The Milk Problem: Understanding Modern Retail Inventory Management
Have you ever ordered milk online only to receive that dreaded out-of-stock notification after placing your order? You’re not alone. After years of ordering groceries online, I’ve learned a secret: ordering through a store’s app right after closing time often yields the best results. Why? I suspect it’s because my order gets fulfilled before in-store shoppers arrive the next morning. But this workaround hints at a deeper problem in retail inventory management—one that affects nearly half of consumers who rate out-of-stock items as their highest shopping frustration according to a survey by Dynata.