Garden Birds Ltd$.($GB$)$ is a small niche provider of products for garden

birds including seeds, feeders and associated products. One of the best$-$

selling products is sunflower seed hearts. They are sold in $1$kg$,3$kg$,5$kg

and $10$kg packs to $176$ garden centres, $25$ pet shops, $2$ supermarket chains

and direct to the public via the internet.The seeds are procured from China,

packed in $50$kg sacks delivered in minimum $11-$tonne loads. The lead time

from order to delivery to GB is quoted at $43$ calendar days. GB use an agent

to manage the freight forwarding to the GB packing and distribution plant.

GB break the sacks down into four different$-$sized packs based upon the

production forecast which is firmed up at the beginning of each month.

Demand is variable, dependent upon the route to market and the season.

Overall, it can vary from $5$ to $20$ tonnes per month.The maximum storage

capacity of the GB packing and distribution plant is $24$ tonnes of finished

products and $26$ tonnes of the $50$kg sacks. Garden centres and pet shops

order weekly, supermarkets forecast weekly but firm up at $6$pm the day

before delivery and products are on a sale$-$or$-$return basis. Customers

ordering via the internet before $3$pm will have their products dispatched

the same day.

Delivery to local garden centres and pet shops is undertaken by GB$$s own

transport and for distant outlets a national carrier is used. For supermarket

deliveries, and returns, a different national carrier is used and for direct to

public sales the Royal Mail parcel service is used.The company has

experienced a number of issues relating to its operations activities.

Namely:

can you address this issue

large volume returns from supermarkets as a new season$$s products are

substituted in the valuable gondola end displays within the retailer.