Reordering by walking the shelf
Something runs out before anyone notices it is low.
Stock gets reordered when somebody walks past the shelf and notices it is low.
Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.
Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.
Sound familiar?
- Running out of a common item is a regular surprise.
- Somebody walks the stockroom with a clipboard to decide what to order.
- Some items are over-ordered because nobody trusts the count.
- Emergency orders cost more than planned ones.
What it looks like
Somebody walks the shelves, looks at what is low, and writes an order. Sometimes it is a weekly routine. Sometimes it happens when a crew comes back saying something is gone.
It works when the same careful person does it. It depends on them noticing, and on the item being low before it is empty.
What it costs
Running out costs more than the item. A job waits, somebody drives to buy it, or it is ordered in a rush.
Over-ordering ties up cash. Items that are hard to count get ordered heavy, just in case.
The walk takes time every week. And it still misses what is used between walks.
Where it goes wrong
- There is no reorder point. How low is too low is judged by eye.
- Usage is not recorded. What was taken for a job does not come off any count.
- The count is not trusted. So people order by looking, not by the numbers.
- One person knows the stockroom. When they are away, nobody reorders.
What a better version looks like
The items that matter most have a written reorder point and a usual quantity. What is used comes off the count as it is used, or is checked on a short schedule. A list of what is at or below its point is ready before the order is placed, and a person reviews it.
What still needs a person
A person sets the reorder points and changes them when the work changes. A person decides what to order and from whom. And a person investigates when the count and the shelf disagree.
Questions worth asking about your own operation
- How do you decide what to reorder?
- Which items have you run out of in the last few months?
- Is anything ordered heavy because nobody trusts the count?
- Who reorders when the person who usually does is away?
If this sounds familiar
Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem