Bleu Company began the period with \(\$ 20,000\) in inventory. The company also purchased an additional \(\$ 20,000\) of inventory and returned \(\$ 2,000\) for a full credit. A physical count of the inventory at year-end revealed an inventory on hand of \(\$ 16,000\). What was Bleu's cost of goods sold for the period?

a. \(\$ 16,000\)

b. \(\$ 22,000\)

c. \(\$ 48,000\)

d. \(\$ 50,000\)