The factor that causes the first month’s purchases to be so much smaller is the excess inventory that
accumulated just prior to the budgeting period. For example, 20,000 units of footwear are in March’s
beginning inventory; however, March sales are budgeted at only 15,000 units. Accordingly, budgeted
purchases are smaller because it is management’s goal to reduce the inventory to only 30% of the next
month’s sales. This overstocking factor could exist for a number of reasons, including: 1) Management may
have simply lost sight of inventory levels, thereby allowing them to reach inappropriately high levels. 2)
There may have been some potentially disruptive factor (such as a strike, bad weather, or political
uncertainty) that would have temporarily interrupted the smooth delivery of products from the supplier. Thus,
management would have found it prudent to accumulate an excess as a temporary safety stock against an
interrupted supply. 3) The company’s suppliers may have only recently become more dependable than they
were in the past. 4) A supplier may have recently located a new distribution facility nearby, with the result
that the merchandise can be delivered more promptly. 5) Competition among suppliers may have caused
them to become more customer oriented, with the result that they will deliver products in smaller lots more
quickly.