Logistics & Supply Chain
The system says 100. The shelf says 94. What now?
Six missing units, several possible explanations. Follow the checks that turn a stock mismatch into a problem you can actually solve.
You are helping with a stock count at a distributor. The inventory screen shows 100 units of one product. Your count shows 94. Someone asks you to “just correct the system”.
Pause for a moment. Those six units might be missing, but you haven’t established that yet. They might be in another location, recorded against the wrong item or part of a movement that hasn’t reached the system. This is an illustrative workplace exercise, not a report about a particular business.
First, make sure you counted the same thing
Check the item code, size, variant and unit of measure. Does the record mean individual pieces, packs or cases? A similar-looking label can send you towards the wrong answer.
Confirm the locations included in the balance. Does “100” refer to this shelf, the whole warehouse or several branches? Count again with a colleague using the agreed method. Record the time, because stock may move while the count is happening.
Follow the movement, not a hunch
Work with the supervisor to check the goods-receipt record, picking list, dispatch record and any transfer or return documents around the counting time. Establish which movements happened before the cut-off and which happened after it.
In one possible version of our example, six units have been moved to the dispatch staging area but remain part of warehouse stock. The count of 94 on the shelf is accurate; it is simply incomplete for the location scope being reconciled. In another version, a dispatch occurred before the cut-off but the transaction is still awaiting posting. Those situations need different responses.
Look at exceptions too
Ask whether any units are held for inspection, damaged, returned or awaiting a location transfer. Do not quietly include them as saleable stock. Note their condition and how the business classifies them, then check the relevant records.
If the difference remains unexplained, document it and escalate through the company’s stock-control process. An authorised adjustment should have a reason and supporting evidence. A mismatch alone does not establish theft or tell you who is responsible.
Where barcodes help
GS1 explains that identifying products, cases and pallets supports inventory visibility and accuracy. [1] In practice, that makes consistent identification worth understanding. A scanner still needs the right item record, location and transaction process behind it; it cannot explain every discrepancy on its own.
Try a six-unit investigation
Draw a small warehouse with a shelf, returns area and dispatch bay. Give yourself three documents: a receipt, a transfer and a dispatch record. Decide when each movement happened, then calculate what each location should contain at 4 pm.
Write a short handover: “We counted this item, across these locations, at this time. These documents explain the movement. This issue remains open.” Practising that explanation builds a skill you can use in a warehouse, retail stockroom or distribution team.
Sources & further reading
- GS1 — Inventory management benefits
Background on identifying products, cases and pallets to improve inventory visibility.
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