All is at a delicate equilibrium, until the owner feels compelled to give in to a firmly worded request from the retailer for an additional discount, or a demand to air-freight, at manufacturer's expense, some boxes of shirts that suffered a two-week productiondelay and now won't be accepted by the retailer if they're any later than they already are.
The Hobbit, now in pre-production in New Zealand under director Peter Jackson, is also dealing with a labor dispute that threatens to further delayproduction on the picture which is slated for release in December 2012.