Can Jonathan refuse to accept the returned merchandise?

Question

Jonathan was sitting at his desk eating his lunch when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jonathan! It’s Matt, over at Anderson’s Department Store. Remember those leopard print negligees that we thought were so hot?”

Jonathan instantly recalled the negligees that Matt was referring to. The leopard print negligees were supposed to be the best sellers of the season. “Sure—I know exactly which ones you mean,” Jonathan replied.

“Well,” Matt began, “I’ve reduced the price as low as I can go, and I still can’t get them to move off the rack. They may be hot in New York, but out here they’re just not selling. I need to return them to you at full cost.”

Jonathan paused. He knew that his company’s current inventory levels were too high, and returned merchandise would not be looked upon favorably. He wondered how he should respond.

Answer 1

While Jonathan might refuse to accept the return of the merchandise thus pleasing his boss, the long-run consequences may not be desirable. A better way to look at this situation is that both companies are in a dilemma and pushing the product back to either one doesn’t really solve the problem. Perhaps Jonathan’s best bet is to become creative and either find another buyer who might be interested in discounted goods or work out a compromise between the buying and selling companies.