The problem
If one person writes “2” meaning bags and another writes “2” meaning kilos, the record is wrong by a factor of 50. Nobody notices until the count, and by then nobody knows which entries were which.
The fix: one stock unit per product
For every product, pick the smallest unit you sell it in and keep the stock in that unit. Rice sold by the kilo is kept in kilos. Noodles sold by the piece are kept in pieces. Cement sold only by the bag is kept in bags.
Then write down the pack once: what one bag, carton or bundle contains.
| Product | Pack | Stock kept in |
|---|---|---|
| Rice (Mama Gold) | Bag of 50 kg | kg |
| Noodles | Carton of 40 | pieces |
| Groundnut oil | Keg of 25 litres | litres |
| Cement | Bag of 50 kg | bags (sold whole) |
Recording deliveries and sales
- A delivery of 10 bags of rice is recorded as 10 × 50 = 500 kg.
- A sale of 3 kg is recorded as 3 kg.
- At the count, an opened bag is weighed or estimated in kilos, and sealed bags are counted and multiplied.
Always write the unit beside the number: “10 bags”, never just “10”. It is the one habit that prevents most unit mistakes.
When the supplier changes the pack
If a supplier starts sending cartons of 36 instead of 40, that is a different pack. Write it as a new line (“carton of 36”) rather than changing the old one, so last month's deliveries still add up.