Below are sales data, in nominal dollars, for Safeway, the supermarket chain, from 1981 through 2009 (in millions of U.S. dollars). In addition, the consumer price index (CPI) for each year is given (1982-1984 = 100).

Nominal dollar sales are just the regular sales as reported. Constant dollar sales are sales adjusted to the price level of a common comparison year in order to remove the distortions caused by inflation. Nominal dollar sales are converted into constant dollar sales by dividing by the price index for the year in which the sales were made and multiplying by the price index in the comparison year.
1. Use the CPI to restate all the Safeway sales numbers in terms of 2009 dollars.
2. In terms of nominal dollar sales, Safeway's sales have been growing steadily since 1988 (until the recession year of 2009). Do the constant dollar sales data give the same picture? Explain.
3. In the latter part of 1986, Safeway underwent a leveraged buyout and began to get rid of a number of its stores. Is there any evidence of this in the nominal dollar sales data? In the constant dollar sales data?

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