achieve the purposes of the ship’s store. You will have  the  responsibility  for  making  certain  that ship’s  store  personnel  follow  the  necessary  regula- tions  and  procedures.  You  must  maintain  your ship’s store operation on a legal basis as well as on  a  sound  financial  one. Authorized Patrons According to guidelines set forth in the NAV- SUP  P-487,  ship’s  store  and  clothing  stock  may be  sold  for  cash  to  the  following  persons:    Officers and enlisted personnel on board for  duty  as  ship’s  company    Officers and enlisted personnel on board for  active  duty  for  training  or  passage  en  route to  duty  that  includes  Air  Force,  Army,  Coast Guard,  Navy,  and  Marine  Corps Passengers, including  foreign  service personnel of the United States en route to duty, National   Oceanographic   and   Atmospheric   Ad- ministration  personnel,  and  Public  Health  Service personnel Accredited  United  States  technicians (military or civilian) who are actually embarked or  assigned  on  board  in  an  official  capacity Sales to members of the armed services and other persons listed in the last two paragraphs above, who are not actually on board, are authorized in remote areas provided there is no armed services exchange in the area. All authorized patrons may buy  items  for  themselves,  for  their  dependents, or  for  gifts,  but  they  cannot  buy  for  resale  or exchange in barter with other persons. Only per- sonnel authorized to wear the Navy uniform may buy  distinctive  items  of  the  uniform. You  should  make  certain  the  above  regulations are contained on the price list posted at the store. Also, the regulations (the authorized patron sign) should be posted in a conspicuous place near the cash  register.  With  the  regulations  posted,  it  is easier for the store operator to explain the situa- tion.  You  must  see  that  regulations  concerning authorized  customers  are  strictly  followed.  The ship’s  store  and  Navy  exchange  privileges  are valuable and must be protected. The regulations concerning   various   miscellaneous   types   of authorized  sales,  such  as  to  survivors  of  marine disasters,   official   government   organizations, foreign  governments,  and  merchant  ships,  are contained  in  the  NAVSUP  P-487  and  are  dis- cussed  in  the  Ship’s  Serviceman  3  &  2,  module 2.  You  should  consult  these  publications  for details. Hours of Operation To  accomplish  the  purposes  of  the  ship’s  store, you  should  try  to  have  the  store  open  the  max- imum  amount  of  time  possible.  Generally,  you should try to provide at least 42 sales hours per week when the ship is underway and 20 sales hours per week while the ship is in port. Within these recommendations  you  should  still  have  enough time  to  get  breakouts  done. To  provide  good  service,  the  store  must  be open  the  maximum  amount  of  time  possible  to make  sure  all  personnel  have  an  opportunity  to make  their  purchases.  Of  course,  it  is  the  com- manding officer who has the final approval of the ship’s   store   hours. As   a   leading   Ship’s Serviceman,  however,  you  should  examine  the hours   of   operation   of   the   retail   outlet.   After careful   observation,   decide   if   the   hours   are satisfactory   and   desirable.   If   they   are   not, recommend  a  change  to  the  ship’s  store  officer. The approved hours should be written and signed by  the  commanding  officer  and  posted  promi- nently. Use the hours of operation decals so the operating  hours  are  visible  from  the  outside  of the  store. Pricing and Marking of Merchandise Besides  helping  the  ship’s  store  officer  con- cerning  the  hours  of  operation,  you  may  also  be called  upon  to  help  decide  on  a  pricing  policy. Here again the wishes of the commanding officer must  be  known,  as  the  commanding  officer  may have  some  strong  personal  opinions. The  NAVSUP  P-487  does  not  prescribe  any maximum   or   minimum   markup   on   individual items of stock. Profits must be sufficient to cover markdowns  below  cost,  surveys,  costs  incurred in   operating   the   service   activities,   and   other operating  expenses.  However,  there  is  a  ceiling placed on net profits—they cannot exceed 15 per- cent   of   the   cost   of   retail   sales.   Any   profit generated  above  this  limit  is  considered  to  be excess.  You  must  turn  excess  profit  over  to  the General Fund. The use of the 15 percent markup is   recommended   by   NAVRESSO. You  should  consider  the  profit  objectives  of the ship’s store. How much money does the com- manding officer expect for welfare and recreation 6-7