Defective  or  dirty  merchandise  that  can- not  be  returned  to  the  vendor Increase  in  customer  interest  and  volume with specials The above reasons set up some guidelines but do  not  really  answer  the  questions  when  and how   much.   There   are   no   simple   answer.   For excess  or  dead  stock,  a  general  rule  you  can  follow is to mark an item down whenever it will not sell at its present price. Mark it down to a level that will  stimulate  sales.  Mark  down  seasonal  items just  before  the  end  of  the  season,  not  after  the season  is  over.  Trial  and  error  is  probably  your best method of learning. You should not be afraid to  experiment  occasionally. One  procedure  you  should  avoid  is  marking down items progressively, such as 5 percent each week. Your customers will soon discover they can just   wait   around   until   the   price   has   reached bottom. When you have decided an item is to be marked  down,  go  ahead  and  cut  the  price  suffi- ciently  so  you  can  sell  the  item.  Whether  the markdown  is  5  percent  or  50  percent,  establish it  and  stick  to  it. Another   price   change   is   the   markdown   to zero.   Some   ship’s   store   stock   items   that   do not require a survey can be marked down to zero and  charged  to  ship’s  store  profits.  You  can  use a markdown to zero to expend ship’s store stock items  under  the  following  circumstances. Stock  items  that  are  damaged  or  broken and have no resale value. The total cost value per line  item  cannot  exceed  $25. Items   of   stock   that   have   deteriorated beyond salability as a result of overage. The total cost  value  should  not  exceed  $25  per  line  item.    Items of stock that are shopworn and have no  resale  value.  The  total  cost  value  should  not exceed  $25  per  line  item. Food  or  beverage  items  of  stock  that  are considered  to  be  unfit  for  human  consumption, as  certified  by  the  medical  department. Concealed  losses  or  damages.  The  total cost  value  should  not  exceed  $25  per  line  item. Under   the   circumstances   listed   above,   the items  should  be  marked  down  to  zero  and  then expended   as   a   cost   to   ship’s   store   profits according   to   the   procedures   outlined   in   your NAVSUP  P-487.  You  must  use  a  Retail  Price Change  (NAVSUP  983)  that  has  the  following certification  signed  by  the  senior  Supply  Corps officer   on   board.   (This   authority   cannot   be delegated.) “I  personally  have  seen  the  merchandise hereon  marked  down  to  zero  and  have ordered   it   destroyed.” ------------------------------------------- Senior  Supply  Officer  On  Board Price Adjustments for Standard  Navy  Clothing The  sale  of  Navy  clothing  in  a  ship’s  store afloat is handled as a service to the crew. No profit or  loss  is  to  be  derived  from  it.  Prices  for  Navy clothing   are   standard   throughout   the   Navy. Clothing  is  received  from  supply  activities  and sold  at  the  standard  price.  However,  situations will  develop  that  will  make  it  necessary  for  you to revalue certain clothing items in order to avoid absorbing  profit  or  loss. The  most  common  of  these  situations  is  the -. standard   price   adjustment.   Annually,   on October   1,   and   occasionally   at   other   times. standard  prices  for  Navy  clothing  are  issued  to all  ships.  They  are  based  on  existing  cost  prices to the Navy, and may, of course, vary from year to  year.  When  a  change  in  price  occurs  for  any item  stocked,  you  must  revalue  the  number  of items you have in stock (as determined by inven- tory)  to  the  new  standard  price. The other type of price adjustment for stand- ard   Navy   clothing   is   a   purchase   variance.   A purchase  variance  occurs  when  standard  Navy clothing  items  are  received  from  a  commercial vendor.  A  purchase  variance  equals  (1)  the  dif- ference that results when the unit cost price of an item of standard Navy clothing is rounded off to the nearest cent, or (2) the difference that exists between  the  standard  price  and  cost  price  of  a standard  Navy  clothing  item. To  account  for  ail  gains  and  losses  resulting from   standard   price   changes   and   purchase variances, you must make certain that a separate original  and  one  copy  of  the  NAVSUP  983  are prepared.  (Consult  the  current  NAVSUP  P-487 for  detailed  procedures  for  preparing  the  NAV- SUP 983.) All gains and losses must be credited or debited to the Navy Stock Fund. The original NAVSUP 983 should be filed in the Fiscal Gains or  Losses  File  (SSA-15),  and  the  copy  should  be filed  in  the  Accountability  File  (SSA-21). The new unit cost of an item that results from a  change  in  the  standard  price  should  be  recorded 5-13