From dealing with surplus inventory to accommodating changing consumer habits, this Georgia retailer is trying to suss out the future.

Customers love sale prices — but they can pose real risks for retailers and manufacturers.

Softening demand and high inventories are to blame.

Shipments of PCs are down nearly 20%, as businesses try to clear existing inventory.

The National Retail Federation says theft, fraud and poor inventory management led to $95 billion in losses last year.

Earlier in the pandemic, stores grappled with shortages. But as supply chains bulked up, they now have the opposite problem. And consumers’ frequently shifting demands aren’t helping.

Retailers are trying to get rid of excess inventory by marking down certain products. That’s likely to lure shoppers.

Big-box retailers are dumping excess inventory because of lower sales. Liquidators, who resell that merchandise, are thriving.

Target, Walmart and others have struggled to keep up with changes in consumer buying and have had to predict demand further in advance.

“Plus-size women make up more than half the market, and yet, plus-size clothes only make up 19% of all apparel on the market,” says Elizabeth Segran, senior staff writer at Fast Company.