The three things every stock system needs
Whatever you keep your records in, they only work if they have these three parts:
- A product list. Every item you sell, written the same way every time, with how it comes (bag, carton, piece) and how many you had when you started.
- A record of every movement. Every delivery in, every sale or issue out, written the same day, with the name of whoever did it.
- A regular count. Someone counts what is really on the shelf and compares it with what the records say.
Skip any one and the other two stop meaning anything. A product list with no movements is a wish. Movements with no count are never checked. A count with no records has nothing to compare against.
Step 1: write one product list
Give every product one name and use it everywhere. “Rice” is not enough if you sell two brands and two bag sizes: write “Rice (Mama Gold) 50 kg” and “Rice (Royal Stallion) 25 kg”. For each product, write:
- how you buy it (bag, carton, pack) and what is inside one (50 kg, 40 pieces, 12 bottles);
- how you sell it, if that is different (by the piece, by the kilo);
- how many you have today: your opening stock.
That last number matters most, and it needs a real count. Our guide on opening stock explains how to do it without closing the shop.
Step 2: record every movement, the same day, with a name
One line for every delivery and every sale or issue:
| Date | Product | In | Out | By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct | Rice (Mama Gold) 50 kg | 10 bags | Chidi | |
| 5 Oct | Rice (Mama Gold) 50 kg | 2 bags | Amaka |
Two rules make this work. Same day, because “I'll write it later” becomes never. With a name, because a line nobody owns can't be checked. When the count is short, the names tell you who to ask.
Step 3: count a little, often
Counting the whole shop twice a year means differences are months old when you find them, and nobody remembers what happened. Count one shelf or one area every week instead. In a month you have counted everything, and every difference is small and fresh enough to explain.
For each product counted: what the records say should be there, what is actually there, and the difference. Our free stock count sheet is laid out for exactly this, and how to do a stock count covers the method.
Step 4: know what to reorder
Once the records are right, give your fast movers a reorder level: the quantity at which you buy more. When a product reaches it, it goes on the shopping list. Reorder levels explained shows how to set one.
Book, spreadsheet or app?
All three can run this system. A book is cheap and needs no network, but someone must add up every page to know what is left. A spreadsheet adds up for you, but only one person can use it at a time, on one computer. An app on your staff's phones lets everyone record at once, adds up as they go, and puts a name on every line automatically. Start with whichever you will actually keep up.