Merchandise accounting in a children's store: processes and control

Product inventory management in a children's goods store: from goods receipt to online sales

One model of overalls in three colors and six sizes creates 18 separate stock items. Add footwear, toys, hygiene products, baby food, and seasonal goods, and an error in a product card or during a sale can quickly lead to stock discrepancies and inaccurate inventory balances. Therefore, inventory management in a children's goods store should be organized as a consistent process: classify the assortment, correctly receive and label each item, record sales and returns, regularly reconcile actual stock, analyze seasonal demand, and only then plan purchases.

Below, we explain how to organize this process in Torgsoft and which settings require special attention.

First, define the assortment structure

In Torgsoft, the assortment is organized as a product type tree. For each type, you can set characteristics that an employee will fill in during goods receipt: manufacturer, SKU, size, color, material, gender, season, and other parameters. If a characteristic is mandatory, the program will not save a new product without a value for it.

Different sizes or colors of the same model should be maintained as separate product items. This allows the program to show the actual stock of each variation rather than the total quantity of the model without a breakdown. This makes it possible to tell a customer which size is available in a specific store and determine which variations are missing before placing a new order with the supplier.

The product type tree should be created centrally. If employees independently add the categories «Toy» and «Toys» at different workstations, the program treats them as different branches. As a result, products appear in different selections, while reports and inventory statements do not cover the required group completely.

For products sold online, the «Age» characteristic may be required. It becomes available after activating the «Online store synchronization» option and configuring additional product characteristics. Along with age, you can store packaging information, dimensions, power supply, and the number of units per box, and then transfer these parameters to the website.

How to receive a size range and label goods

For clothing and footwear, there is no need to create each size manually every time. In the «Size range» mode, the inventory manager creates the required size grid and links it to the manufacturer. During goods receipt, the program inserts this range, and the employee specifies the quantity for each size or the same quantity for the entire grid. If only one size has arrived, it can be entered separately. This mechanism is described in more detail on the size-based product accounting page.

If the supplier provides an invoice in an Excel file, the product list can be imported into the goods receipt invoice. Before bulk import, you should coordinate the column structure and check whether the product type, SKU, size, color, prices, and quantities are matched correctly.

For products without a manufacturer barcode, Torgsoft generates an internal code. Labels can be printed directly during goods receipt, from the goods receipt invoice, or from the stock status. For children's clothing and footwear, it is useful to display the size on the label as a separate field: this makes it easier for the salesperson to compare the item with the data in the program and find the required box in the warehouse.

Barcode sales reduce stock discrepancies

During a sale, scanning adds a specific product item to the receipt and writes it off from the selected accounting center. This is especially important for identical models in different sizes. If the cashier scans a size 92 sweatshirt but gives the customer size 98, the amount at the checkout will not change, but the inventory records will show a surplus of one size and a shortage of another.

For the salesperson role, you can prohibit manual barcode entry during a sale. In this case, the product is added to the receipt using a scanner, and the employee does not manually select a similar item. This restriction does not replace inventory counting, but it reduces accidental substitutions between sizes and colors.

Process returns using the receipt

If a customer returns a product, the cashier scans the receipt barcode and selects the required item from the specific sale. The program uses the amount actually paid for the product, including the discount or bonuses, and creates a return document.

In the role permissions, product barcode entry during a return can be disabled. In this case, the employee processes the operation only using the receipt barcode. The right to process a return without a receipt should be left only for roles that require it under the store's internal regulations.

Inventory counting: counting method and sales mode are separate settings

Goods can be counted using a scanner, manually, or with a data collection terminal. A terminal speeds up the scanning of a large number of items, but by itself it does not determine whether the store can continue selling during inventory counting. This depends on the product blocking mode in the statement:

• block after adding to the statement — for inventory counting with sales stopped;

• block after the first scan — the product remains available until counting begins and becomes available again after it is completed;

• do not block — sales continue, but employees must accurately record the counting time and all product movements.

For inventory counting while the store remains open, Torgsoft Help recommends blocking after the first scan: items are counted sequentially while sales of the rest of the assortment continue.

To prevent an employee from adjusting the actual quantity to match the recorded quantity, access settings can be used to restrict the inventory statement. The salesperson will not see the recorded stock balance, wholesale price, or documents with the results. Additionally, the quantity of goods in stock during inventory counting can be hidden for a specific role.

