/ -V. . å£l)c il)ttsl)inåÇjton JJost  
Retailers in the metropolitan area, while relatively optimistic about sales tor the remainder of the year, agfee that a scheduled pay increase for 300,000 federal white-collar .workers will have little or no effect on- business.</br></br>In fact, a survey of several leading Washington-area merchants yesterday showed that they really havenÛªt factored the pay increase into their store plans. WhatÛªs more, they donÛªt intend to make any adjustments based on President ReaganÛªs recommendation, of a 4.8 percent pay hike for white-collar employes.</br></br>Moreover, several merchants pointed out that federal employment in the Washington region is no longer the dominant sector of the work force. It has been replaced by the rapidly growing services industry.</br></br>On the other hand, if the same group of federal employes had succeeded in winning White House approval of a 15.1 percent pay increase, the. effect would he quite significant where retail sales are concerned.</br></br>ÛÏI think it would," agreed Robert J. Mulligan, vice chairman of Woodward & Lnthrnp Inc., the region's biggest department store chain. ÛÏThatÛªs a pretty hefty increase, and I think it has a psychological effect,Û Mulligan said of the 15.1 percent that had been proposed earlier.