Returns often feel like inventory that just won't die. But, with efficient processes and procedures it can have a new life. No doubt they are among the worst nightmares a retailer or a warehouse manager can have: products going unsold on store shelves. Instead of answering customers' questions on the showroom floor, sales personnel are gathered in the backroom, engaged in the time-consuming process of processing returns by hand. Or, small stacks pile up, taking precious distribution center space. Instead of streamlining its reverse logistics flow, a company with 500 outlets might decide each outlet should send back returns independently. This creates a bottleneck as overmatched warehouse workers determine what should be repaired, refurbished, or recycled. Describe such situations to experts in the "other side" of supply chain management - reverse logistics - and they quickly assert scenarios like these never have to happen.
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