Reduce stock losses from theft, mistakes and wrong counts

Stock and products By Mazhar Islam · Updated October 2026 · 2 min read

Most missing stock is not stolen. It is sold without being recorded, recorded twice or counted wrongly. Find the cause before you blame anyone.

Know your shrinkage

Shrinkage is the gap between the stock your records say you have and what is actually on the shelf. Measure it with a count, and write the gap down in value, not just in units.

Common causes

• Sales not recorded during a rush.
• The wrong unit (a carton recorded as pieces).
• Duplicate products that split the stock.
• Expired or damaged goods that were never written off.
• Supplier short deliveries that were received in full.
• Theft by customers or staff.

Count a little, often

Count the fastest-moving and highest-value items every week. Counting small groups often finds problems while they are fresh and cheap to fix.

Record every correction with a reason

When the count and the records differ, adjust the stock and choose a reason: damaged, expired, miscounted or other. Over a few weeks the reasons show you which problem is biggest.

Use the Stock check screen

The Stock check screen lists products with minus stock, quantities that are not valid numbers, and batches larger than the stock. Minus stock is allowed on purpose, because a sale may be recorded before a purchase, but it should be fixed within a day or two.

Make theft harder

• Keep expensive small items behind the counter.
• Give staff separate logins and limit who can edit or return.
• Check the receiving process, because the delivery person is not always the problem.
• Review returns and large discounts every week.

Common questions