Some retailers are learning how to stop worrying about excess inventory and love their well-stocked shelves. The Wall Street Journal reports that, although many merchants are discounting heavily and trying to clear a glut of goods, a growing number of storefronts’ stocks are brimming as they head into the holidays after supply-chain disruptions left them short last year.
Upbeat comments from retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart signal that strains in supply chains have eased and that many companies now are focused on taking advantage of consumer demand. That demand appears resilient despite inflationary pressures across the economy, and retailers don’t want to be left short-handed after two years of volatility.
Some companies say suggestions of overstocking are overstated, particularly since fewer goods are stuck in supply-chain bottlenecks. Nike’s inventories jumped 44% last quarter, for instance, but the sportswear company considers only about 10% of that to be excess.
