Manual inventory: how to print a "blind" inventory list and correctly transfer data to a PC

Manual inventory using a printed statement: «blind» counting and entering actual stock balances

Manual inventory using a printed statement is needed when employees count goods on the sales floor or in the warehouse without access to recorded stock balances, and the results are first written down on paper and only then entered into Torgsoft. Business owners most often ask specialists how to print a statement without product quantities in the program, hide stock balances from sales staff, correctly lock goods during counting, distribute the work among several employees, quickly find the required item when entering data, record a zero balance, check shortages and surpluses, and safely close the statement.

When to use a printed statement

This method is suitable if:

• there is no computer, mobile application, or data collection terminal at the storage location;

• the count is performed by employees who should not see the recorded quantity;

• it is more convenient to count goods by shelves, premises, or groups;

• the results must be checked by the owner or responsible person before they are entered into the program;

• a paper document with the signatures of the inventory participants must be retained.

The manual method consists of two separate operations:

1. Employees count the goods and record the actual quantity in the printed statement.

2. The responsible person enters the results into Torgsoft, checks discrepancies, and closes the statement.

What to check before creating a statement

Before counting begins, you need to complete or check all documents that affect warehouse stock:

• goods receipt invoices for goods actually received;

• internal transfers between stores;

• unreceived goods in transit;

• write-offs and returns;

• old unclosed inventory statements;

• reserved goods and goods in third-level warehouses;

• negative stock balances.

The physical location of the goods must correspond to the accounting center for which the statement is created. If the goods are physically in the store but their receipt remains inactive, the program will identify them as a surplus during inventory.

During the manual count, do not move goods between shelves, the warehouse, and the sales floor. Otherwise, an item may be counted twice or missed.

Step 1. Hide recorded stock balances from employees

To prevent a salesperson from adjusting the actual quantity to match the program data, open: Settings → Parameters → Access. Enable the setting: «Restrict the inventory statement for inventory counting by the salesperson».

After that, the salesperson:

• does not see the quantity of goods in stock at the time of inventory;

• does not see the wholesale price;

• cannot print documents that display inventory results.

This restriction applies directly to the inventory statement.

Additionally, open: Settings → Parameters → Role. For the employee role, enable: «Hide stock quantity for goods under inventory».

This setting hides the recorded quantity of items that are currently under inventory. It is advisable to use both restrictions: the first protects the statement itself, while the second hides stock balances for the corresponding role in other forms available to the employee.

User rights are described in detail in the Torgsoft access settings.

Step 2. Create an inventory statement

There are two ways to create a statement.

✓Via «Warehouse Status»

1. Open Warehouse → Warehouse Status.

2. Select the accounting center.

3. Use the filter to create the required group of goods.

4. Select the items.

5. Click «Add product to inventory statement».

6. Select an existing statement or create a new one.

This method is convenient for a selective inventory of specific goods.

✓Via the statement register

1. Open Document → Inventory Statement.

2. Click «Add».

3. Specify the document number and date.

4. Fill in the «Inventory Description» field.

5. Save the statement.

6. Add goods by the selected product types.

In the description, it is advisable to specify the accounting center, product group, or counting area, for example: Store No. 2. Footwear: sales floor and warehouse. Full stock check.

This will help you find the required statement and understand the scope of the inventory several months later.

Step 3. Select locking for manual counting

In the «Product Locking» field, select: «Lock product for manual counting».

After an item is added to the statement, Torgsoft:

• locks it for sale;

• records the current quantity in stock;

• sets the actual quantity equal to the recorded quantity.

This allows the responsible person to enter only the values that differ from the recorded quantities according to the paper statement.

 However, this rule requires special attention: if the goods are physically absent, you must enter 0. A blank row does not mean zero. Since the actual quantity is initially set equal to the recorded quantity, a skipped item will remain without a discrepancy.

