Inventory of goods using QR codes

When accepting goods in the store, accounting officers enter them into the accounting system used in the outlet. After sale, a unit of goods is removed from the balance. But this is not enough. In order to understand the real picture of what is going on with the stock balance, an inventory of the goods is made. In this article we will tell how to conduct it and how to form the result.

What is the need for inventory of goods

Inventory is the process of verifying the balances of goods held in fact in the store and its warehouse, reconciling the specified quantity with the data from the accounting system. If the store does not keep a record, then the inventory of goods will show what is in stock , and what is missing or is subject to write-off. Based on the data of the audit, the owner will be able to make a conclusion about the sales and losses, the quality of the product and the work of employees , which is the main parameter in the control of the outlet.

When to inventory

The owner himself determines the schedule of the planned inventory. The schedule of inspections depends on the size of the shop, its off-road performance, personnel.

But we must not forget that the inventory of goods can stop the store for a whole day, and sometimes more. In this regard, in a small outlet for inventory usually choose the time with the least pedestrian: early morning , late evening or night. In large stores rediscount . Most often, conducted either at night in several stages or stopping the work of the enterprise up to 24 hours.

In hypermarket format stores inventory is carried out daily with the division of goods into groups: one day – one group of goods. This allows you not to slow down the work of already loaded staff and see changes online. 

Now let’s look at each step of the inventory a little more.

Inventory preparation

Before starting the audit, care should be taken to ensure that new goods are not added to and left from the shelves, that the acceptance is completed and all deliveries are closed. If new products are added to the shelves, it will greatly distort the outcome, creating a non-existent surplus.

You also need to stop all sales: you can close the store for the time of the audit or restrict the access of buyers to a particular audited group if there is a partial revision.

Accounting begins with the issuance of an inventory order by the manager, the store manager or, in rare cases, the commodity inspector. After that, the store creates a commission of employees, unless external audit organizations are involved in the process.

An inventory is taken prior to verification. It includes the balances of the goods available in the system and records the actual balances. One of the conditions is that the inventory must contain the full name of the item so that the staff member does not confuse the items at the recalculation.

In some cases, managers may provide an inventory to staff without indicating actual balances. This is done in cases where the director or manager does not trust his or her staff in principle or the staff has in any way discredited themselves.

Physical audit

The physical inventory of the goods in the trade hall and warehouse is now beginning. For convenience and systematization of the accounting process, goods are divided into groups. At the end of counting one category, we move to another. Or , if the size of the staff allows , each employee is allocated a certain category of goods.

In addition to the calculation, you should pay attention to the condition of the product itself, its packaging and expiry dates, to write off the substandard immediately.

In the inventory, the number of the actual balance is placed against each item.

Inventory of goods: discrepancies and totals

The following conclusions can be drawn from the discrepancies:

• If there is a surplus, then there is a problem with the system of reception and accounting of received goods;
• Shortages also occur due to accounting errors or, more often, theft;
• When identifying spoiled goods, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the unfair inspection of the expiration dates and condition of the sold products by the personnel of the store;
• A handoff appears when one item is sold on the ticket office under another’s label due to a clerical error. This happens quite often with fruit or, for example, ice cream, due to a similar name.

The amount of damage shall be disclosed in the statement for each of the reasons for the discrepancies and the calculation of the losses incurred by the persons responsible for the damage shall be started: movers, sellers, commodity traders or director.

Follow up on inventory

The owner now has a document in his hands that allows to make actual changes in the register and to recover part or all of the damage from the guilty persons.
The main thing is not to forget to write off the deficit and make a surplus.

Conclusion

Inventory of goods is not the most difficult process, but very troublesome and time-consuming. Because of the human factor, there may still be accounting errors that lead to new confusion and loss of finances, but automation solves this problem.
In order to avoid unnecessary waste of time, effort and money, the company’s specialists have developed a special module for inventory by QR and bar codes which is integrated into the accounting program.
Our modules will help to automate the accounting process at all stages and eliminate losses associated with errors and falsifications.