Inventory
How to do a stock take without a spreadsheet
A reliable stock take needs three things: a fixed route through the space so nothing is counted twice or missed, a frozen moment where stock stops moving, and a count recorded per line item rather than held in your head. A counter per product and a written route will beat a spreadsheet on the floor every time.
Before you count
Almost every bad stock take was decided before anyone counted anything. Three preparations do most of the work:
- Tidy and face the stock. An hour spent bringing stock forward and grouping like with like saves more than an hour of counting, and removes most double-counting risk.
- Decide your unit per line. Bottles or cases. Metres or rolls. Write it down. Two people counting the same shelf in different units is the most common single error.
- Know what you are counting for. A valuation needs everything. A reorder check needs only fast-moving lines. Counting everything when you needed twenty lines wastes a day.
Freeze the stock
A count is a photograph of a moment. If stock moves during it, the number is not wrong so much as meaningless, because it does not correspond to any point in time.
- Count outside trading hours where you can.
- If you cannot, mark a cut-off time and put anything arriving after it in a quarantined area to be counted separately.
- Stop transfers between areas for the duration. Stock in transit is the classic way an item gets counted twice or not at all.
Count on a fixed route
Write the route before you start and follow it exactly: aisle by aisle, shelf by shelf, always the same direction, top to bottom. A fixed route is what makes a count repeatable and what lets a second person check your work.
- Create a counter per line item and name it after the product, not the shelf.
- Count in the natural grouping. If items come in sixes, set the step size to 6 and one tap records a full pack.
- Do not stop mid-shelf. Finish the line you are on before answering anything.
- Copy each total into your stock sheet as you finish that line, not at the end of the day.
The step size is the part people miss. Counting 240 bottles one tap at a time is slow and error-prone. Counting 20 cases with a step of 12 is quick and the display still reads 240.
Awkward items
| Category | Problem | Practical approach |
|---|---|---|
| Open or part-used | Not a whole unit | Count to the nearest tenth, or weigh; be consistent across the whole count |
| Damaged | Physically present, not sellable | Separate counter named "damaged", never merged into the main line |
| Customer orders held | Present but sold | Own counter, excluded from sellable stock |
| In transit | Owned, not on site | Record from paperwork, never from the shelf |
| Consignment | On site, not owned | Count separately, exclude from valuation |
| Bulk or loose | Impractical to count individually | Weigh and convert, and record the method used |
Checking the count
A count nobody checked is an estimate. Three checks, in increasing order of effort:
- Variance against expected. Compare with what your records say you should have. Chase anything that is wildly out before you accept the number.
- Blind recount of a sample. Have someone recount ten lines without seeing your figures. Agreement on all ten is good evidence the method held.
- Recount every high-value line. Value is concentrated in a few lines, so recounting those catches most of the financial risk for a fraction of the effort.
Full counts versus cycle counts
An annual full count is disruptive and, because it happens once, it tells you nothing about when a discrepancy appeared. Cycle counting spreads the work: count a slice of lines every week so every line is counted several times a year.
The usual approach weights it by value. Count the small number of lines that carry most of your value monthly, the middle group quarterly, and the long tail once or twice a year. You end up doing less counting overall and finding problems within weeks rather than months.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count stock without losing my place?
Follow a fixed written route, always in the same direction, and finish each shelf before stopping. Keep one named counter per line item and copy each total into your stock sheet as you complete that line rather than at the end.
Should I count in units or cases?
Pick one per line and write it down before you start. Counting cases with the step size set to the number of items per case is usually fastest, because one tap records a full case while the display still shows the true unit total.
What is a cycle count?
Cycle counting means counting a portion of your lines regularly instead of everything at once. Typically high-value lines are counted monthly and slow-moving lines once or twice a year, which spreads the workload and finds discrepancies sooner.
How do I handle damaged or opened stock?
Give it its own named counter and never merge it into the sellable line. Decide a consistent rule for part-used items, such as counting to the nearest tenth or weighing, and apply the same rule across the whole count.
Do I need a barcode scanner for a stock take?
Not for a small shop, kitchen or workshop. A fixed route, a counter per line and a written stock sheet is accurate and far cheaper. Scanners pay off once the number of lines makes manual recording the bottleneck.