If the data is entered by an employee who cannot see recorded stock balances, it is safer to enter the actual quantity for each row consecutively rather than trying to identify only discrepancies.

In the «Lock product for manual counting» mode, the product is locked immediately after it is added to the statement. This protects the result from sales occurring between printing the form and entering the actual quantity.

If the store cannot be completely closed, conduct the inventory in small groups: create a statement for one product type or a separate area, count it, enter the results, and complete the count. Then move on to the next group.

The «Lock product after the first scan» mode is more suitable for inventory performed directly at a computer or mobile device. For paper-based counting, sales made between printing the statement and entering the results create a risk of incorrect discrepancies.

The locking rules are provided in the instructions for creating an inventory statement.

Step 4. Decide what to do with goods that are not in the statement

When creating the document, two options are available in the «If product is not found in the statement» field.

✓«Report an error»

The program will not add unrelated goods. This mode is suitable when the inventory is carried out only for a specific group or list.

✓«Add product to statement»

If a product that was not in the initial list is found during entry or scanning, Torgsoft will add it to the statement.

This option is appropriate for a full inventory, but before adding the product, check:

• whether the product belongs to the current accounting center;

• whether it is reserved or in transit;

• whether a duplicate product card has been created;

• whether the barcode has been identified correctly;

• whether it belongs to another warehouse.

Step 5. Print a form without the recorded quantity

In the statement, click: «Print inventory reports» → «Statement for manual counting».

The standard form contains:

• product name;

• barcode;

• price;

• an empty column for the actual quantity.

The recorded quantity is not printed on this form. The employee sees which product must be found but does not know how many units should be in stock according to the program.

Do not select «Statement for manual counting with quantity» if you need a «blind» count: this form is intended for a different scenario and contains the quantity.

The printing procedure is described in the official «Manual Inventory» instructions.

In the standard Torgsoft help documentation for the «Statement for manual counting» report, a separate standard setting for sorting by barcode or SKU is not described. Therefore, you should not rely on it being available in every version or template.

If a sorting order option is available in the print window of your version, you can use the options provided there. If there is no such option, practical solutions include:

• creating separate statements by product type;

• distributing forms by physical areas of the store;

• adding an SKU or other fields through the template settings;

• ordering an adaptation of the printed form with the required sorting.

For manual counting, dividing the store by shelves and areas is usually more reliable than using one large alphabetical list.

Step 6. Organize the physical count

Before starting, divide the store or warehouse into areas:

• sales floor;

• display cases;

• warehouse area;

• goods near the checkout;

• boxes and upper shelves;

• reserved goods, if they are included in the current inventory.

Each area should have a responsible employee. It is advisable to specify on the form:

• employee name;

• counting area;

• date and time;

• page number;

• signature after completion.

If the same product is stored in several places, the quantities should either be added up immediately or recorded as separate values and then summed in a controlled manner.

For several employees, the safest procedure is as follows:

1. Each employee receives specified pages or a physical area.

2. The counted area is marked.

3. Goods are not moved after counting.

4. Completed forms are handed over to one responsible person.

5. One operator enters the data into Torgsoft.

Dividing the premises among employees and entering the results centrally reduces the risk of double counting and conflicting corrections. This approach is also recommended in practical instructions for retail inventory counts without scanners.

• Write the actual quantity clearly.

• Do not leave the row for a counted product blank.

• If the product is absent — enter 0.

• Cross out corrections with a single line and write the correct value and signature next to them.

• Do not use a dash instead of zero: when entering the data, it may be mistaken for a skipped row.

• If the goods are damaged, reserved, or unsuitable for sale, make a note. The decision on how to account for or write off the goods is made separately.

• After completion, check that every item has been filled in and that all pages have been returned.

Step 7. Enter the actual quantity into Torgsoft

Open: Document → Inventory Statement.

