Article Summary. Due to falling sales and lower profit margins, clothing retailer
Aeropostale announced it would be closing more stores than originally planned. In
August, the company announced it would be closing between 30 and 40 locations
in 2013, up from the previously announced 15 to 20. Compared to the previous
year, net sales fell 6 percent and the company reported a loss of $33.7 million for
the second quarter of 2013, and the trend was expected to continue into the third
quarter. Explaining the downturn, Aeropostale chief executive Thomas P. Johnson
stated “Our business was pressured by a challenging teen retail environment with
weak traffic trends and high levels of promotional activity.” Source: Andrew
Klips, “Aeropostale Losses Accelerate, Closing More Stores,” equities.com, August
23, 2013. Use a graph to illustrate average total cost curves for Aeropostale before and
after closing the 30 to 40 stores. Assume that after closing the stores, Aeropostale will
be producing at minimum average total cost.
What is the macroeconomic consequence if firms accumulate large amounts of
unplanned inventory at the beginning of a recession?