On Hand

Editorial · for small stockrooms

The reorder point was set once, by someone who has left

For shops, workshops and small distributors: counting stock so the number is true, setting reorder points that account for lead time, receiving goods without losing the discrepancy, and finding out what your shrinkage actually is.

3
causes of shrinkage, only one of which is theft
2
numbers a reorder point needs and usually has one
30
guides in the archive
0
forms, sign-ups or tracking on this site

Sections

From the shelf to the balance sheet

Five sections following the order stock actually moves in: know what you have, order it before you run out, check it properly when it arrives, account for what disappears, and keep a record that someone other than you could use.

Counting stock

Cycle counts, the annual stocktake, and why the number in the system stopped matching the number on the shelf.

6 guides

Reordering

Reorder points, order quantities, lead time, and the safety stock that should reflect how unreliable your supplier actually is.

6 guides

Receiving

Goods in, checking against the order, recording the discrepancy while the pallet is still on the floor.

6 guides

Shrinkage and write-offs

Loss, damage, expiry and obsolescence — measuring what disappears and deciding what to do about it.

6 guides

Records and systems

SKUs, locations, barcodes, and the point at which a spreadsheet stops being enough.

6 guides

Start here

Six guides worth reading first

The pieces that most often change how a small stockroom is run.

Counting stock8 min read

Why the number in the system is wrong

Stock records do not drift because people are careless. They drift because a dozen ordinary events each move stock without moving the record.

Where a stock-control change depends on knowing the labour it actually consumes, Monitask is one example of a time-tracking tool that can create a task-level record for a short diagnostic period.

For broader operational context for small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration provides public management resources.

Read the guide

Written for a storeroom, not a distribution centre

Most stock control literature assumes a warehouse team, a planner and a system built for pallets. These guides assume a back room, four hundred lines and one person who does the counting alongside another job. A recurring theme is that stock decisions get made on software price while the labour they consume is never counted — which is why the expensive option keeps winning. That runs through counting and systems in particular. Browse the full archive of 30 guides in the index.