Agreement among retailers for uniform store hours The Commission was requested to furnish an advisory opinion…

No. 110. Agreement among retailers for uniform store hours

The Commission was requested to furnish an advisory opinion with respect to a proposal by a retail trade association to conduct an informal survey of a number of grocery operators in the area to determine their individual preferences as to hours of doing business. -Cpon completion of the survey, the association plans to announce the results thereof. Although a majority of store operators may elect thereafter to operate on uniform honl's , as determined by the survey, no sanctions arc planned nor wi1l there be any attempt to enforce or insure uniformity of closing hours. There are a number of stores which \vil1 not subscribe to such a suggestion and wi1l remain open at other times. The Commission stressed its understanding' that while a majority may voluntarily elect to subscribe to uniform hours of doing business as a result of the survey of indivirll1al preferences, those who do not wish to do so will not be subject to any form of coercion or compulsory process and, indeed, it \vas expected that many will not so subscribe for business reasons of their OIvn. On the basis ot this understanding and assuming that the agreement or plan will relate to nothing other than hours of doing business, the Commission advised that it did not believe the plan would violate any laws it administers. (File No. 673 7034, released Jan. 24, 1967.