Having too much inventory or having too little both have negative impacts on the profitability of a retailer.  Why might Kohl’s sales be more affected by the weather than Nordstrom’s sales?  Which retailer has an advantage based on this?

Kohl’s sales may be more affected by the weather than Nordstrom’s sales because of their product mix. Kohl’s tends to focus on products that are sensitive to seasonal trends and weather conditions such as apparel, footwear, and accessories. On the other hand, Nordstrom specializes in more timeless items such as beauty products and home furnishings which have less variability throughout the year based on external factors like weather. As a result, Kohl’s is at a disadvantage when it comes to unpredictable fluctuations in the market due to changing weather patterns. This means that during periods with extreme temperatures (hot or cold), they tend to experience sales declines while Nordstrom doesn’t face this issue as much since their product mix doesn’t fluctuate significantly over time regardless of temperature changes. Therefore, Nordstrom has an advantage over Kohl’s in terms of sales being affected by the weather.