Quick check
Guess first, no penalty. The system says 4 in stock, but the shelf is empty. What will the reorder suggestion do?
When the website chat or the stock system gets something wrong, the customer doesn't complain to the software. They complain to you. Here are two failures you'll see on the floor.
Stock numbers that don't match the shelf. The system says 4 in stock and the shelf is empty. Retail calls this phantom inventory. Reorder suggestions built on a wrong count keep the shelf empty, because the system thinks there's still stock in the building and sees no reason to order more. Search the back, then correct the count.
Self-checkout alerts that are wrong. The machine flags an unexpected item when the customer did nothing wrong. They're annoyed before you even get there, so assume an honest mistake and clear it calmly. How you speak to them decides how the visit ends.
A count check the next person can trust
Count check, aisle 6, shampoo 400 ml:
System says 4 in stock. Shelf empty.
Stockroom searched: none.
Count corrected to 0 with the store's process, so the reorder can work again.Fill the gaps
Fill the gaps so your note shows what was wrong and what you did.
Note
System says . Shelf empty. Stockroom . Count .
Try it
Your steps, about 2 minutes
- 1.Open the Safety stock lab to see why shelves still run empty when deliveries take days. Set the lead time (how many days a delivery takes) and service level (the chance a delivery arrives before the shelf is empty) and watch a simulated month of stock, orders and stockouts.1 min
- 2.On your next shift, find one item where the shelf and the system don't match. Search the back, then write a note like the one above.1 min