[Revised Aug 05].
Rolling stocktakes
Stocktaking can be done by printing sheets and entering discrepancies by hand, or using a handheld stocktake unit ('Zebex') to scan items in any order for electronic transfer into the stock cards.
Importance of regular 'Rolling stocktakes'
On average 50 items should be counted each day. Experience over a long period has shown that users who do one sheet of rolling stocktakes, or one shelf using a hand-held unit, every day have accurate and useful stock control. Stock control always fails eventually for those who do not. It is no exaggeration to say that if the business does rolling stocktakes then it will have excellent stock management, and if it does not then it will fail and waste a lot of time manually modifying orders.
To print a rolling stocktake sheet
1. From the program 'Start menu' Tools, Utilities, Stock utilities, Rolling Stocktake.
2. 'New stocktake' will bring up the options. Set the options, usually 'All stock' but can be 'Active only' ; those with sales or stock-on-hand.
3. 'OK' will make up the sheet as instructed, and add the new sheet to the list of any previous sheets made up but not yet entered.
4. 'Print' to print the highlighted sheet off the list. Or, click on the highlighted list to see it on screen, where it can be cancelled or left alone.
To enter the changes off a sheet
Once the sheet has been checked against the physical stock, and any alterations noted, the computer figures need to be changed.
1. From the program 'Start menu' Tools, Utilities, Rolling stocktake.
2. Highlight the sheet to be entered and select ' Enter'.
3. Make any changes. Quantities are assumed to be units, but can be in packs, e.g. either '200' or '1p' for a Ventolin Inhaler.
4. Once finished correcting quantities, 'Save SOH & Clear Stocktake' will apply all figures to the stock cards and erase the stocktake sheet.
Tip
- Do not print sheets ahead of time, as stock levels are constantly changing. Print one immediately before the stock is counted, and enter as soon as possible.
If stocktakes are not prepared, stock counted & entered at once then there are likely to be many stock alterations as a result of sales done in the meantime. These will appear on the shrinkage report giving inaccurate information and taking away the ability to identify and monitor any shoplifting by identifying products or areas of the shop where this is prevalent. Without identification no remedial action can be taken
Drugs 'owing'
The program will take into account 'drugs owing'. Of course if the 'owings' function is not used then the computer cannot take 'owings' into account and the stock count on that item will be wrong.
Stock kept in two locations
Some items will be in both shop and dispensary, or perhaps in shop and storeroom. The SoH figure is the total for the whole shop. When entering the SoH quantities the staff member should consider whether items missing could be elsewhere and adjust before entering the figures. The program does not provide for tracking separate locations since the work of having to adjust whenever an item was taken from store to shop, or shop to dispensary, is greater than the effort of adjusting as described above.
Notes
- the program will keep track of the items counted and 'roll' its way through the stock. It is possible to override this and start where you want, but better to leave it to the computer and ensure that every item is done eventually. In a busy shop staff mistakes are inevitable as incorrect items are received and not noticed, and shrinkage occurs... rolling stocktakes are the mechanism to correct this and allow stock control to succeed.
- The stocktake sheets can be printed, or entered, off any unit on the system. Entry does not have to be on the same machine as printing.
- If a sheet is changed, then 'Cancelled', it will not update but will cancel any changes and hold the unaltered page for future updating.
Stocktaking by Product group
It is also possible to stocktake off the 'Stock list and value' report which works by Product group. Disadvantages are that this report does not provide the automated entry of the rolling stocktake, and the user must be very well organised not to count some stock groups frequently and miss others altogether.
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