Some Changes in Retail Distribution since 1929: With a Discussion of the 1933 Retail Census

Mr. Guernsey's paper which was presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Marketing Teachers last December, contains an interesting account of the differences in the technic of conducting the 1933 census and that of 1929 which should be of great value to students in properly interpreting the data and especially in making comparative analyses of the two sets of data. Since the Census technic is much the same for all divisions of the Census these remarks have significance beyond the field of retail trade statistics. Mr. Guernsey states that "this paper is not a treatise, but is designed as an informative report to the Association of what has been done in the 1933 Census and what it appears to be bringing out in the way of changes. I have set it up in this form deliberately so that it would not appear in any sense conclusive. We who are close to this picture realize that it is much too early to attempt solemn conclusions, or try to formulate 'laws' in the field of Retail Distribution. This paper is submitted to the Association in the spirit of an 'Interim report of progress.'"