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@ColnagoDaft
A common problem with bikes coming out of boxes (the majority of shop bought bikes) is the way they are packed - the cables are generally twisted right round. This is where cable stretch starts. DJ is sort of right to say barrel adjuster, but it's usually a combination of barrel adjuster/set screws and pinch bolt on the mechs that will take up the slack/sort the gear throw/fine tune.
Can also happen after a crash where the cable can get snagged or pulled through, or when the outer cable gets bent or distorted.
Rust in the outers (low end bikes won't normally have stainless cables) or dirt ingress accounts from about a third of bad changes - the only alternative is to change the outers. I'll change the outers on my bike about twice a year.
A final solution, where the mech might be slightly bent (see above) is to cold set the mechs back into alignment. Most mechanics will do this out of sight of the customer. You can generally do it by eye. I've had to do this on several bikes when all of the above failed.
Also if you have crashed, and on the gear side, there's a fair chance you might have bent the gear hanger on the drop out - this is generally a bike shop fix who will have an alignment tool to reset it.
So, DJ is about 15% right. Well done.