A large west side Manhattan photo electronics retailer from whom I have bought a lot of cameras, lenses, chemicals, paper, etc.over the years is losing QC. I have stopped buying photo paper from them for the following reasons. The last two times I have visited the paper they order up from the basement cave has been suspect. A box of 16X20 that took them 35 minutes to locate, ascended from the underground torn with the lid off. I asked the check out folks if they really expected me to buy it-they looked dumbfounded. Two other times I have received defective paper, with large drop patterns on the finalized print. Some folks have suggested it is due to the last part of a production run. The manufacturer suggests it may be due to poor storage conditions combining humidity and excessive weight on the paper. (both of these were in cardboard envelope type enclosures not boxed)
This sort of thing never used to happen.