Many merchants,stung by last year's disastrous showing, kept smaller inventories and did not have to slash prices to sell their products.

VOA: standard.2009.12.28

from the nation's beleaguered banking sector that outshone another dose of discouraging numbers on employment,business inventories, and other economic indicators.

VOA: standard.2009.03.15

In fact,the manufacturers who are filling inventory levels are telling us that inventories were at unsustainably-low levels, and so business is better.

VOA: standard.2010.05.20