What opening stock is
Opening stock is the quantity of each product on the day your records start. From then on, what is left is simply: opening stock + everything in − everything out. So the opening number has to be counted, not guessed.
Step 1: list every product first
Walk the shop and the store with a notebook or phone and write every product, the way you will always name it, with how it comes and what is inside one. Do the list before any counting: counting while listing is how products get missed.
Already have a list in Excel or from a supplier? Start from it and add what is missing. Our free template has the columns ready.
Step 2: count area by area
You don't need to close. Split the shop into areas (each shelf, the store room, the yard) and count one area at a time, at quiet hours or before opening. Write the date and time of each area's count.
- Count sealed packs as packs (10 bags, 4 cartons) and opened ones as loose units (37 pieces).
- Two people for the expensive lines: one counts, one writes, then swap and check.
Step 3: catch what moved while you counted
If you sell from an area after counting it, record those sales from that moment on. If a delivery arrives before its area is counted, count it as part of the area (don't also record it as a delivery). The rule: every item is counted exactly once.
Step 4: write it down and start recording
Enter each product's count as its opening stock, and from that day record every delivery and sale with a name. Do your first check count of a fast mover within a week: if it matches, the system works.