How to Organize Inventory Accounting in a Grocery Store
A grocery store sells both unit and weighed goods, purchase prices change regularly, some products spoil quickly, and hundreds of small sales take place throughout the day. Under such conditions, reliable stock balances can only be maintained if every movement of goods is recorded in the software: receipt, sale, return, write-off, transfer, and inventory count results.
Torgsoft links these operations within a single accounting system. After a document is created, the software changes the quantity of goods in the relevant warehouse, stores the price and the user who performed the operation, and generates data for reports. The employee records the actual event, while the manager works with the consolidated result.
How to Start Accounting in a Store That Is Already Operating
First, you need to create the product structure. In Torgsoft, each item belongs to a specific product type. Product types make it convenient to separate groceries, dairy products, beverages, vegetables, frozen goods, and other groups. This structure is used for search, filters, reports, and group settings. An overly detailed hierarchy complicates work, while one general group does not allow proper assortment analysis.
Products with manufacturer barcodes should be entered with those codes from the start. For items without a suitable barcode, Torgsoft can generate its own EAN-13 and print a label. Before bulk importing, duplicates should be checked: if the same bottle of water or pack of butter is entered into two product cards, sales and stock balances will be split between them.
For goods that are already in the store, a goods receipt note with the Initial Stock attribute is created. The product list can be entered manually or imported from Excel. Before sales begin, product names, barcodes, actual quantities, and retail prices should be checked; the purchase price should also be entered if known. This is a separate initial operation; a regular inventory count is then used to compare the existing computerized stock records with the actual quantities.
How Goods Receipt Affects Stock and Cost
Each new delivery is recorded with a goods receipt note. Torgsoft adds the quantity to the selected warehouse, stores the purchase price, and links the product to the supplier’s document. If the item already exists in the directory, it can be found by barcode or SKU. A new item is first described in its product card so that subsequent deliveries and sales are recorded under the same item.
During acceptance, the employee should compare the delivery note with the actual shipment. The software can calculate the stock correctly only from the data entered in the document. An error in quantity, price, or selection of the product card is carried into warehouse accounting and later affects cost and profit.
When the retail price changes, a revaluation is created in Torgsoft and new price tags are printed. This allows the price to be changed in the database and on the shelf at the same time. An old price tag with a new checkout price can cause a dispute with the customer, so these two actions are best performed as one process.
Two Ways to Sell Weighed Goods
For weighed goods, simply adding a unit of measurement to the product card is not enough. The software must correctly convert data from the scales into a quantity in kilograms. To do this, the Product barcode contains quantity attribute is enabled for the product type and a quantity coefficient is specified. For example, a coefficient of 0.001 converts grams encoded in the barcode into kilograms in the accounting system.
Then one of two scenarios is selected.
1 Weighing During Sale
The scales are connected to the checkout computer. The cashier selects the product, places it on the platform, and Torgsoft receives the weight and calculates the amount. There is no need to enter the weight manually. For this type of workstation, the Integration with Scales at Checkout option is used.
2 Pre-packing or Self-service
Torgsoft sends the product list to label-printing scales. After weighing, the scales print a label with the quantity encoded in the barcode. At checkout, the software recognizes the product and its weight after a single scan. This process is provided by the Packing and Labeling of Weighed Goods option.
The weighed-product barcode attribute, its structure, and the coefficient in Torgsoft must correspond to the scale settings. If they differ, the checkout may fail to find the product or may determine the quantity incorrectly. In a store where some products are packed in advance and others are weighed at checkout, both methods can be used simultaneously.
What Happens During a Sale
After scanning, Torgsoft finds the product, inserts the current price, and adds the item to the sale. After payment, the software reduces the warehouse stock, records the revenue and payment method. This means that a single checkout operation is immediately reflected in both inventory and financial accounting.
Additional equipment eliminates repeated data entry. Integration with a Bank Terminal transfers the amount from the payment window to the POS terminal. Software ECR registers settlement transactions and generates a fiscal receipt. These are separate options; they are not automatically included in the basic checkout operation.
If goods belonging to different enterprises are accounted for in the same database, Torgsoft can link a product type to an enterprise. After enabling the Link product type to enterprise parameter and splitting sales by it, the software divides the initial sale between enterprises during payment. Before launching this scheme, enterprises, cash registers, and fiscalization tools must be configured separately. This automatic splitting does not apply to customer orders.
Returns, Write-offs, and Stock Discrepancies
A return is recorded with a separate document. The cashier can scan the barcode of the receipt, after which Torgsoft displays the items from that purchase. The employee selects the items actually returned, and the software registers the operation and adjusts the stock balance. Fiscal return rules depend on the configured ECR or PECR, so the checkout procedure should be checked before work begins.
Expired, spoiled, or damaged goods cannot simply be removed from the shelf. In Torgsoft, a write-off document is created for this purpose, specifying the actual quantity and reason. The system then retains an explanation of why the goods disappeared from stock, and the write-off amount is included in expense analysis.
Negative-stock sales should be configured deliberately. If allowed, the software will complete the sale even when the recorded quantity is insufficient and will show a negative stock balance. This may be a temporary indication of an unrecorded receipt or an incorrect product card. Systematic negative balances distort warehouse data and make it more difficult to identify the cause of shortages.
Shelf Life and Sales Speed Are Different Tasks
In grocery inventory accounting, it is easy to confuse three different indicators:
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production date — a characteristic that can be enabled for a product and specified in the accounting system;
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shelf life or sell-by date on the label — data that the packing option sends to supported scale models;
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batch sales period — the time during which the goods are sold after receipt.
The Stock Analysis by Sales Period report shows what portion of a delivery was sold within specified intervals after receipt. It helps identify slow-moving goods and adjust purchasing. This report does not determine whether the shelf life of a specific item has expired.
