SmallBusinessNewz

A full stockroom is only good insofar as you're able to actually move all of the products to the sales floor.  Businesses may be focusing on this fact as a new report indicates that retail container traffic is dropping this year.

"This has been a very challenging year, and cargo volume reflects consumer demand as retailers work to keep inventory as tight as possible in order to keep supply and demand in balance," stated Jonathan Gold, NRF's Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy.

He then continued, "If merchants can avoid having excess merchandise on hand it means they can avoid the need for unplanned markdowns to clear their shelves, especially after the holiday season."

So unless something changes, we're heading for a four percent drop in container traffic compared to 2007 levels.  And if anything does change, it'll probably be in the direction of a bigger decrease as business owners attempt to have even less unnecessary stuff on hand.

Owners needing an extra bit of encouragement should think about the thousands of American trucks and SUVs that were supposedly sitting on lots and outside factories earlier this year.  Try to be the figurative Toyota in this situation and stay lean and flexible.