这是我的一个同事到澳大利亚学物流正在做的一个课题，希望大家给点意见（2005年，现在国内先进的图书物流中心应该很多了）
调研对象(MDS)：澳洲第五大的图书分销企业。约2万平米的现代化配送中心，作业区包括：

PTL Zone （1s Moving stock）,

 Shelf Zone ( RF Picking Trolly 2ed Moving Stock), 

Hight rack Zone ( High Reach Picker with RF terminal, Slow moving stock), 

Pallet Storage Zone, 

Return stock Zone.
设备包括：PTL，RF picking trolly 可同时分拣6 张订单， 带RF的high reach 叉车，传送带，自动填充机和封箱机。 在国内这样的配送中心不多。

目前公司的退货库存很多，大约有30米长的行6层的货架都是退货。我准备研究的课题是退货的问题。为了取得相应的资料 我设计了下面的表格，请大家多提宝贵意见。 我设计这个表格的目的是希望能够找出关于退货的成本问题。究竟哪些原因造成了退货，这些原因导致了哪些成本。
目前这家公司退货的原因主要包括：
1. Authorised A retail customer contacts customer service and informs the company of a fault or desire to return stock. There is a philosophy in publishing that encourages oversupply. This means that if a customer at point of sale in a retail outlet sees a book in a display pile there is a chance that they will buy on impulse rather than if they saw a single copy. Also, it may be a result of the whip crack effect. The seller does not want to run out( JIC). In publishing, there is a deal on certain inventory that the bookstore has 60 days to sell or return the inventory. Customer service authorises a return, processes the information in a returns program and issues the customer with an RA number and issues labels to be placed on cartons for the customer. A carrier brings the cartons back to MDS. Currently, MDS has no specific estimated arrival of RA.
2. Unauthorised. The customer fails to implement above procedure but returns inventory to MDS anyway. May be returned to customer and incur an $11 handling fee.
3. Refused deliveries. (May have been damaged or part delivery). These are returned by Macmillan's carriers. Either Toll or Vic Express. They are investigated, or repaired, or replaced, or whole shipment is located and resent. In some cases, the order is cancelled and may either not be reordered or is then repicked through the system. Either way, expensive and disastrous.
Return good data:

Inside Operation cost for return good: