Retail owners often struggle to manage accurate inventory counts when dealing with multiple store locations. To avoid errors, every area must be reviewed, including sales floors, displays, storage rooms, and backstock.
Our process ensures each section is counted and combined into one report. This gives you reliable data for better decision-making. In this post, we’ll explain how to prepare your stores and carry out inventory counts the right way from start to finish.
Why Inventory Counts Get Missed in Multi-Location Stores
What makes counting harder when products are in different spots?
In most stores, a product might show up in more than one place. For example:
- Some stock is in a front display
- Some are on the normal shelf in an aisle
- Some is stored in the backroom
This setup is great for sales, but tricky for tracking. Without a method, you might miss a spot or count something twice.
That’s where our team steps in. We take the time to walk through each part of the store and count all known areas where a product could live. This includes:
- Front-facing displays
- Standard shelf locations
- Backroom storage or overstock areas
Key takeaway: Consolidating counts across all store areas gives you clean, correct numbers for each item.
How We Consolidate Counts Across Store Sections
Our process combines technology and hands-on checking. Every count we group items by their SKU, no matter where they are. That means even if the same item is in three places, it’s only listed once in your report.
Here’s how we do it:
- We label each count location (Display, Aisle 4, Backroom).
- We scan or count the product in every spot.
- We merge those results under the same item code.
- We show both the total quantity and the breakdown by section.
This helps you:
- Know where products are placed
- Plan restocking better
- Catch issues like missing stock
Pro Tip: Keep similar items in the same spot when possible. It makes counting faster and avoids confusion.
Need expert help with inventory counts? Contact Monarch for a free consultation. We’ll help you organize, track, and report inventory counts for multiple in-store locations without the stress.
Best Practices for Organizing Backstock and Displays
A store doesn’t need to look like a warehouse, but it should follow a basic order. The fewer places a product lives, the easier it is to count. Still, we know you may need to place the same item in displays and on shelves.
Here are a few ways to make that work:
- Group all the backstock of the same item together
- Label display stock when different from shelf stock
- Use the same item code no matter the location
- Keep a store map or inventory guide for your team
If you follow these steps, inventory day runs smoothly, and your staff will have fewer errors day to day.
Why It Pays to Get It Right
When done well, inventory counts do more than fill a spreadsheet. They show what’s really happening in your business.
This includes benefits such as:
- Fewer ordering mistakes
- Less overstock and waste
- Faster sales tracking
- Better end-of-year reports
You can also spot theft, miscounts, or slow-moving products faster. That gives you more control over what’s on the shelves and in your budget.
In Summary
If you’re counting inventory across displays, shelves, and backrooms, it takes more than a checklist. Our process makes sure every item is found, grouped, and reported with accuracy. We simplify counts, show you where your stock is, and help you avoid common issues that cost time and money.
Need help organizing inventory counts for multiple in-store locations? Contact Monarch today to schedule your free consultation.
