Running a Stock Take in AskBiz POS
How to conduct a full or partial stock count in AskBiz POS — preparing for the count, entering quantities, reconciling discrepancies, and updating your live stock records.
Key Takeaways
- A stock take compares your physical count to what AskBiz expects — discrepancies reveal shrinkage, theft, or data entry errors.
- Partial stock takes by category let you count one department at a time without shutting the whole store.
- After confirmation, AskBiz automatically adjusts stock to match your physical count and logs the adjustment.
When to run a stock take
Most retailers run a full stock take monthly or quarterly. Some run category-by-category counts on a rolling basis — counting Beverages this week, Snacks next week, so every category is counted once a month without needing to close the store for a full count. Run an unplanned stock take if you suspect theft, after a major delivery, or when stock discrepancies keep appearing in the POS alerts. The key principle: count often enough that discrepancies are caught while they're small.
Creating a new stock take
Go to POS > Operations > Retail > Stock Take. Click New Stock Take. Choose the scope: Full (all products in all categories) or by Category (select one or more categories to count). If you're counting a single branch, select it in the Branch dropdown. Set a Count Date — typically today's date or the date you'll physically count. AskBiz generates a count sheet listing every product in scope with columns: Product Name, SKU, System Quantity (what AskBiz thinks you have), and Counted Quantity (blank — to be filled in).
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Start for free →Conducting the physical count
Either print the count sheet or use the AskBiz mobile app to count directly on a device. Go through each product physically and enter the counted quantity. For variant products, count per variant (per size and colour). Use a barcode scanner to scan items directly into the count sheet — scanning a product highlights its row automatically. If you find a product not on the list (perhaps a new product not yet in the system), note it separately and add it to the catalogue after the count.
Reviewing discrepancies
Once all quantities are entered, click Review. AskBiz shows a discrepancy report: every product where your counted quantity differs from the system quantity. A negative discrepancy (you have less than the system expects) indicates shrinkage — possibly theft, damage, or an unrecorded sale. A positive discrepancy (you have more than expected) usually indicates a receiving error or a sale that wasn't recorded. Review large discrepancies carefully before confirming — it's worth double-counting items with significant differences.
Confirming and updating stock
When you're satisfied the count is accurate, click Confirm Stock Take. AskBiz updates every product's stock level to your counted quantity. The adjustment is logged in the Audit trail with the date, the user who confirmed it, and the before/after quantities for every item. The stock take is then locked and cannot be edited. Going forward, your live stock counts reflect the physical reality you just verified. Schedule your next stock take before leaving.