| Stock takes in retail businesses are best completed by | | | | almost any Point of Sale system - Normal, and Spot |
| working on one department or area of the store at a | | | | Stock takes. |
| time. You may decide to break up your stocktake by | | | | Normal Stock takes. When performing a normal |
| physical location in your store, or by supplier, | | | | stocktake, you have the choice of whether to clear all |
| department or category. | | | | of the quantities in chosen departments/categories or |
| With most POS systems you can perform a | | | | not. Setting the QOH to zero for the areas you are |
| stocktake in several ways: | | | | about to stocktake is recommended to ensure that |
| | | | the figures will be correct. It is best to clear the |
| 1. Using a PDE scanner (Portable Data Entry) to scan | | | | quantities, so that stock that you don't scan into the |
| and enter quantities, then connecting this back up to | | | | stocktake (therefore you don't have in stock) has its |
| the system to stocktake automatically | | | | quantity set to zero. |
| 2. Plugging a scanner into a laptop, remotely accessing | | | | Spot Stock takes. When performing a spot stocktake, |
| the Main computer using Remote Desktop, and | | | | the quantity on hand figures are not cleared first. As |
| walking around the store scanning products and | | | | you scan items into the stocktake screen, the system |
| entering quantities | | | | will check the date of the last time this item was last |
| 3. Using an RF (Radio Frequency) or Bluetooth | | | | counted, then compare that to the start date of this |
| scanner to walk around the shop scanning items, and | | | | stocktake. If the item hasn't been counted yet in the |
| having someone at the computer entering the | | | | current stocktake, the quantity will be cleared |
| quantities | | | | andreplaced with the figure you enter. If the item has |
| 4. Printing a stock listing sheet and writing down the | | | | already been scanned in the current stocktake (for |
| quantities of each item, then entering them into the | | | | example, you have found more of the same item in |
| system | | | | the shop), the figure you enter will be added on top of |
| 5. Taking items from the shelf to the computer and | | | | the current quantity. |
| scanning them, then entering the quantity. The key to | | | | NOTE: Spot stock takes should not be used to |
| stocktaking is to get your stock figures into the system | | | | stocktake your entire shop. It should only be used for |
| as soon as possible after counting the stock, to | | | | checking a handful of items. |
| eliminate a discrepancy between the time you counted | | | | Good Inventory Management software gives you |
| and the time you entered that figure. | | | | flexibility in handling stock takes to deliver the best |
| Stocktaking is required for accurate stock control and | | | | outcome for the retail business. |
| for running reorder reports to replenish stock in the | | | | Approach stock takes with the respect they deserve. |
| retail business. | | | | The outcome will guide business decisions for months |
| There are two types of stock takes available in | | | | to come. |