To price your $2.75'dresses, you now subtract 37.3 % from 100%, which gives you 62.7%. Then you divide $2.75 by 62.7%; the result, $4.39, is your ceiling price. (c) If the cost of the garment you are pricing is between the highest and the lowest cost price listed on your chart for the same category, but not the same as any of those prices, you price by the percentage markup listed on your Pricing Chart for the next lower cost price in that category. Subtract that percentage markup from 100% and divide the cost of the garment you are pricing by the difference. The result is your ceiling price. Example 3. You want to find your ceiling price for women’s dresses (Category 21) that you now buy at $7.75. On your Pricing Chart you have listed women’s dresses at cost prices of $6.75 and $8.75, but none at $7.75. To figure your ceiling price, you take the percentage markup listed on your chart for women’s dresses that cost you $6.75. This is 38.4%. You add this markup to your cost of $7.75 and find that your ceiling price is $12.58 (100%—38.4%=61.6%; $7.75+ 61.6%=$12.58). (d) You must make a special adjustment if the discount at which you now buy is different from that listed on your chart. Example 4. Suppose the Pricing Chart on page 2 is your chart. You want to price a woman’s coat (Category 1) which you bought at $19.75 less 3/^0 EOM. Since this is not the same as the cost price of $19.75 less 8/10 EOM listed on your Pricing Chart, you must adjust both of these $19.75 prices and the next lower comparable price on your chart ($18.75 less 1/10 EOM) to net prices, like this: Net Cost Price In dollars-Cost price Terms In Percent and-cents $19.75 3/10 EOM_________________97% $19.16 19.75 8/10 EOM_________________92% 18.17 18.75 1/10 EOM_______:_________99% 18.56 Now, to price the coat you bought at $19.16 net, you must use the percentage markup listed on your chart for the next lower net cost price, which is $18.56 ($18.75 less 1/10 EOM). Therefore, as your next step, you must adjust the discount on the coat you are buying to that on the coat by which you are pricing. To do this, you take the net cost of $19.75 less 3/10 EOM, which is $19.16, and divide it by 99% (the net percentage cost of the $18.75 less 1/10 EOM coat). This gives $19.35. Now you take the percentage markup 3 listed for the $18.75 cost price (37.4%) and apply it to the adjusted cost of $19.35, as follows: 100%—37.4%= 62.6%; $19.35-^-62.6%=$30.91. Your ceiling price is $30.91. Rule 3. If you are pricing a garment whose category is not listed on your Pricing Chart, you price by Rule 1 and 2 us if all the cost prices, selling price lines and percentage markups listed on your Pricing Chart were price Unes and markups for the category of the garment you are pricing. That is, if the cost price of the garment you are pricing is thè same aS one that is listed for some other category, you use Rule 1; if not, you use Rule 2, in'the following way: (a) For a garment that costs you more than any of the cost prices listed on your chart, you figure the “average percentage markup” of all items on your chart. (b) For a garment you bought for less than any cost price listed on your chart, you take the percentage markup listed for the lowest cost price on your chart, regardless of category. (c) For a garment you bought at a cost price somewhere in between those listed on your chart, you take the percentage markup listed for the next lower cost price, regardless of category. If the same cost price is listed on your chart for more than one category, you must take the selling price and percentage markup that gives you the lowest ceiling price. Example 5. You want to find the ceiling price for misses’ suits (Category 7) which you now buy at $9.25. You did not list any misses’ suits on your Pricing Chart, nor did you list a cost price of $9.25 for any category at all. You did list a cost price of $8.75 for women’s dresses (Category 21) which is the next lower cost price listed on your Pricing Chart for any category. The percentage markup listed for that cost price is 37.3%. Therefore, you talee that as your markup for the $9.25 misses’ suits, and your ceiling price is $14.75 (100%—37.3%=62.7%; $9.25-*-62.7%=$14.75). Example 6. Suppose you want to price misses’ suits you bought at $9.25, as in Example 5, but there are two cost prices of $8.75 listed on your Pricing Chart, one for women’s dresses (Category 21) and one for women’s coats (Category 1). The percentage markup listed for the coats is 32%, that for the dresses is 37.3%. In this case, you must not use the higher markup (37.3%) which would give you a ceiling price of $14.75 (see Example 5), but you must take the lower markup (32%) and figure like this: 100%-32.