Avoiding Markdowns

[mandy]

As the new season begins, small retailers need to plan sales conservatively and maintain lean inventories to keep from slashing prices down the road.

It's January, the holidays are over, and for many small retailers the clearance season is in full swing. As some owners look around their stores they may be pleased that inventory levels seem to be in line and they're not having to clear out a significant percentage of their buy at heavily marked down prices. For other small retailers, however, those inventories look heavy. For too many, heavy inventories -- leading to excessive markdowns and reduced margins -- are a chronic problem...

full article: http://www.inc.com/resources/retail/arti...rlbut.html