the.com/overstock
When optimism meets a warehouse and loses, then puts everything on clearance.
means To carry more inventory than you can actually sell, leaving a costly surplus gathering dust.
from Plain English compound: the prefix over- (too much) plus stock (goods on hand), dating to 1500s commerce when merchants first miscalculated demand.
Carrying costUnsold goods quietly bleed cash via storage and spoilage.
Brand nameOverstock.com later rebranded itself entirely as Bed Bath aftermath.
Discount engineMost clearance sales exist because someone overstocked first.