Numbering shelves and mapping the shop

Anyone who meets the line "shampoos on the shelf by the window" on a count sheet has to think twice: which window, which shelf, which tier? The counter hesitates, another person counts the same spot a second time, and the shelf between is left out. This muddle has a very simple cure: give every shelf a number and draw a plain map of the shop. Then each line on the sheet ties to an exact place, and the order of counting looks the same on paper and on the floor.

Why numbers help

Numbering looks like a small job, but it eases nearly every stage of the count:

• two pairs will not count the same place twice and nothing is skipped, because every number is assigned to someone;
• when there is a discrepancy you find the place to recount at once: the address "K-12-3" leads to the right shelf;
• if an item turns up in the wrong place, you can note where it moved from and to;
• a new employee or an outside counter who does not know the shop finds the way easily with the map;
• at the next count you can compare results by the same addresses.

The numbering scheme

You do not need an over-complicated system. The handiest scheme has three parts: a zone letter, a shelf number and a tier number. For example, K-12-3 means "zone K, shelf 12, third tier". Choose the rules once and stick to them strictly:

1. Start numbering at the entrance and move in one direction, for example clockwise.
2. Always count tiers from the same side: bottom to top or the reverse, but the same across the whole shop.
3. For a double-sided island rack give each side its own number, such as "12A" and "12B".
4. Tie the number to the place, not to a product group: the range changes, but the shelf stays where it is.

Avoid look-alike characters as zone letters (O and 0, I and 1), because they blur together on a sheet. A simple sum: five zones, eight shelves in each and four tiers on every shelf give 160 addresses. When a recount is needed you find exactly one of those 160 in seconds, whereas in an unnumbered shop you must hunt for that tier by eye.

Labels and where to put them

A label must be readable from a distance: large black digits on a white background. You can print on ordinary A4 and stick it with tape, and laminate where it is damp or gets rubbed. Always stick it in the same spot on each shelf, for example the top left corner, so that the counter knows where to look. Put tier numbers at the left end of each tier.

Colour coding the zones adds convenience: red tape in one zone, blue in another. In a rented unit use masking tape so you leave no glue marks.

The shop map

The map need not be a complicated drawing. On squared paper or an A3 sheet draw the entrance, the till, the walls, the middle rows, the stockroom and the number of every shelf. Mark the zone boundaries with a coloured pencil and show the direction of travel with arrows. Every pair gets a copy of the map and one hangs by the entrance. It also helps to photograph it on a phone. If the top of every sheet shows the zone number and a small mark of where that zone sits on the map, the counter will not get lost.

The same principle works for a warehouse, only the address looks different: row, section, level and position (for example R3-S02-L4).

Keeping the numbering

Numbering is done once and is kept for later counts. If the layout changes, update the map and labels the same day, otherwise the old and new systems mix and the benefit is lost. Keep the map in an electronic file, and if your accounting program has a storage-location field, write the address there too.

Conclusion

Numbering shelves and drawing a map is one of the cheapest and most useful things to do before a count. In a numbered shop the sheet, the team and the result are tightly linked. The Pereuchet service works by zones and addresses, so if you number the shelves in advance, the work goes even faster.