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The WIN:PCW Program

What is WIN:PCW?

WIN:PCW is a Windows program to help you estimate the per-capita supermarket expenditures for people within your trade area.  Combined with your demographics, WIN:PCW will provide estimates that consider region of the country, household size, household income, race, and other characteristics.

Why is WIN:PCW More Accurate Than Other Systems?

Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducts a detailed study of consumer expenditures.  Many thousands of families across the country are asked to keep exact records of all income and all purchases.  The BLS also collects important demographics information about each family participating in the study.

When the study is complete, the data are made available in two basic forms:

The summary data are released in tables of information that you may have seen many times.  These tables are the easily-published information that show summaries of "Food Away from Home" and other tabulated characteristics.

The detailed data are released as a collection of individual purchase and income records for every family.  There are usually millions of these records, and they are highly detailed and specific.

The WIN:PCW engine uses formulas that are derived from the detailed records so that we can control exactly what is considered to be a "supermarket-type item" and what is not.  This allows a much greater degree of accuracy in calculating a supermarket PCW, and it allows a far greater versatility in relating that PCW to demographics characteristics, such as race, region of the country, income, household size, and more.

Important:  Because of the highly accurate method used to create these formulas, you will probably NOT need to inflate the calculated value to account for non-food items, such as paper products, soaps, pet foods, etc.  You may have found that procedure necessary with other programs, but you will probably NOT need to do that with WIN:PCW.