Then:

1. Select the required statement.

2. Click «Product Inventory».

3. The «Product Under Inventory» form will open.

4. Find the required item.

5. Click «Edit» or press F3.

6. Enter the actual quantity.

7. Or use the «Enter actual product quantity» button.

After the value is entered, Torgsoft sets the item status to «Counting completed».

The form has a quick search field. You can also:

• scan the barcode;

• enter the barcode manually;

• enable «Search by SKU» using Ctrl + W and enter the SKU;

• find the item in the list and edit it using F3.

If the same barcode is used for several product cards, do not rely on the code alone. Check the name, SKU, characteristics, and price. If the program opens a form for choosing between several products, select the exact card that corresponds to the counted item.

Identical barcodes often occur when the same product has been created several times or when prices or suppliers differ. After the inventory, it is worth checking whether the business really needs separate product cards.

Step 8. Check whether all results have been entered

Before closing the statement, use the product filter. The program can separately display:

• goods with a surplus;

• goods with a shortage;

• goods without discrepancies;

• uncounted goods;

• goods for which counting was not performed;

• goods for which counting has been completed;

• locked and unlocked goods.

Pay particular attention to items with the status «Not counted» or «Counting started». You should not close the statement until the reason for each such item has been determined.

Torgsoft compares the actual quantity with the recorded quantity:

• a positive discrepancy means a surplus;

• a negative discrepancy means a shortage;

• a zero discrepancy means the actual and recorded quantities match.

For each significant discrepancy:

1. Count the goods again.

2. Check other shelves, the warehouse, display cases, and the checkout area.

3. Make sure similar models, colors, or sizes have not been mixed up.

4. Check whether the quantity was entered into another product card with the same barcode.

5. Review «Product Movement».

6. Check receipts, sales, write-offs, returns, and internal transfers.

Do not adjust the actual quantity to match the recorded quantity simply because the discrepancy seems unclear. First determine its cause.

The following options are available in the form:

• «Log» — shows actions for all products in the statement;

• «Product Log» — shows changes only for the selected item.

The log displays the employee or program user who performed the action. This allows you to check who entered or changed the actual quantity and when.

Step 9. Close the statement

When all items have been entered and checked, click: «Close statement».

When the statement is closed, Torgsoft automatically:

• creates a receipt document for the identified surplus;

• creates a write-off document for the identified shortage;

• sets the recorded quantity equal to the actual quantity;

• uses the latest purchase cost, including the additional product cost, in the receipt created from the inventory.

After closing, check:

• the number of the created disposal act;

• the receipt amount;

• the write-off amount;

• the shortage amount;

• results by product type;

• new stock balances in «Warehouse Status».

If necessary, print:

• the accounting inventory statement;

• the shortage report;

• the surplus report;

• inventory results;

• results by product type.

What to do if an error is found after closing

Closing can only be cancelled immediately, before any subsequent movements of these goods take place. When the closing is cancelled, the program deletes the adjustment warehouse documents that were created and allows the statement to be edited again.

If sales, receipts, write-offs, or transfers have already occurred after the inventory, the closing cannot be cancelled. For incorrect items, you need to create a new statement, enter the correct actual quantity, and close it.

Frequently asked questions

Manual inventory checklist

1. Receipts, transfers, reservations, and goods in transit have been checked.

2. The accounting center and list of goods have been determined.

3. Employee access rights have been configured.

4. The «Lock product for manual counting» mode has been selected.

5. The behavior for goods that are not in the statement has been defined.

6. The «Statement for manual counting» has been printed without quantities.

7. Pages or physical areas have been assigned to employees.

8. A value of 0 has been entered for all absent goods.

9. It has been checked that there are no blank or missing pages.

10. The actual quantity has been entered into Torgsoft.

11. Uncounted and unfinished items have been checked.

12. Significant shortages and surpluses have been recounted.

13. Product movements with unclear discrepancies have been checked.

14. The statement has been closed.

15. The created receipts, write-offs, and stock balances in «Warehouse Status» have been checked.