Stock without holes: how to stop shrinkage in your shop

A gap between the shelf and the system can start with a missed receiving, unrecorded damage, the wrong variant, a transfer or theft. The number alone does not reveal the cause. To understand what happened, you need a record of the movements and a count while you can still trace back to the event.

Habit one: count when goods arrive

Compare the quantity that arrived with the order and the delivery note before you spread the boxes around the shop. Also check product, size and color: ten units of the wrong variant are not a correct receiving of the order.

1. Open the order or the receiving list.
2. Count what actually arrived.
3. Record any shortage, surplus or damage and attach documentation when needed.
4. Update the supplier and receive the verified quantity into stock.

An example: 24 units were ordered and 22 arrived. Automatically recording 24 creates a gap before the first sale. Dealing with the gap on the same day saves trying to reconstruct it at the end of the month.

Habit two: give every outgoing item a reason

An item that broke, was thrown away, was handed out as a sample or added as a gift has left stock even though it was not sold. Record the type of movement, the quantity and the reason close to the event. Do not wait for the count to "fix the number".

Bundles also need checking: when a bundle is sold, make sure its components come off stock according to the setup. With a return, check whether the product is fit for sale before putting it back into the available quantity.

Habit three: count a little, and often

Pick a small group of items that matter to the business: expensive products, fast sellers or ones that have already shown a gap. Start with a weekly count and measure how long it takes in your shop. Then expand or change the frequency based on the results.

Arrange the count list by shelf. During the count, make sure you know how to handle sales and movements happening at the same time. A sample count is an ongoing control tool. It does not necessarily replace a full count or the accounting requirements that apply to the business.

If the number does not match, count again and check receivings, sales and returns before correcting it. A quantity correction should leave a clear reason in the history.

Habit four: check the route between branches

A two-step transfer has two separate actions: sending and receiving. In KupaLi, when you send, the quantity comes off the available stock at the source and is recorded as stock in transit. At the destination branch it is received after the quantity that arrived is confirmed. Do not leave it as if it were still available for sale at the sender.

Count on the receiving side, compare with what was sent and record any shortage instead of approving it automatically. In an instant transfer both sides update in the same action. Choose it only when it fits how you actually work.

How do you investigate a gap without blaming anyone up front?

Start with the item and the time window between two correct counts. Check in this order: receiving, sales, bundles, returns, damage and transfers. Look for the same problem repeating in the same product or process. A link between a gap and a shift is not, on its own, proof of embezzlement.

In KupaLi you can use the stock history, the count screens and alerts, depending on the plan and permissions. Anomaly alerts point to what to check. They are not a finding that theft took place. The back office guide explains how to reach these screens.

Which number is worth tracking?

Start with the quantity and cost of the gap for each item, and the number of gaps still unexplained. Keep the same measuring method from period to period. If you calculate a shrinkage rate relative to sales or cost of goods sold, state the basis of the calculation clearly. Do not compare metrics built differently.

In a simple example, a shortage of three units costing ₪40 each is a stock gap with a cost of ₪120. The selling price is not the cost the business has already paid, and recording the gap does not yet explain its cause.

For negotiation and discounts, see the floor price guide. If you also sell on a website, continue to managing stock when selling online. You will find the stock tools and availability by plan on the features page.