Simple stock control for a small shop

Record every delivery when it arrives

When a supplier delivers, check the goods against the invoice and record them the same day: what came, how many, and at what cost. If goods come in unrecorded, your stock and your profit are both wrong from that moment.

Sell through the till, every time

Every item that leaves should go through the till, including the ones given to family, used in the shop or thrown away as damaged. Record those as adjustments with a reason, so the difference between what you should have and what you have tells you something.

Count often, a little at a time

1. Count your best sellers and most expensive items every week.
2. Count the rest of the shop once a month, one shelf or one category at a time.
3. Count before the shop opens or after it closes, so nothing sells while you count.
4. Look at the differences. Small ones are normal; a big one on the same product every week is a problem to solve.

Reorder before you run out

For each product, set the level at which you reorder: enough to sell while the new stock is on its way. Then check the list of products below their level every few days, instead of discovering an empty shelf when a customer asks.

Keep shop and store apart

If you have a store behind the shop or more than one branch, record goods moved between them as transfers. Each place then shows what is really there, and a customer can be told exactly where an item is.