After the statement is closed, the program creates a goods receipt for the surplus and a write-off for the shortage, and also generates reports on shortages, surpluses, and the result taking stock discrepancies into account. These documents show the discrepancy, but the manager determines its cause by checking operation logs, product movements, and employee actions.

Seasonality should be reflected in the product card and analysis

If the «Season» attribute is activated for a product type, the employee selects the season during goods receipt. Old values can be deactivated so that they do not overload the directories. A maximum discount percentage can also be set for each season.

The «Sales analysis by season» report shows the quantity and amount of supplies, sales, and returns, the cost of goods sold, turnover, and revenue for the selected period and accounting center. It can be used to compare seasonal results and determine which groups sold better. The report does not separately calculate the value of unsold stock, so this should be checked using stock balances and their cost in other warehouse reports.

When the season is over, the «Seasonal packing and storage of goods» option allows you to group items into virtual boxes, print a barcode and a list of contents, and move the goods to a service storage warehouse. While the box remains packed, its contents do not participate in regular sales. Before the new season, the box is unpacked and the goods are returned to the active accounting center. If address-based storage is required in the warehouse, the «Product storage location» option can also be used.

Plan purchases based on sales and actual stock

To analyze demand for children's clothing and footwear, Torgsoft provides the «Size sales rating» report. The report shows the number of sales by size, taking returns into account for the selected period. It helps determine which sizes sold better but does not replace the purchasing manager's decision: when ordering, current stock, delivery times, assortment changes, and demand at a specific location should also be considered.

For ongoing replenishment, the «Minimum and maximum stock levels by warehouse» option allows you to set a minimum stock level separately for each accounting center. In the supplier order, the program calculates demand as the difference between the specified minimum and the current stock at the corresponding location. This is useful for fast-moving items that should always be available: popular sizes, diapers, formula, or basic care products.

During goods receipt, the employee specifies the supplier and delivery terms. Subsequent payments are recorded in financial documents, so the manager can check the settlement history and the current debt of the store or supplier. For goods accepted on consignment, sales and debt to the consignor are analyzed separately.

In a retail chain, plan the transfer first and then create the invoice

«Assortment Management Center» shows goods receipts, sales, returns, write-offs, internal transfers, and stock balances for the selected accounting centers. Using sales and stock filters, the manager can find products that sell slowly at one location but are needed at another.

Dragging an item between accounting centers only adds it to the internal transfer plan. After checking the planned quantity, the user separately clicks the command to create an internal transfer invoice. Only the invoice records the actual movement of goods in the inventory system.

Multiple accounting centers and transfers between them are not available in Torgsoft-Start. For several stores in a local database, use Torgsoft-Ultra, while for remote locations that work with a single database over the Internet, use Torgsoft-Terminal or Torgsoft-Online.

The customer database of a children's store should take the family into account

The customer card can include family composition: children's names, gender, and dates of birth. In the «Marketing — Family composition» section, records can be filtered by month and date of birth, age, gender, region, and discount type. This makes it possible to create a list of customers for greetings or a themed offer without creating a separate card for each child.

The birthday discount is configured separately. The owner determines the percentage, the period before and after the date, the child's maximum age, the number of uses, and whether the birthday discount replaces the customer's regular discount or is added to it. If necessary, it can be limited to a specific product group. For the discount to apply, the customer must exist in the database, the family composition must be completed in the customer's card, and the family member's date of birth must be specified.

If the discount was not applied, you should check these exact data and settings: the selected customer, family composition, date of birth, validity period, maximum age, permitted number of uses, and product group. The problem should not be explained based on a single assumption without checking the settings of the specific database.

For low-margin products, the maximum discount can be set at the product type level. For example, the percentage can be limited or set to zero for diapers or formula so that the general customer discount does not reduce the price below an acceptable level.

The «Discount club» option adds a cumulative system in which the discount changes after a specified purchase amount is reached according to defined rules. Bonuses with a limited validity period are used when accrued bonuses should remain valid only until a certain date. The «Bulk messaging to customers» option allows selected customers from the family composition section to be added to an SMS, Viber, or email campaign. Before sending, recipients should be checked: phone numbers and communication channels are stored in the customer card and are not maintained as a separate guaranteed contact for each child.

The «Discount card verification via SMS» option confirms the selected customer during a sale or return using a code from a message. Separate confirmation for spending bonuses can be enabled in the option settings; it is disabled by default. Verification reduces the risk of someone using another person's card without the owner's knowledge, but it does not prevent an employee from deliberately using their own number. Such cases should additionally be monitored using discount reports and employee operation logs.

