Store-More is a large department store located in Waterford, Ireland. The manager is worried about the constant overstocking of a number of items in the various departments. Approximately 3,000 items ranging from small multipurpose wrenches to lawn mowers are overstocked every- month. The manager is uncertain whether the surpluses are primarily due to poor purchasing policies or poor store layout and shelving practices. The manager realizes the difficulty of scrutinizing the purchase orders, invoices, and inventory cards for all the items that are overstocked. She decides to choose a sample of items but does not know how to proceed.
a. Identify the population elements and sampling frame.
b. What sampling method would you recommend? Why? Be specific.
c. How would you draw the sample based on this sampling method?