The day before: eight preparation steps

Half of a recount is decided not on the day of the count but the day before. In a shop where documents are not closed, goods are mixed up and the sheets are not ready, even the best team works slowly and makes mistakes. By contrast, one day of careful preparation shortens the counting time noticeably. Below are the eight main steps to take in that day. We have grouped them into four parts so that the plan fits on one page and can be adapted easily to your own shop.

Documents

Step 1. Close the documents

All delivery notes, issues, returns and transfers must be entered in the accounting program or notebook. Every document that lies on paper but has not been entered later turns into a "mystery discrepancy". Write down goods in transit separately too: the records show them, but they are not yet in the shop. Check as well that every receipt issued during the day has reached the records; sales written by hand during an internet outage are the ones most often forgotten.

Step 2. Stop deliveries

Warn suppliers in advance that goods will not be accepted on the day of the count or the evening before. If something arrives anyway, receive it and enter the document at once, or keep it in a separate place in a zone that is not counted. Collect orders that came through Telegram or Uzum before the count begins.

Goods

Step 3. Tidy up

Identical goods should stand in one place: one position, one place, ideally on one shelf. Top up open boxes or mark them separately. Turn barcodes outwards. Return goods left by the till, in a basket, in the fitting room and wherever customers dropped them to their own places.

Step 4. Set apart

Separate returns, defective goods, expired goods, items reserved for customers and goods held on commission from ordinary stock. Give each category its own place and label, otherwise they mix with ordinary stock and distort the result. Goods held on commission do not belong to you, so it matters especially not to add them to the total balance.

Step 5. Check price tags and codes

Price tags should be legible and barcodes undamaged. For goods without a code, or with a worn one, prepare a temporary label showing the name. Also keep a separate "unknown goods" sheet for items whose code cannot be found during the count.

Equipment and sheets

Step 6. Take the balances

Export a report of balances from the accounting program and save a copy. This is your "starting point": if a new delivery is entered on top of it on the day of the count, comparison becomes much harder. From the report prepare a list for the count sheets, but do not show the booked quantity on it.

Step 7. Prepare the equipment

Print the sheets by zone and make spares, at least a fifth more than you need, because sheets get torn, mistakes are made or an unexpected new zone turns up. Have pencils, tape, labels, portable lamps, a calculator, spare batteries, a stepladder for top shelves and, if needed, scales ready. If you use scanners, charge them and test them on one item.

People

Step 8. Prepare the team

Tell everyone clearly their task, place and time: who is in which zone, what to bring, when the break is. Hold a short briefing and explain the counting rules. Decide beforehand who will step in for anyone who cannot come. Remind staff to sleep well and eat beforehand. This step is often forgotten, though a tired person makes far more mistakes.

The final check

In the evening tick off the following:

• documents are closed and the report of balances is saved;
• goods are in order and the separated categories are marked;
• sheets are printed and equipment is in place;
• the team is informed, and a replacement has been found if anyone is ill.

Close this list in the evening and the morning starts calmly. An item left for the morning will remind you of itself in the thick of the count.

Conclusion

The day before the count matters as much as the count itself. In a shop that has completed the eight steps, the team spends its time counting rather than looking for order. If you cannot pull the preparation together yourself, the Pereuchet service will help with a preparation list and organise the zones on the day of the count.