Expiration control requires a separate store procedure: checking dates during acceptance, regularly inspecting shelves, removing expired products from sale on time, and recording write-offs. If the scales support the relevant fields, Torgsoft can send them the shelf life or sell-by date for printing on the label. Support depends on the scale model.
How to Conduct an Inventory Count Without Distorting the Result
In Torgsoft, an inventory sheet can be created for the entire warehouse or for selected groups. Goods can be counted using a barcode scanner, data collection terminal, mobile tool, or printed inventory sheet. For a large store, partial inventory counts by departments or groups are usually easier to manage because each sheet covers a specific list of items.
The blocking mode determines how sales are handled during counting:
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block when adding to the inventory sheet — the product immediately becomes unavailable for sale;
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block after the first scan — convenient when the store continues operating; once counting of a specific item begins, it can no longer be sold;
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do not block — requires changing the item status to «Counting Completed» and accurately accounting for all movements;
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block for manual accounting — used for a paper inventory sheet.
Torgsoft Help recommends the first two modes as more accurate. For an operating store, blocking after the first scan is a practical option: sales of other items continue, while the already counted product no longer moves.
To prevent an employee from adjusting the result to match the quantity shown in the software, the Hide warehouse quantity for products during inventory parameter can be enabled for the employee’s role. After the inventory sheet is closed, Torgsoft automatically creates a goods receipt for surpluses and a write-off for shortages. The recorded quantity becomes equal to the actual quantity.
The software shows the discrepancy but does not determine its cause. A shortage may result from an unrecorded receipt, selling the wrong product card, an incorrect write-off, breakage, or theft. A shortage of one product combined with a surplus of a similar product often indicates a product mix-up. To draw a conclusion, the manager compares the inventory sheet with product movements and user actions.
How to Plan Purchases Using Software Data
The minimum stock level makes it possible to distinguish normal stock from goods that already need to be reordered. In supplier order generation mode, Torgsoft selects items with zero, negative, or below-minimum quantities. The software prepares the list, while the employee checks the actual need and determines the final order quantity.
For a chain where stock requirements differ between locations, the Minimum and Maximum Stock Levels by Warehouse option sets separate limits for each warehouse. The Automatic Calculation of Warehouse Stock option calculates recommended limits based on sales and supply conditions. Both tools help prepare a decision, but the supplier order still requires human review.
A product that should no longer be purchased from a particular supplier can be added to the list of items prohibited for ordering. It will not be included in the next order generated for that supplier. For products received with payment after sale, the goods receipt includes the On Consignment payment method, while a separate analysis shows sold goods and the amount owed to the supplier.
How the Software Helps Monitor Staff Actions
User roles determine which data and operations are available to the cashier, merchandiser, or administrator. Access to wholesale prices and financial indicators can be restricted, work with documents can be limited, and a maximum discount can be set for specific product groups. Restrictions should correspond to the employee’s actual responsibilities; otherwise, the cashier may receive unnecessary permissions or be unable to perform a routine operation.
The user activity log automatically records events in the system. Its entries cannot be edited using the software. The document change log is maintained after the relevant parameter is enabled and shows changes to warehouse and financial documents. Canceled items from sales can also be viewed separately.
This data provides a sequence of events: who created or changed a document, when an item was canceled, a return was processed, or a discount was applied. The manager decides on the cause and responsibility after comparing the logs with the checkout shift, inventory count, and source documents.
If the Store Sells Online or Uses a Remote Server
When a physical store and an online store use the same warehouse, a sale at checkout first changes the stock balance in the Torgsoft database. Updated data is transferred to the website during the next synchronization. The Synchronization with an Online Store option transfers products, prices, and stock balances and downloads orders according to the configured exchange method. The frequency depends on the configuration; such synchronization should not be described as instantaneous without checking the specific setup.
For a checkout connected to a database on a remote server, loss of internet connection stops data exchange with the server. Torgsoft Hybrid allows local sales to continue and accumulated data to be transferred after the connection is restored. The possibility of cashless payment and fiscalization during an outage depends on separate equipment, services, and their offline modes.
Non-standard Operations That Should Be Planned in Advance
Some grocery stores sell bundles, split kits into components, or provide services. Each such scenario requires the correct product card and document.
During assembly, Torgsoft writes off the components and adds the finished bundle to stock. Disassembly performs the reverse operation. A service itself does not have a warehouse stock balance or purchase price, but materials can be added to it; when the service is sold, these materials are written off from the warehouse. Therefore, delivery, coffee grinding, or food processing should not be recorded using a random product item.
Before launching a new process, it is necessary to determine which document changes the stock balance and who is authorized to create it. After that, Torgsoft can consolidate sales, stock balances, write-offs, and financial results without manually transferring figures between spreadsheets.
What to Check Before Starting Work
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Each product has one current product card and the correct barcode.
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Initial stock balances correspond to the actual quantities on shelves and in the warehouse.
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For weighed product types, the barcode attribute and coefficient are configured correctly.
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Goods receipts, returns, write-offs, and revaluations are recorded using separate documents.
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Negative-stock sales use a deliberately selected mode.
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The product blocking method and employee permissions for inventory counting are defined.
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The responsible employee regularly checks expiration dates and records write-offs.
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Minimum stock levels and the order generation procedure correspond to actual delivery times.
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The document change log is enabled if it is required for internal control.
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For online sales and remote checkouts, the actual synchronization frequency and the procedure for operating without a connection are known.
The configuration of the license, options, and checkout equipment depends on the number of retail locations, the method of working with weighed goods, fiscalization, and online sales channels. These options are collected on the software for a grocery store page.
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