Critical Reasoning

In an attempt to boost sales for the spring quarter, a major manufacturer of raincoats decided to extend a substantial discount to retailers who made purchases exceeding those of the previous spring by 15% or more. So many retailers qualified that, despite having to sell at a substantial discount, the huge increase in volume allowed the manufacturer to make a significantly increased profit. Due to the success of this plan, the manufacturer's executives made plans to offer a similar discount for the summer.

Which of the following, if true, most clearly points to a flaw in the executives' plan to continue this discount into the summer?


(A) In general, more raincoats are sold in the winter than in the spring.

(B) Aggressive marketing in print and broadcast media increased concurrently with the spring discount.

(C) Most of the retailers who qualified for this discount did so only because their raincoat orders for the previous year were particularly low.

(D) Qualifying retailers were free to set their own prices for the discounted raincoats.

(E) The increased orders during the spring discount left many retailers excessively well-stocked for the summer.