ProblemStock
The stock on the shelf never matches the book
Stock goes wrong at the moments when goods move and nothing is written down. A system helps only after the routine is right.
Stock records drift because movements are not recorded when they happen: deliveries put straight on the shelf, sales written up later, breakages never noted. Fix the routine first: every movement written at the time, by a named person, and a small count every week. If the routine holds and the volume is too much for paper or a sheet, a stock system that updates with each sale and delivery starts at N$12,999.99.
What you see, and what it usually means
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| You find out an item is finished when a customer asks for it | No reorder level, and no one watching the count. |
| The count and the book differ every time | Deliveries, sales or breakages are being recorded late or not at all. |
| Money is tied up in items that do not move | Buying is done from memory, not from what sold. |
| Stock disappears and nobody can say when | Without dated records, a loss cannot be traced to a week or a shift. |
| Two branches, and neither knows what the other holds | Each keeps its own book. |
What you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them before paying for software, including ours.
List every item once
One line per item with a short code, a unit (each, box, kg) and where it is kept. Remove duplicates.
Record three movements only
In (delivery), out (sale or use) and adjust (breakage, expiry, count correction). Each with a date and a name.
Write it at the time
A delivery is recorded before it goes on the shelf. Later never happens.
Count twenty items a week
A different twenty each week, starting with what sells most. Small counts catch problems while the cause is still fresh.
Set a reorder level for the top sellers
The quantity at which you order again. Start with your twenty best sellers only.
Today, and with a system
Today
- Stock known only after a full count
- Reordering from memory
- Losses noticed months later
- Each branch with its own book
With a system
- Stock level correct after every sale and delivery
- A list each morning of what to reorder
- Every adjustment dated and named
- All branches on one screen
- Stock value on any day
- The routine works on paper and the writing has become the bottleneck.
- You carry several hundred items, or have more than one store room.
- Sales should reduce stock automatically.
- You need to know the value of stock on any day.
- Losses must be traced to a date and a person.
What we would build
We set up your item list, then build the three movements as three simple screens that work on a phone, with a barcode scan if your goods carry barcodes. The system keeps the running level, flags items at their reorder point and shows every adjustment with a name and a date.
A stock system starts at N$12,999.99. More than one branch is an extra the estimator prices.
Common questions
Do I need a point-of-sale system instead?
If you mainly need a till, receipts and stock for a shop, a ready-made point-of-sale product is usually the right purchase. Custom makes sense when stock is used rather than sold, such as in a workshop, a lodge kitchen or a clinic, or when the ready-made product cannot follow how you work.
Can it use barcodes?
Yes. A phone camera can read barcodes, so no scanner is needed to begin. Items without barcodes can be given printed labels.
Will a system stop theft?
No system stops theft. A good one makes loss visible quickly, with a date, which is what makes it possible to act.
Describe the problem. We will send back a scope.
Say what is slowing the work down and who is affected. You get a one-page scope in plain words: what would be built first, how long it takes and what it costs. It is free, and you owe nothing if you do not go ahead.