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To begin with, set the ROQ high enough that there's
only one order in the pipeline at a time; otherwise
you have to keep track of what's still due in. The
'reorder at 10th last box' system wouldn't work.
Try and make things easy to check. For example,
mark every 10th box when you receive it. Reconcile
book to physical stock (etc) on that product
every time you open or issue a marked box.
Always use part boxes first. That way, at
check time the book stock should be a full box
multiple. (The record companies used to
destroy part boxes at the end of a production
run - they were simply too difficult to
manage) Very roughly, unravelling errors takes 8 to 25
times longer than getting it right first time.
That assumes that you give up tracking down
some errors, and simply adjust the stock.
In a theft/loss free system, errors are paired.
'If it's not in the office (error #1) where it
should be, then it might be in the car (error #2
- where it shouldn't be)'
Stockrooms don't make anything. If you write
stock on (increase the book stock of 'A'
because you found more than you should
have) there's a serious problem looming
somewhere.
In no particular order:-
- You missed a receipt note (and the
supplier will chase you and/or freeze
your credit)
- There's a paired error, either already
found, or waiting
- 'B' got packed in A's boxes (an
extreme example of a paired error)
- The write on reverses a previous writeoff.
i.e. the previous count was wrong.
- You can't count
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Have spare jewel cases, repackage scratched or
cracked product.
Concert sales are terribly difficult to forecast, so
there will be times when you run out.
As a minimum ask the desk 'at what point in the
evening did we run out' or 'how many more do you
think we might have sold if we'd had them'. The
former is a science, the latter - they will usually
overestimate but at least you have a feel.
As a maximum, offer to mail it post free and make
the transaction slick (business card?) and ultra
reliable (You also get mailing addresses …) You
just sold something you don't have. Politicians do
that, few shops can!
Have or get some simple ratios to help your
forecasts. CD sales per ticket sold; correlation
between newness of CD and rate of sale (some
ticket holders already have older Sixteen pressings),
between pieces on each CD and in that night's
program, ditto composers, and so on.
It's sometimes worth making transactions
'backtrack-able' in case they go wrong.
For example, if stock is in many places at once (say
three people need 100CD's each to sell on the
night) then try this
Issue 120 CD's (NOT 100) to Masie, 110 to Joe and
100 to Georgie.
Afterwards your records are out by 100. If you'd
given each 100 you'd have 3 suspects and no clues.
Now you're pretty sure it's Georgie's transaction
that screwed up.
'Not rocket science, more not lighting a match near the rocket' |
