Who Is Responsible for What in a Store: How to Assign Work and Check Results

To assign work in a store, define for each process who does it, what the result should be, when it is due and who checks it. Start with purchasing, goods receiving, sales and payments. Record the arrangements in one table and discuss them with staff.

In a small store, one person may perform several functions: the owner orders goods, while a sales assistant receives deliveries and works the till. Even so, each function needs its own procedure. The owner decides who approves payments, checks goods receiving and follows up on stock discrepancies.

What to prepare before assigning work

List the store’s recurring tasks from the last working week. Next to each, note who does it, how much time it takes and where delays occur. Add monthly and seasonal tasks separately, such as preparing documents, stocktaking and changing the product range.

For each task, fill in five fields:

• Person responsible: the specific person who must complete the work.
• Result: a document, record or completed action that can be checked.
• Deadline: a date, time or event by which the task must be ready.
• Handover: to whom and in what form the person passes on the result.
• Check: who verifies the result and resolves discrepancies.

Also appoint a replacement for staff holidays or absences. The stand-in should know where to find unfinished tasks, documents and agreed terms.

Responsibility table for a retail store

Here is an example of how functions can be assigned. Replace role names with staff members’ names. The records listed are needed to organise work; the store determines their format according to its processes.

How to hand tasks over between staff

Each task should have one person responsible for completing it. Others can help, but the team must know whom to contact about the result.

Pass on tasks with the necessary information. For a delivery, include the supplier, order number, item list, quantities, agreed prices and expected date. For a promotion, include the products, dates, discount terms, budget and the person who approves changes.

The recipient checks whether the information is sufficient and confirms they have accepted the task. If there is a discrepancy, specify the item, expected and actual values, next action and response deadline. Choose one place to keep these records so outstanding issues can be found.

Example: from placing an order to paying for a delivery

1. The buyer prepares the order, and the owner approves the amount and payment terms.
2. The buyer gives the person responsible for receiving the goods a list of expected items.
3. The staff member counts the delivery and records shortages, damage or substitutions.
4. The buyer resolves discrepancies with the supplier and passes the agreed outcome on for recording.
5. Before payment, the owner or appointed controller checks the amount due and the agreed terms. If payment is made after goods are received, they also check the receiving records. If prepayment has been agreed, they check its amount and due date, then, after delivery, verify that the goods received match the order and determine whether a final payment is due.

If one person handles both purchasing and receiving, the owner can spot-check deliveries by recounting high-value items, reviewing documents and confirming that discrepancies have been resolved. Set the frequency of checks according to delivery volumes and the number of errors.

What the owner should keep under review

The owner should set limits for decisions staff can make on their own: the purchase amount that needs no further approval, the permitted discount, the refund procedure and what to do if there is a shortage. Staff should know when to stop a transaction and contact the manager.

Record payment approval, confirmation of goods received and stock discrepancy checks as separate tasks. Where possible, assign the work and the check to different people. If the team is small, the owner can check exceptions and carry out spot checks.

Agree on performance criteria in advance as well. For a buyer, these might include staying within budget and resolving short deliveries on time. For a stockroom manager, they might include completing goods receiving and keeping full discrepancy records. Compare results using the same rules and investigate the reasons for deviations.

Stock control and stocktaking in Torgsoft

The person responsible for goods can review quantity, selling price and cost in the “Склад (Warehouse) → Стан складу (Stock Status)” form. If the quantity differs from what was expected, review the movement history for that item: receipts, sales, returns and internal transfers. For a physical check, create a stocktaking sheet for the entire stockroom or selected items.

If a sales assistant carries out the count, you can enable the “Обмежити відомість інвентаризації для проведення інвентаризації продавцем (Restrict the stocktaking sheet for stocktaking by a sales assistant)” setting under “Налаштування (Settings) → Параметри (Parameters) → Доступ (Access)”. It hides the recorded quantity and wholesale price and prevents printing documents with the results for the “Продавець (Sales Assistant)” role. Check the assigned permissions separately for other roles. The “Приховувати кількість на складі для товара на інвентаризації (Hide stock quantity for an item being counted)” setting in the role settings hides the stock levels of those items in other accessible forms.

Before closing the sheet, the controller checks discrepancies and unfinished items again. The “Журнал (Log)” and “Журнал товару (Item Log)” buttons show who scanned an item or changed its quantity, and when. After the sheet is closed, Torgsoft creates a goods receipt note if there is a surplus, a write-off report if there is a shortage, and adjusts the recorded stock levels to match the actual quantity. If there are no discrepancies, no adjustment documents are created. Assign closure to a designated person after the count results have been checked. If the store remains open during the count, choose the item-blocking mode in advance. The procedure is described in the Torgsoft stocktaking instructions.

When to hand work to another staff member or contractor

For a month, record the time spent on recurring tasks. Identify which tasks can be handed over, what the owner will keep doing, and how much time training and checking will take. Compare the cost of help with the value of the time that will actually be freed up.

Hypothetical example: the owner spends 40 hours a month preparing materials and publishing offers. For this decision, they value an hour of their time at UAH 200. The calculated value of this time is 40 × 200 = UAH 8,000. A contractor offers to do an agreed amount of work for UAH 6,000 a month. The difference is UAH 2,000.

This difference is an estimated value of time. It does not mean the store will earn UAH 2,000. Handing the work over makes sense if the contractor completes the required scope, the cost of checking is reasonable, and the owner uses the freed-up hours for specific tasks. If the owner retains part of the work, adjust the calculation.

Start with one process for an agreed period. Record the scope, cost, deadlines and acceptance criteria. When the period ends, compare the actual costs and the owner’s time with the initial calculation.

Weekly review of work allocation

The owner or manager holds a brief review with the staff responsible. The outcome is a list of specific actions, each with an owner and a deadline.

• Review outstanding orders, deliveries and customer requests. Set the next action for each.
• Check deliveries with discrepancies: has the supplier responded, and has a solution been agreed?
• Reconcile payment and return totals. Find out why any unexplained variances occurred.
• Count selected items again if there have been errors or they have not been checked for a long time.
• Review open stocktaking sheets and unfinished items.
• Check that staff have the access they need. Review assigned permissions when duties change.
• Review expenses and the progress of current promotions, as well as outstanding requests from the accountant and technical issues.
• Record overdue tasks, reasons for delays, the people responsible and new deadlines.

A recurring error is a reason to review the procedure: are the input details complete, are the instructions clear, is there enough time, and is a check assigned? After changing a process, check it on the next delivery, shift or order.