Stock and warehouses: know what you hold, where, and what it is worth

How does EasyTaskr keep stock accurate?

By never letting the number change without a reason. Stock goes down when you sell, up when goods are received, and moves when you transfer it. Anything else, such as breakage or a count that does not match, goes through an adjustment with a reason. Each product keeps a stock history, so when a figure looks wrong you can see every movement that made it.

That is the whole idea behind good stock control: the shelf and the screen agree because every change is written down at the moment it happens.

What does the stock screen show?

The stock screen opens on the figures that need action: how many products need restock, how many are out of stock, and the stock value at cost. Below that is the stock value by category and a list of everything that needs restocking.

You can look at All warehouses together or pick one. Each product row has three actions: Adjust stock, Transfer and Stock history. Where a batch or expiry date is set on stock, it is shown on the row. If AI suggestions are switched on, a small chip warns when a product is likely to run out soon at its current rate of sale.

How do goods in work?

Goods in are received against the purchase order, so you count what came rather than typing it all again. The receiving screen works in three steps: open the purchase order, count the boxes, save the delivery.

Each line shows what was ordered, what has already arrived and what you are receiving now. Scanning a case adds one to its line. If the supplier's price has changed, type the new cost on that line. Anything that turned up but was not on the order is listed separately as an unexpected receipt, so it does not vanish into the count.

Saving puts the stock up straight away, so staff selling at the till or on the road see it at once. If only part of the order came, the purchase order stays open for the rest.

How do adjustments and transfers work?

An adjustment changes stock for a reason other than buying or selling. The Adjust stock window offers Increase, Decrease or Set to, shows the stock after the change before you save, and asks for a reason.

Look at the Loss / Waste total each month. If damaged goods keep coming up for the same products, the fix is usually in storage or handling, not in the count. If expired products keep coming up, the reorder quantity is too big for how fast that product sells.

A transfer moves stock from one warehouse to another. It happens at once and is recorded against both sites, so a busy shop can be topped up from the main warehouse without anyone guessing where the cases went.

Step by step: run a stocktake

1. Open the warehouse area and choose Stock count, then Start a count for the warehouse you are counting.
2. Press Start counting and walk the shelves in order, one bay at a time.
3. Scan each item with Scan shelf item, or type its count if it has no barcode.
4. Keep going until every bay is done; nothing changes stock while you count.
5. Review the results: lines marked Matching need nothing, lines marked Different from the system need a look.
6. Recount any large difference before you accept it, since most big gaps are counting mistakes.
7. Save the count; each difference becomes a stock adjustment, so the system now matches the shelf.
8. Open Stock adjustments and check the total value written on and off.
9. For products with repeated gaps, look at their Stock history to find where the stock went.

Our guide on how to do a stocktake covers planning the count, cut-off rules and how often to do it.

How are reorder levels set?

On each product you set the point to act and how much to order. Low-stock alert at is when it shows as needing restock. Reorder below is the level that puts it on the reorder list, and Order this many or Or order up to decides the quantity. Where one site sells faster, those levels can be set for that warehouse.

A worked example: a product sells about 12 a day, the supplier takes 4 days, and you keep 2 days of safety stock. The reorder point is 12 × (4 + 2) = 72. If you order up to 180, each order is 108 or more and lasts about a week and a half. The reorder point guide and its calculator show how to work this out for your own products.

When stock falls below its level, Order from low stock on the purchase orders screen gathers everything that needs ordering, grouped by supplier, as draft orders for you to check.

What is my stock worth?

The stock screen shows the value at cost, and the stock value report adds the value at selling price, the margin between the two, and any products priced below cost. The figure is only as good as the cost prices on your products, so fill them in when you add products and update them when the supplier's price changes. The stock valuation guide explains which figure belongs in your accounts.

What should I set up first?

Create each warehouse, add products with barcodes and cost prices, and enter opening stock with a count rather than a guess. Set reorder levels on your best sellers first; they matter most. Then agree one rule with staff: nothing comes in without being received, and nothing goes out of stock without a sale, a transfer or a reason.