%=68%; $9.25 -h68%=$13.60. Your ceiling price is therefore $13.60. Rule 4. To other dealers you must sell at cost plus freight. IF YOU ARE A NEW SELLER If you are a new seller (that is, if you did not deliver any garments covered by the regulation before May 18, 1944) you must file three signed copies of an “Application for Authorization to Establish Maximum Prices” with your OPA District Office. Until y<5u have OPA authorization, you must not sell or deliver any garments covered by the regulation. However, if you made your first delivery of garments covéred by the old MPR 330 between May 18, 1944 and September 18, 1944, you may keep on selling and delivering garments at the prices you set under that regulation, but only if you file your “Application for Authorization to Establish Maximum Prices” by October 15, 1944. Sample Form of Application: Application for Authorization to Establish Maximum Prices: Name and address. Name and address of proposed seller. Names of owners, etc., and previous business connections. A & B Sales Company, 123 Broadway, New York, New York. Milady Dress Shop, 456 Main Street, New City, Kansas. (a) John Doe, partner in A & B Sales Co. since 1937. (b) Richard Roe, partner in A & B Sales Co. since July 1943; previously President of XY Dress Co., 789 South Street, Trenton, New Jersey. (c) Jane Doe, no previous business connections. Number of other sellers: 2. Categories, price lines, and markups desired: Cost Price Selling Price Percentage Category No. Line Line Markup 1, 2, 6, and 7 __ $12.75 $19. 95 36. 1 13. 75 22. 95 40.0 14. 75 25. 00 41.0 18. 75 29. 95 37.4 22. 75 35. 00 35.0 24. 75 39. 95 37.6 29. 75 49. 95 40.4 3. 75 5. 98 37. 3 4.75 7. 95 40.3 5. 50 8. 95 38. 5 6. 75 10. 95 38.4 7.75 . 12. 95 40.0 8.75 * 14. 95 41. 5 9. 75 16. 95 42. 5 2. 50 3. 98 37.2 2. 87% 4. 98 42.4 3.75 5. 98 37. 3 4. 75 7. 95 40.3 I will purchase garments, whenever possible, on terms of 8/10 EOM. I will sell for cash only and will offer the following services: Free delivery within city limits. Competitors________ (a) Excellent Dress Shop, 495 Main Street, New City, Kansas. (b) Acme Dress Shop, 362 Main Street, New City, Kansas. (c) Peerless Clothes, 120 Broadway, New City, Kansas. (Signed) A & B Sales Company, (By) John Doe, Partner. 4 DEPARTMENT AND CHAIN STORES, ETC. Each chain outlet, separate department, leased department, basement department and the like must file its own pricing chart and price by its own selling prices during the base periods. However, this does not apply to salesmen making sales at uniform prices and chains operating under orders of authorization for uniform pricing. CATEGORIES (a) Coats. “Coats” include all outerwear garments commonly known as coats, usually worn over other outer apparel, untrimmed, trimmed, fur-trimmed and fur-lined, sport and dress, including capes and wraps, but not including rainwear garments or garments made of artificial leather. “Rainwear garments” are those which are commonly regarded as having their chief use as protection against rain. Categories: 1—^“Women’s”—sizes 32 and up. 2—“Misses’ ” and “jr. misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 3—“Teen ag-e”—sizes from 10 to 16, inclusive. 4—“Girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 14, inclusive. 5—“Children’s”—sizes from 3 to 6, inclusive. 5a—“Toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 4 years, inclusive. (b) Suits. *‘Suits” include all two-piece feminine outerwear garments, untrimmed, trimmed and furtrimmed, consisting of a “separate jacket” having full or partial lining or bound inner seams and a “separate skirt”, fabricated of either matching or contrasting material to be sold at a unit price. Two-piece dresses, however, are not included.. Categories: 6—“Women’s”—«izes 32 and up. 7—“Misses’” and “jr. misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 8—“Teen age”—sizes from 10 to 16, inclusive. 9—“Girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 14, inclusive. 10—“Children’s”—sizes from 3 to 6, inclusive. 10a—“Toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 4 years, inclusive. (c) Separate jackets. “Separate jackets” include all outerwear garments commonly known as jackets which can be opened from neck to hem and which ordinarily are not worn tucked into a skirt, slacks or shorts. Note that this includes ski jackets, skating jackets and other sport jackets. Garments made of artificial leather are, however, excepted. Boleros, jerkins and other garments of the same type are considered to be jackets. Categories: 11-—“Women’s ”—sizes 32 and up. 12—“Misses’ ” and “jr misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 13—“Teen age”—sizes from 10 to 16, inclusive. 