Supply-quantity has always been an issue.
Lucas car electrical.....donkey in stores enters his request for 50 alternators ,in the wrong column.
The alternator is on back-order (again!)....some weeks later, an Artic lorry turns up at this little provincial branch....the sniggering driver holds out a delivery-note for 50 CASES of alternators -100 per case.....not only had they used the entire country's stock and had to make extra,but there were enough to supply the entire population with one each.
The total was probably greater than the entire production -run of this particular model.
Everyone who touched the order KNEW ther was not room in the depot for that quantity......but it was no-one's responsibility to pick up the phone and query the qty.
Water-board, man orders 25 fluorescent tubes....yup! 25 cases. 2 years later, every branch in the area had a few cases lying around and the culprit no longer had a stack that filled a 12' x 20' room!