Holiday sales feel great. Holiday returns don’t. The weeks after Black Friday through January generate a tidal wave of merchandise returns—and with it, a spike in excessive defectives, RTVs, price-variance disputes, OTIF-related claims, and post-audit deductions that quietly erode supplier margins.

Tariffs don’t just raise your landed cost—they ripple through price files, POs, and freight plans. That’s where deductions sneak in.