Promotions drive trial. They also drive split shipments, display kits, and hurry-up orders. That’s the perfect storm for “shortages” that weren’t actually short. Shortage deductions ramp during peak because receiving teams are processing more cartons in less time. Accurate ASNs  and carton labels meaningfully reduce those errors by matching what arrives to what was ordered—before it hits the dock. Multiple sources show ASNs cut receiving errors and costs by aligning contents,

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.

Black Friday is a sales rocket… and a chargeback magnet. When promo calendars compress, orders surge, and fulfillment windows shrink, even well-run suppliers see OTIF, shortage, labeling, and promo-settlement deductions pile up fast.

Q4 is loud. Promotions stack, shipment windows tighten, and returns surge. That’s when “little” problems—late trucks, label mismatches, muddled price files—turn into OTIF penalties, SQEP/operational chargebacks, price-variance disputes, and post-audit claims that erode your profit just as you’re trying to close the year.

Open Call is buzzing—a two-day sprint (Oct. 7–8) with nearly 600 entrepreneurs, ~750 pitch meetings, and a lot of hopeful “golden ticket” selfies around Walmart’s new home office campus in Bentonville. It’s a serious platform to reach Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Walmart.com.

For many mid-market suppliers, shortages make up 40–70% of deduction volume. The fastest wins don’t come from analyzing everything—they come from triaging the few lanes, DCs, and SKUs that drive most of the pain.

Returns aren’t just refunds—they’re fees. When return ratios cross certain guardrails, many retailers assess handling, freight, and processing add-ons. That “18% surprise” doesn’t show up in your promo plan, but it absolutely hits your P&L.

December closes clean. February lands a six-figure claim. It’s not just you. Many retailers run their deepest promo and freight...

Retailers operate on week-based fiscal calendars that don’t always match your month-end close.

Black Friday is supposed to be a sales rocket. For many suppliers, it’s also a deductions magnet. Why? Because promotions multiply risk....

The big idea: if you want fewer retail deductions, faster closes, and calmer audits, you don’t start with deductions—you start by building an audit-ready finance team.

Retail chargebacks are like speaking a foreign language—only no one bothered to give you the dictionary.

You closed the books. The year looked solid. Everyone celebrated hitting margin goals. Then six months later, a notice lands on your...

Every supplier is looking for ways to manage deductions faster and more efficiently. Enter retail deduction software. These tools promise automation, visibility, and streamlined workflows. And they do deliver value—up to a point.

Here’s why deductions never really go away—and why having a proactive recovery strategy matters.

Let’s be real: peak season is chaos. Trucks run late, warehouses overflow, and every second counts. That’s exactly when shortage deductions—claims that your shipment didn’t arrive in full—start stacking up.

Imagine this: a shopper buys a blender, uses it twice, then decides it doesn’t match their kitchen aesthetic. Back it goes. But instead of chalking it up as a return, the retailer marks it as “defective.”

Most brands assume deductions come from poor performance. But many stem from inadequate documentation or miscommunication between departments—or between suppliers and retailers.

Fictional Scenario: Summit Snacks  entered Q2 expecting strong numbers from a big club-store launch. But by June, the CFO’s forecast was...

Retailers don’t just audit random SKUs—they target your top performers. Find out why high-volume products are more likely to rack up chargebacks—and how HRG helps you stop the bleeding.