Skip to the lesson
Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · Supply chain and logistics · Lesson 2
Part 1 of 3Part 1 of 3, 0 done

Supply chain and logistics · 14 min

How much stock to hold

A sneaker shop needs every size on the shelf, but every pair sitting there is money it already spent. Hold too little and the next shopper walks out. Here's how planners decide.

$$$DELIVERIES
Ticket 01 · The guess

What's everything on the shelves worth?

Add up everything US factories, wholesalers and stores had waiting on shelves and in warehouses at the end of August 2026: parts, sneakers, cereal, cars. What was it all worth?

$6 trillion
$0$10 trillion
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: August 2026 (released October 15, 2026, CB26-166): inventories, sales and inventories/sales ratios for manufacturers, retailers and merchant wholesalers, seasonally adjusted. Read in the current-release workbook on November 2, 2026; the dated archive file was not yet posted · U.S. Census Bureau, 2026

Every number

  • $2.8 trillioncensus.gov ·2026 · Inventories of US manufacturers, merchant wholesalers and retailers together (the "Total business" row, in millions of dollars in the table). End of August 2026, seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes; preliminary (Census MTIS, released in October 2026 and read in November 2026 in the current-release workbook, so re-check the August 2026 column).
  • 1.33 monthscensus.gov ·2026 · Inventories divided by a month's sales, all US manufacturers, merchant wholesalers and retailers together ("Total business"). End of August 2026, seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes; preliminary (Census MTIS, released in October 2026 and read in November 2026 in the current-release workbook, so re-check the August 2026 column).
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. Supply chain and logistics
  • ·Before this: Where your stuff comes from
  • ·Next: Moving it: trucks, ships, warehouses and the last mile
Skip to the lesson
Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · Supply chain and logistics · Lesson 2
Part 1 of 3Part 1 of 3, 0 done

Supply chain and logistics · 14 min

How much stock to hold

A sneaker shop needs every size on the shelf, but every pair sitting there is money it already spent. Hold too little and the next shopper walks out. Here's how planners decide.

$$$DELIVERIES
Ticket 01 · The guess

What's everything on the shelves worth?

Add up everything US factories, wholesalers and stores had waiting on shelves and in warehouses at the end of August 2026: parts, sneakers, cereal, cars. What was it all worth?

$6 trillion
$0$10 trillion
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: August 2026 (released October 15, 2026, CB26-166): inventories, sales and inventories/sales ratios for manufacturers, retailers and merchant wholesalers, seasonally adjusted. Read in the current-release workbook on November 2, 2026; the dated archive file was not yet posted · U.S. Census Bureau, 2026

Every number

  • $2.8 trillioncensus.gov ·2026 · Inventories of US manufacturers, merchant wholesalers and retailers together (the "Total business" row, in millions of dollars in the table). End of August 2026, seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes; preliminary (Census MTIS, released in October 2026 and read in November 2026 in the current-release workbook, so re-check the August 2026 column).
  • 1.33 monthscensus.gov ·2026 · Inventories divided by a month's sales, all US manufacturers, merchant wholesalers and retailers together ("Total business"). End of August 2026, seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes; preliminary (Census MTIS, released in October 2026 and read in November 2026 in the current-release workbook, so re-check the August 2026 column).
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. Supply chain and logistics
  • ·Before this: Where your stuff comes from
  • ·Next: Moving it: trucks, ships, warehouses and the last mile