How to do a bar stock take properly
5 min read · Bars and Pubs · Published by Stockt
A stock take that takes three hours on paper and still has errors is costing your business more than you think. Here is how to do it properly.
Why most bar stock takes go wrong
Most independent bars count stock on paper sheets, transcribe the numbers into a spreadsheet and hope the maths adds up. Staff rush the count, items get missed and managers spend more time fixing errors than acting on the data.
The result is a stock take that nobody trusts. Orders get placed from memory rather than data, and the business carries on losing money on waste, over-ordering and shortfalls it never saw coming.
What a good stock take actually achieves
When done properly, a stock take gives you an accurate picture of what you have, what you've used since the last count and what you need to order. That data drives better purchasing decisions, reduces waste and protects your gross profit margin.
It should also be fast enough that it doesn't disrupt your operation. A well-structured bar stock take shouldn't take more than an hour for most venues.
Six steps to a better bar stock take
Count at the same time every week
Consistency is what makes your data meaningful. If you count on a Monday morning one week and a Friday evening the next, your usage figures will be distorted by different trading periods. Pick a time, ideally before the venue opens, and stick to it.
Split your count by category
Count spirits, kegs, wines, soft drinks and consumables separately. This makes the process easier to manage, reduces the chance of missing items and gives you more useful category-level data when it comes to reviewing performance.
Count on a device, not paper
Paper stock sheets introduce transcription errors almost every time. When staff count on a phone or tablet and submit counts directly into a system, the data is accurate from the moment it's entered. It also means managers can review counts immediately rather than waiting for paper sheets to be handed in.
Have a manager review before updating inventory
A count submitted by staff shouldn't automatically update your stock records. A manager reviewing the figures before they're confirmed catches mistakes, flags unusual variances and keeps the process accountable.
Record every delivery in between counts
A stock take is only as useful as the data surrounding it. If deliveries aren't recorded accurately between counts, your usage figures will be wrong and your suggested orders will be unreliable.
Use the data to drive your ordering
The point of a stock take isn't just to know what you have. It's to understand what you've used and what you need. If your stock take data isn't feeding directly into your ordering process, you're not getting the full value from it.
Common mistakes to avoid
Counting at different times each week, which distorts usage data.
Letting staff submit counts without any manager review.
Not recording deliveries between counts, which makes usage figures unreliable.
Ignoring variance reports that show counts are regularly higher or lower than expected.
Doing a stock take but not using the results to inform ordering.
How Stockt makes this easier
Stockt is built around exactly this workflow. Staff count on any phone or tablet using full, category or quick stock take modes. Counts are submitted for manager review before anything updates. Once approved, Stockt uses the data alongside your minimum thresholds and weekly usage averages to generate suggested orders automatically.
The whole process is faster, more accurate and produces data you can actually rely on.
Ready to simplify your stock takes?
See how Stockt works for bars and pubs.