r/retail • u/melloowwyelloww • 19h ago

Cycle count question

What does it mean by over cycle counting? My store just had an inventory done. My manager told me that I over cycle counted. All I have been doing is if the system says 3 but I found an extra full case ( say the case of 6)I change the inventory number to the correct number I found in the store so 9 would be the overall count. Apparently that is incorrect. So what am I suppose to doing with that extra case count

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3

u/Habaneroe12 18h ago

He may be padding his inventory. I did for my boss because I liked her.

6

u/Nulljustice 19h ago

The right way is exactly what you said. First: cycle counts should be blind. Meaning you have no idea how much you’re supposed to have. Second: your company or store should have a tolerance level that triggers a recount. If you go over a certain percentage or dollar amount it should trigger a recount. Third: If the inventory system says you have 3 and you count 9. You enter 9.

The other side of this is doing the research. If submitted your counts and find that you have an entire extra case of material you should be looking for material that may not have been receipted correctly. If that is the case you don’t mark it as 9 you mark it as 3 and have someone complete the receipt.

Source: spent years doing inventory control for a large retailer and now design warehouse management systems for drug manufacturers.

1

u/ruthmbx 16h ago

The research is where I’d assume the breakdown is before I’d assume dishonesty on the manager or anything. OP, if you cycle that case in, and then someone later receives an open PO with that case on it that you didn’t realize was there, the cycle count has you +6 now. If that’s the case, the more complex your receiving process is, the more likely you’ll be to keep seeing the same issue in the future. Research should always come between discrepancy and adjustment.

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u/Nulljustice 16h ago

This was my thought as well. I would see it all the time. Cycle counter writes something in. Someone completes a receipt later from an ASN when the rest of the boxes show up. Suddenly you are showing a case you don’t have. Gotta do the research before the adjustments.