Show lack of merchandising Mercha dising CP driving trade to cities Is R report cp abort in a yearlong year long investigation just juat completed halt half the people in a a group of typical small rural communities were found to bypass their country stores tor for merchandise ranging from overalls to silk stoc kInEs brurs and groceries professor Prote asior E faville of oe tho the stanford graduate school of business told the western farm economics association at Stan stanford foid university higher prices and inadequate stocks in many lines impelled the rural buyer to visit the next larg or r towns the stanford professor uh of marketing said these factors tend to reduce the amount of rural income available for other expenditures and to diminish the opportunities tor for enjoyment of the various comforts of life the investigation to bo be published early in july was made in handpicked hand picked sections of rural utah in both small and largo large rural towns professor favlle said ivaria tlona s of 20 to 30 per coat cent in prices between stores wore were com kofl tor for nati nationally onaDy advertis ad advertised ed products such as breakfast canned soup salad dressing and soap powder there thee was also evidence in aunie stores with little outside competition of charging all the traffic would bear 11 the protessor professor of 0 marketing t told old the farm economic 3 meeting competition had a leveling ot of feet in prices and where there were chain stores their prices priced wore were quite consistently the lowest in town although in individual items yere nvere occasionally lower on independent stores not only does doeg the resident reald ont of a very small rural community find fewer items or on hla his homo home tote stoie shelves but he also pasq pay mord for them than does att brother in even in 8 slightly lightly larger community because of higher prices charged tor for drug grocery grocer and in some areas items clothing clochin g tha residents ot at those arcag suffered a reduction in the amount available toi for or 0 their incomes other expenditures and such ro re cope especially chally felt by dictions duct lons ions were I 1 the low income classes and fatra farm continued on ago five lack of competition driving trade to city continued front from page one ers era tile the stanford professor said the income of a family faintly affected its al shopping lopping practices the survey showed Fa families milles in the low er gincomo brackets tended to shop at homo home more than those in the higher income brackets when chain stores were available to consumers in the lower income brackets they wore more commonly patronized than independent stores and patronage of mall mail order firms way wail moro more common among consumers in the lower income group people living in the small rural towns endor 1500 population generally reported an inadequate choice of clothing and dry goods in their local stores more than 50 per cent of the residents went out of town to buy those these desired items because of limited selection too loo high prices and lack ot of availability farmer and laborer occupation groups were the greatest out of town purchasers sera and turned chiefly to chain stores and mall mail order houses in this buying only in tho the availability of canned and packaged groceries and provi did resident ki 0 of nearly all towns approach equality with their city neighbors professor avillo favillo F was wag assisted lit in tile utah study by dix at jones former business manager af weber college in ogden and inc iiara D sonne a former member of the faculty 0 of tho the utah state agricultural college in logan personal Pera onal interviews were conducted with more than 2000 families in tho the test cities of brigham Dilg ham price richfield and cedar city and 36 rural towns surrounding these cities |