If each stage of a supply chain views its demand as the orders placed by their downstream counterpart, the bullwhip effect is realized by the supply chain. Each member develops a forecast that is based on something other than the true customer demand and hilarity ensues. Supply chain members should share point-of-sale (POS) data so that all members are aware of the true customer demand for product. The beauty of data sharing requirements is that only aggregate POS data must be shared to mitigate the bullwhip effect; there is no need to share detailed POS data