How Cameroonian retail shops can reduce stock discrepancies

A stock discrepancy is the gap between what your records say you have and what is actually on your shelves. Every shop has some. The goal is not a perfect count on day one. It is to find out where the gaps start, so you can close them one at a time.

This guide is written for owners and managers of shops, supermarkets and pharmacies with one to five branches. You can follow it with a notebook, a spreadsheet or any system you already use. The routine is the same in every case: control what comes in, control what goes out, count regularly, and investigate before you adjust.

Why the shelf and the records drift apart

Discrepancies rarely come from one big cause. They usually build up from small gaps in the process:

• goods received without being checked against the delivery note or the order;
• sales, returns and exchanges that are not recorded at the time;
• damaged or expired products thrown away without a written record;
• items taken for staff use or given as samples without a note;
• transfers between branches that are recorded at one end only;
• products entered under the wrong name, pack size or unit;
• theft, or simple counting mistakes.

Because most causes are ordinary process gaps, the fix is a habit rather than a hunt for one culprit. Start with the two places where stock changes: the door where goods come in, and the till where goods go out.

Step 1: Check goods in properly

Receiving is where many problems begin, because a short delivery that is signed for becomes your loss.

1. Compare the delivery with the supplier's delivery note and with your own order before the driver leaves.
2. Count the items yourself. Do not rely on the number written on the box.
3. Check the condition of the goods. In a pharmacy, also check batch and expiry dates, and set your own rule for goods that are too close to expiry to accept.
4. Write any shortage or damage on the delivery note and ask the driver or supplier to acknowledge it.
5. Record the received quantities on the same day, and let the person who counted them do it.

If the same person orders, receives and records the goods, add a second person to check at least the larger deliveries.

Step 2: Record every way stock leaves

A sale is only one way stock leaves the shelf. To keep the records honest, every exit needs a record:

• Sales: ring up every sale at the till. Avoid "I will write it down later".
• Returns and exchanges: record what came back, what went out and why.
• Write-offs: damaged, expired and spoiled goods go on a written list with the date, quantity and reason. A manager should approve the list.
• Own use and samples: if goods are taken by staff or the owner, or given as samples, record them like any other movement.
• Transfers: when stock moves between branches, the sending branch records what left and the receiving branch confirms what arrived.

What matters is that no product leaves the shelf without leaving a trace.

Step 3: Count little and often

One large stocktake a year tells you that something went wrong long after you can find out why. Smaller, regular counts are easier to explain.

• Count a few products every week instead of everything once. Start with fast-moving and high-value items.
• Rotate the list so every product is counted regularly.
• Count "blind" where you can: the person counting writes down what they see without looking at the record first.
• Use two people if possible, one counting and one writing.
• Note the date and time of each count, and avoid selling or receiving that product while you count it, or record those movements separately.

Keep the count sheets. They are your evidence when you compare them with the records later.

Step 4: Investigate before you adjust

When the count and the record disagree, do not simply change the number. First look for the likely reason, then adjust and write down why.

Illustrative example (the numbers are made up to show the method, not real figures). Your records show 48 bottles of cooking oil and you count 44. At an illustrative cost of 1,200 FCFA per bottle, the gap is 4,800 FCFA at cost. Before adjusting, check whether:

1. a delivery was recorded in full but fewer bottles actually arrived;
2. a sale was rung up under a different product or pack size;
3. some bottles were broken and never written off;
4. a transfer to another branch was recorded at only one end.

If you find the cause, correct that record. If you cannot, adjust the stock to the counted figure and note it as "unexplained" with the date. Products that keep appearing as unexplained deserve a closer look.

Step 5: Read the pattern every week

A list of discrepancies is only useful if someone reads it. Once a week, look at the products with the biggest gaps in quantity or value and ask three questions:

• Is it the same product, supplier or branch again and again?
• Does it happen on particular days or shifts?
• Does it follow a delivery, a promotion or a busy period?

Patterns point to a cause. A gap that appears after every delivery from one supplier is a receiving problem. A gap that appears on busy days is often a recording problem at the till.

A practical checklist

• Every delivery is checked against the delivery note and order before it is accepted.
• Shortages and damage are written on the delivery note and acknowledged.
• Received quantities are recorded the same day.
• Every sale, return, exchange and transfer is recorded when it happens.
• Write-offs, own use and samples are listed with a date and a reason.
• Some products are counted every week, and every product is counted regularly.
• Counts are done by two people and recorded on dated sheets.
• Differences are investigated before any adjustment is made.
• Each adjustment has a written reason, including "unexplained".
• Someone reads the discrepancy list once a week and acts on the patterns.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I count my stock?

There is no single right answer. Fast-moving and high-value products deserve a count every week or two. Slow movers can be counted less often. What matters is that the counting is regular and recorded.

Is a small discrepancy worth investigating?

Yes, if it repeats. A single small gap may be a counting slip, but the same gap on the same product week after week is a signal.

Who should do the counting?

Ideally someone who does not also record the sales or the deliveries for that product, and with a second person alongside. This is not about distrust. It is about making mistakes and problems visible early.

Conclusion

Reducing stock discrepancies is mostly routine: check goods in, record every exit, count little and often, and investigate before you adjust. Start with one branch and a short list of products, and build the habit before you widen it.

If you would like your sales, purchasing and stock records to sit in one place, NexaPOS is a retail operating platform that connects checkout with inventory, suppliers, purchasing, goods receipts and low-stock visibility, with reporting across branches. That does not replace the routine above, but it makes the routine easier to follow and easier to review.