PRACTICAL STOCK MANAGEMENT
Make sense of your stock.
Build better stock habits with plain-language explanations, worked examples, and checklists you can put into practice.
Start with the basics.
Follow the worked examples.
15 articles in this section
Inventory fundamentals
Inventory basics: what, where, and how much
Build a stock record you can reconcile with what is actually on the shelf.
Stock value, revenue, and gross profit
Follow a worked example using the same quantities and costs shown in Inventory reports.
Units, packs, and the number you count
Decide what one unit means, then let packs handle the way you buy.
How average cost moves
Follow one product through a receipt, a sale, and a count, and see exactly when its cost changes.
Working day to day
Handling a delivery
From the delivery note to stock on the shelf, without losing the order it came from.
Rotating dated stock
Sell the oldest first, know what is about to turn, and write off what did.
A weekly stock routine
A short, repeatable rhythm that keeps records and shelves agreeing.
Planning stock
Reorder points and days of cover
Work through demand, lead time, safety days, incoming orders, and pack rounding.
Replenish a shelf or buy more stock?
Use local minimums and total stock to choose between a transfer and a purchase.
Dead stock and slow movers
Find the money standing still, and decide what to do about it.
Kits: build ahead, or sell as a kit?
Two ways to track something made of other things, and how to choose between them.
Keeping reliable records
SKUs, barcodes, and codes that keep working
Give every product one stable identity, and make sure a scan finds it.
Shrinkage, write-offs, and honest reasons
One habit, choosing the right reason, decides whether four reports tell the truth.
A practical stocktake checklist
Prepare the count, investigate differences, and save a record someone else can follow.
Moving from a spreadsheet to Inventory
Plan a checked opening import and avoid counting the same stock twice.
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