Infinity POS
Stock takes with controlled stock movement
Infinity supports stock taking by location, and committing a stock take updates stock-on-hand. That makes the count part of the inventory record rather than a separate result to reconcile later.
Specified against how the store runs. Nationwide remote implementation.
How should you run a stock take in Infinity?
Infinity recommends running stock takes in a closed environment with stock movement stopped. Define the scope, count or scan the included items, review variances, and accept the stock take only when the count is ready to update stock-on-hand.
The useful output of a count is not the corrected number. It is the variance: which lines were wrong, and by how much, because that is where shrink and receiving problems show up.
- Count in parts, not all at onceA count you can finish is a count you will repeat.
- Scan rather than writeTranscription is where counting errors come from.
- The variance is the pointThe corrected total tells you less than the difference does.
- Frequent beats exhaustiveDrift caught this month is cheaper than drift caught this year.
A count corrects the file at a moment in time. If receiving is not recorded, the file will drift again straight afterwards, which is why counting and receiving discipline go together.
What it does
What a count involves
Counting, reconciling, and acting on what the variance shows.
Counting with a device
Portable data collectorsScanning in the aisle rather than transcribing a sheet later.
Reconciling to the item file
Inventory managementCommitting the stock take updates the stock-on-hand value in Infinity.
Reading the variance
ReportingWhich lines were wrong, and by how much.
Following the cause
Purchase ordersReceiving, transfers and cash handling are where variance usually starts.
Who relies on it
Who counts this way
Counting in parts suits any store that cannot close to count. These trades show where counts fit the rest of the system.
Grocery stores
Grocery POSDefine the stock-take scope before counting, then scan or enter the included items and review the variance before accepting the count.
Convenience stores
Convenience POSShrink-sensitive categories counted between deliveries, with the variance reviewed line by line.
Liquor stores
Liquor POSCounts taken on the floor and compared with the item file, so the variance shows which lines were wrong.
Why stock takes stop happening
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Stock keeps moving during the count
Sales, receiving or transfers can make the snapshot and the final variance disagree.
Run the stock take in a closed environment with stock movement stopped.
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Counts are written then typed
Transcription errors make the count itself untrustworthy.
Scanned counts, with no second entry step.
Portable data collectors -
The count is done and nothing changes
The same variance appears next time.
Variance read by line, so the cause can be followed.
Reporting -
Shrink is invisible between counts
Losses accumulate for a year before anyone measures them.
Frequent partial counts rather than one exhaustive one.
In a demo
What to ask to see in a stock take demo
Ask for these in a demo, because the variance is what a count is for.
A scoped stock take
Ask to see how the included department or location is selected, counted and reviewed before the stock take is accepted.
The variance by line
ReportingAsk to see which lines the count found wrong, and by how much.
A scanned count
Portable data collectorsAsk to see a count scanned in the aisle with a portable data collector, where the store’s setup supports it, rather than written down and typed up.
The cause of a variance
Purchase ordersAsk to see the receiving history for a line the count found wrong.
Stock take questions
Should I count while the store is open?
Infinity's help recommends a closed environment with stock movement stopped. Trading during the count can create discrepancies between the stock-take snapshot and later stock movement.
Do I need a handheld device?
It is not strictly required, but scanning removes the transcription step where most counting errors come from.
How often should we count?
More often than once a year, and by parts. The right frequency depends on shrink risk and value per line rather than on a rule.
What do we do with the variance?
Follow it. Variance concentrated in one department usually points at receiving or transfers rather than at theft.
Tell us how counting works now
When you last counted, how it was done, and whether the variance went anywhere. That is usually enough to see what would change.