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In the eyes of many distributor owners, warehouse inventory can fully reflect the state of warehouse management. As long as the inventory report basically balances, the owner feels reassured, thinking there are no major problems. Even if there is a slight discrepancy, such as a few boxes missing or some goods misplaced, with the inventory amount off by a few thousand yuan, the owner doesn't care, treating it as if the mice ate it.
If things were that simple, business and management would be too easy. Dear owners, do you really think that a balanced inventory means everything is fine? Think carefully about these questions:
- Besides counting the regular goods, did you also count all defective products, returns, and scrapped items?
- Besides counting goods, did you also count materials, gifts, and promotional items sent by manufacturers?
- Is there real supervision over the inventory process and results? Although finance often sends someone to supervise the entire process, in the warehouse, don't employees have advantages due to their familiarity with the terrain? If they play tricks, do you think the junior accountant from finance can spot it?
- Did you notify the warehouse in advance before the inventory? Strictly speaking, any check that is announced in advance is meaningless.
- Even if the warehouse is very open and transparent, and the supervising finance staff are diligent and follow the entire process, there are stacking methods like hollow stacks, empty box center stacks, and dead stacks. Would you open every stack to check? Of course, there is also a technique called temporary external borrowing.
In short, don't treat a balanced warehouse inventory as a great achievement. I have visited over 400 distributor warehouses and seen too many tricks. In the end, they can make everything look spotless. Here's a simple truth: even with strict supervision measures like in banks, people still manage to take money, balance the books, and go undetected for years. There are too many ways to manipulate things in a warehouse of a few hundred or thousand square meters.
Here are a few simple suggestions for owners who are overconfident about their warehouse management:
1. Count all goods Inventory must be comprehensive and thorough. As long as it's goods, as long as it's in the warehouse, regardless of its condition, it must be counted one by one. Whether it's returned goods, scrapped goods, or goods to be returned to the manufacturer, in short, any goods in the warehouse must be inventoried.
2. Items other than goods Don't just count goods and ignore gifts, materials, and promotional items. They should all be included in the inventory scope. Don't think that because they are given by the manufacturer and have no value, it doesn't matter. To be clear, there is no such thing as free items from manufacturers. All materials, gifts, and promotional items are included in costs and are paid for. Even a POP poster is money!
Moreover, owners, do you know how warehouse employees start stealing? It often starts with these items.
3. From quantity to value Even if the quantity of goods in the warehouse matches and the numbers are correct, what about the value of the goods? Perhaps the quantity is complete, but if goods are squeezed, deformed, have long dates, or damaged packaging, these directly affect the sales value, or even make them worthless, turning them into waste! Therefore, during inventory, besides ensuring accurate numbers, you must also monitor the condition and value of various goods. Not only during inventory, but also in daily operations, warehouse employees should monitor the condition of goods, reporting any damaged packaging, long-term slow-moving items, or repeated returns that affect value. Once inventory loses its value, what's the use of accurate numbers?
4. Surprise checks are meaningful If you announce in advance or follow a regular inventory schedule, employees or supervisors with ill intentions will have enough room to balance the books. Therefore, when arranging warehouse inventory, it is necessary not to announce in advance and not to form a regular pattern.
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