Notice2023-00622
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Monthly Retail Surveys
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 9 (Friday, January 13, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2320-2321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00622]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Monthly Retail Surveys
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the
Federal Register on October 6, 2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
Title: Monthly Retail Surveys.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0717.
Form Number(s): SM-4417S, SM-4417SE, SM-4417SS, SM-4417B, SM-
4417BE, SM-4417BS, SM-7217S, SM-2017I, SM-4417A, SM-4417AE, SM-4417AS,
SM-7217A.
Type of Request: Regular submission, Request for an Extension,
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
Number of Respondents: 13,000.
Average Hours per Response: 7 minutes.
Burden Hours: 18,200.
Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests an extension of the
Monthly Retail Surveys (MRS). The MRS is comprised of two surveys known
as the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) and the Advance Monthly
Retail Trade Survey (MARTS). MRS are administered monthly to a sample
of employer firms (i.e., businesses with paid employees) with
establishments located in the United States and classified in retail
trade and/or food services sectors as defined by the North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS).
The MRTS provides estimates of monthly retail sales, end-of-month
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merchandise inventories, and quarterly e-commerce sales of retailers in
the United States. In addition, the survey also provides an estimate of
monthly sales at food service establishments and drinking places.
Sales, inventories, and e-commerce data provide a current
statistical picture of the retail portion of consumer activity. The
sales and inventories estimate in the MRTS measure current trends of
economic activity that occur in the United States. The survey estimates
provide valuable information for economic policy decisions and actions
by the government and are widely used by private businesses, trade
organizations, professional associations, and others for market
research and analysis. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses these
data in determining the consumption portion of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
The MARTS, a subsample of MRTS, began in 1953 as a monthly survey
for activity taking place during the previous month. The MARTS was
developed in response to requests by government, business, and other
users to provide an early indication of current retail trade activity
in the United States. Retail sales are one of the primary measures of
consumer demand for both durable and non-durable goods. The MARTS also
provides an estimate of monthly sales at food service establishments
and drinking places.
The estimates produced in the MRS are critical to the accurate
measurement of total economic activity. The estimates of retail sales
represent all operating receipts, including receipts from wholesale
sales made at retail locations and services rendered as part of the
sale of the goods, by businesses that primarily sell at retail. The
sales estimates include sales made on credit as well as on a cash basis
but exclude receipts from sales taxes and interest charges from credit
sales. Also excluded is non-operating income from such services as
investments and real estate.
The estimates of merchandise inventories owned by retailers
represent all merchandise located in retail stores, warehouses,
offices, or in transit for distribution to retail establishments. The
estimates of merchandise inventories exclude fixtures and supplies not
held for sale, as well as merchandise held on consignment owned by
others. The BEA use inventories data to determine the investment
portion of the GDP. We publish retail sales and inventories estimates
based on the NAICS.
Retail e-commerce sales are estimated from the same sample used to
estimate preliminary and final U.S. retail sales. For coverage of the
universe of e-commerce retailers, research was conducted to ensure that
retail firms selected in the MRTS sample engaged in e-commerce.
Sales data for select industries are released in the press release
``Advance Monthly Sales for Retail Trade and Food Services,''
approximately 15 days after the close of the reference month, which
also includes more detailed estimates for the prior month. Advance
inventory estimates for 3 aggregate levels are released in the
``Advance Economic Indicator Report'' approximately 27 days after the
close of the reference month and the preliminary estimates for
inventories data are released in the ``Manufacturing and Trade
Inventories and Sales'' approximately 40 days after the reference
month. E-commerce sales estimates are released quarterly as part of the
``Quarterly Retail Ecommerce Sales'' report, approximately 50 days
following the reference period.
The U.S. Census Bureau tabulates the collected data to provide,
with measured reliability, statistics on United States retail sales.
These estimates are especially valued by data users because of their
timeliness.
The sales estimates are used by the BEA, Council of Economic
Advisers (CEA), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), and other government agencies, as well as business users in
formulating economic decisions.
BEA is the primary Federal user of data collected in the Monthly
Retail Surveys. BEA uses the information in its preparation of the
National Income and Products Accounts (NIPA), and its benchmark and
annual input-output tables. Data on retail sales are used to prepare
monthly estimates of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE)
component of gross domestic product for all PCE goods categories,
except tobacco, prescription drugs, motor vehicles, and gasoline and
other motor fuel. These estimates are also published each month in the
Personal Income and Outlays press release. If the survey were not
conducted, BEA would lack comprehensive data from the retail sector.
This would adversely affect the reliability of the NIPA and GDP.
Production of the NIPA figures also require inventory figures in order
to publish the monthly inventory to sales ratios. Additionally, they
use MRS inventory figures to measure changes in inventories for
estimates of gross output in the annual Input-Output Accounts tables,
as well as for computing annual and quarterly GDP-by-industry
statistics.
The BLS uses the data as input to their Producer Price Indexes and
in developing productivity measurements. The data are also used for
gauging current economic trends of the economy. BLS uses the estimates
to develop consumer price indexes used in inflation and cost of living
calculations.
CEA, other government agencies, and businesses use the survey
results to formulate and make decisions. CEA reports the retail data,
one of the principal federal economic indicators, to the President each
month for awareness on the current picture on the ``state of the
economy''. In addition, CEA's Macroeconomic Forecaster uses the retail
sales data, one of the key monthly data releases each month, to keep
track of real economic growth in the current quarter.
Policymakers such as the FRB need to have the timeliest estimates
in order to anticipate economic trends and act accordingly.
Private businesses use the retail sales and inventories data to
compute business activity indexes. The private sector also uses retail
sales as a reliable indicator of consumer activity. In addition,
businesses use the estimates to measure how they are performing and
predict future demand for their products.
Frequency: Monthly.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131 and 182.
This information collection request may be viewed at
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. Follow the instructions to view the Department of
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB
Control Number 0607-0717.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-00622 Filed 1-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 13, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.