14—“Girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 14, inclusive. 15—“Children’s ”—sizes from 3 to 6, inclusive. 15a—“Toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 4 years, inclusive. (d) Separate skirts. “Separate skirts” include all feminine outerwear garments commonly known as skirts, including skating skirts, but excluding culottes. Categories: 16—“Women’s”—sizes 32 and up. 17—“Misses’ ” and “jr. misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 18—“Teen age”—sizes from 10 to 16, inclusive. 19—“Girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 14, inclusive. 20—“Children’s”—sizes from 3 to 6, inclusive. 20a—“Toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 4 years, inclusive. (e) Dresses. “Dresses” include all one-piece feminine outerwear garments commonly known as dresses, and all two-piece dresses consisting of a skirt and a separate blouse, or separate unlined jacket, and sold at a unit price. Such garments include dresses used for street, evening, house or utility wear. Jumpers, pinafores, smocks, and similar garments are considered to be dresses. Categories: 21—“Women’s”—sizes 32 and up. 22—“Misses’ ” and “jr. misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 23—“Teen age”—sizes from 10 to 16, inclusive. 24—“Girls’ ’’—sizes from 7 to 14, inclusive. 25—“Children’s”—sizes from 3 to 6, inclusive. 25a—“Toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 3 years, inclusive. • (f) Blouses. “Blouses” include all feminine outerwear garments, commonly known as blouses or shirtwaists. Categories 26— “Women’s”, “misses’ ” and “jr. misses’ ”—all sizes. 26a—“Teen age” and’“girls’ sizes from 7 to 16, inclusive. 26b—“Children’s” and “toddlers’ ”—sizes from 6 months to 6 years, inclusive. (g) Snowsuits. “Snowsuits” include all (1) toddlers’ and children’s (including boys’), (2) girls’ and (3) teen age outerwear garments commonly known as sncTwsuits and ski suits,. Categories: 27—“Children’s” and “toddlers’ ” one and two-piece snowsuits (with or without a matching hat)—sizes from 1 to 6, inclusive. 28—“Teen age” and “girls” one and two-piece snowsuits (with or without a matching hat)—sizes from 7 to 16, inclusive. (h) Legging sets and separate leggings. “Legging sets” and “separate leggings” include all (1) toddlers’ and children’s (including boys’), and (2) girls’ outerwear garments commonly known as legging sets and separate leggings, but excluding garments made of artificial leather. Categories: 29—Legging sets—sizes from 1 to 14, inclusive. 30—Separate leggings—sizes from 1 to 14, inclusive. (i) Separate ski pants. “Separate ski pants” include all (1) toddlers’ and children’s (including boys’), (2) girls’ and (3) teen age outerwear garments commonly known as ski pants. Category: 31—Separate ski pants—sizes from 1 to 16, inclusive. (j) Separate slacks. “Separate slacks” include all women’s, girls’, children’s and toddlers’ outerwear $ garments commonly known as slacks, and usually cut in the same style as men’s trousers, reaching from waist to calf or below and having long loose legs, including slacks with any attached sleeveless bodice commonly known as “overalls” or “jumperalls,” but excluding culottes. Categories: 32—“Women’s”—sizes 32 and up. 33—“Misses’ ” and “jr. misses’ ”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 34—“Teen age” and “girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 16, inclusive. 35—“Children’s” and “toddlers’ ” (including boys’, except boys’ tailored pants which are covered by Maximum Price Regulation 177)— sizes from 6 months to 6 years, inclusive. (k) Slack suits. “Slack suits” include women’s, girls’, children’s and toddlers’ outerwear garments commonly known as slack suits or slack sets, consisting of a slack and separate jacket, or a slack and separate or attached blouse, sold at a unit price. Garments commonly known as “coveralls” are included. Categories: 36—“Women’s”—sizes 32 and up. 37—“Misses’” and “jr.misses’”—sizes from 7 to 20, inclusive. 38—“Teen age” and “girls’ ”—sizes from 7 to 16, inclusive. 39—“Children’s” and “toddlers’” (including boys’, except boys’ tailored suits which are covered by Maximum Price Regulation 177)— sizes from 6 months to 6 years, inclusive. NOTE: You may combine, if you wish, the following three pairs of size ranges in your pricing (if you customarily sold garments of both size ranges at the same percentage markups): (1) Women’s and misses’ or juniors’ sizes; (2) Teen-age and girls’ sizes; (3) Children’s and toddlers’ sizes. If you do this, you put on your Pricing Chart the selling prices at which you delivered the largest number of garments in both size ranges during the base period. U. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: fS4G 6