For selling a gift without choosing a specific item, use the «Gift certificates» option. The certificate has its own barcode, is sold through the checkout, and is recorded in the program.

Employee control is based on permissions and operation logs

In the «Discount usage analysis» report, the manager can filter sales by employee, accounting center, and discount type, as well as check percentage changes and sales below cost. It is also advisable to log the removal of goods from a sale so that the journal shows who removed items from the receipt.

For the salesperson role, only the necessary permissions should be configured: the ability to change discounts, view purchase prices and markup, process returns, view reports, and enter barcodes manually. The program records actions and restricts access, while the manager makes a decision regarding a specific deviation after reviewing documents and logs.

If an employee's compensation depends on sales, bonuses, or other indicators, the calculation can be handled using the «Payroll and staff motivation» option. The store determines its own additional payment scheme; there is no single mandatory motivation model for the children's goods segment.

How to transfer sizes and colors to an online store

For your own website, use online store synchronization, while dedicated integrations with Prom.ua and Rozetka.ua are available for specific marketplaces. A ready-made website connected to Torgsoft inventory management is available as a separate «Torgsoft Online Market» solution.

To prevent the sizes and colors of one model from being uploaded as independent products, select the characteristics that define the model itself in the model creation rule. Size and color, if they are its variations, should be excluded from the rule. The products then receive a common model identifier, while size and color are transferred as separate fields. On Prom.ua, support for variations must also be enabled and their display configured in the marketplace account.

Orders from the website are downloaded to Torgsoft and processed in the sales mode with invoice creation. Customer search by phone number, automatic creation of a new card, and updating contact details depend on the synchronization object settings. Downloading an order is not yet a sale: purchase history and stock movements change only after the relevant documents are created.

For shipments, the «Nova Poshta integration» option creates and prints a waybill using data from the outgoing document. If the store must fiscalize the corresponding payment transaction, the «Software pECR» or a compatible hardware ECR can be used. The procedure for generating a receipt depends on the payment method and the actual sales process, so it should be configured according to the processes of the specific store.

For retail and small wholesale sales in one database, the «Wholesale pricing policy» option applies the corresponding price level after the specified quantity of goods in the receipt is reached.

Additional scenarios depend on the store's assortment

Not every children's store needs all special modes. They should be enabled only for actual business processes:

• «Accounting for warranty goods by serial numbers» is used for children's electric cars, baby monitors, electronic toys, and other goods with individual serial numbers. In strict mode, the program checks whether the serial number exists in stock during goods receipt and sale.

• «Product rental» is required for a store that actually rents costumes, baby scales, play equipment, or other items. The program records the rental period, payment, deposit, customer, responsible employee, and product return.

• Newborn sets can be managed as kits. First, the employee creates the kit composition and assembles the required quantity: the components are converted into the assembled product. The finished kit is then sold. Disassembly can be allowed or prohibited, and a reason for disassembly can be required.

• For packaging baby food sold by weight and printing labels on scales with receipt printing, use the «Packaging and labeling of weighed goods» option. If a specific scale model supports expiration dates, it can calculate the sell-by date. «Integration with scales at the checkout» performs a different task: it transfers the product weight to the sale without manual entry.

• Gift wrapping, delivery, or another simple service can be added to the list of goods and services without maintaining a stock balance.

What to configure before starting work

Before adding the assortment in bulk, it is advisable to define the main inventory management rules:

1. Build a single product type tree and define mandatory characteristics for each group.

2. Agree on naming rules, SKUs, sizes, colors, and seasons.

3. Configure label templates and test barcode scanning at the checkout.

4. Define salesperson permissions for manual entry, discounts, returns, inventory counting, and reports.

5. Set discount limits for low-margin product groups before launching the loyalty program.

6. Configure the model rule and variation fields before the first upload to the website or marketplace.

7. Match the required processes with the license and additional options. Current differences are shown in the comparison of Torgsoft-Start and Torgsoft-Ultra.

To test your own scenario before purchasing, you can install the Torgsoft demo version and enable the required options for the testing period. The online demo is intended for familiarization and has functional limitations, so an installation version is required to work with your own test database, equipment, and the full set of settings. After testing the processes, the program configuration, licenses, and equipment can be clarified on the children's store software page.