that Almost 80 of chief financial at the 1 largest retailers say too much inventory the greatest factor to the viability their inventories lead to heavy gross margins. When demand is lacking. This, in completely as retailers demand is very weak, gross margins can disappear may be forced to liquidate slow moving merchandise at prices below their cost retailers also about having too little inventory to meet consumer demand and thus losing sales when consumers cannot find the products they are looking for on retailers' shelves. Hence, retailers attempting to manage their inventories during a recession often feel that when it comes to stocking their shelves, they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
How might retailers deal with this inventory dilemma more effectively during recessionary periods? What might suppliers do to help retailers address this problem?