Stock adjustments

Reality sometimes diverges from Bookinda's records: a product gets lost, another runs out, expires. Record corrections here to keep stock accurate.

Where to find it

Inventory → Stock Adjustments or directly on a product record → Adjust Stock button.

The 3 correction types

1. ADJUSTMENT (general correction)

Manual stock change. Positive (add) or negative (remove).

Fields:

Product
Quantity (+ or -)
Unit cost (optional, for costing)
Reason (mandatory, e.g., "Count variance," "Found items")

Example: should be 10 shampoos, only 8. Adjustment -2, reason: "Count variance."

2. WASTE (loss)

Special type: expired, damaged, lost product.

Fields:

Product
Quantity (always deduction, absolute value)
Reason (e.g., "Expired," "Damaged in transit")

Example: 3 hair dyes expired. Waste 3, reason: "Expired 2026-04-30."

3. STOCK COUNT

Physical inventory result. Starts a whole count session.

Steps:

New count (full or category-specific)
Pick location (multi-loc)
Product list shows with system quantity
Enter physical count
System calculates variance
Close count → every variance recorded as ADJUSTMENT

Stock Count details

Auto number

Count number: e.g., SC-2026-00001.

Statuses

IN_PROGRESS
COMPLETED
CANCELLED

Per-item field

System quantity
Counted quantity
Variance (counted - system)
Notes (per-item)

Audit trail

Every correction (Adjustment, Waste, Stock Count result) appears on Stock Movement Log:

Timestamp
User
Reason
Prior stock → new stock

Trackable for legal and financial audit.

Negative stock prevention

WASTE type doesn't allow negative stock:

5 in stock, you try to waste 7 → error
Adjustment can bypass (if you really need negative, rare)

When to use it

Scenario 1, weekly count Stock Count → new session, category "Hair Care" → list of every Hair Care product → enter physical count → see variance → close. Monday 30-minute routine.

Scenario 2, expired products 3 shampoos expired. Waste 3, reason: "Expired 2026-04-30." Stock auto -3.

Scenario 3, damaged shipment PO arrived, 2 bottles broken. Waste 2 on the broken product, reason: "Damaged in transit." Or: on PO receipt, skip 2.

Scenario 4, found extras Warehouse had 5 shampoos, you found 7. Adjustment +2, reason: "Found items."

Scenario 5, swap between two locations Location 1 to Location 2: don't use adjustment (audit confusion), use Stock Transfer (separate article).

Why regular counts matter

Salon stock accuracy depends on weekly / monthly counts. SALE and SERVICE_USAGE work well, but:

Customer theft
Staff theft
Internal use (coffee, receptionist consumption)
Measurement imprecision

Without counts, stock "drifts" over time. Weekly / monthly counts keep it aligned.

Tips

Reason field should be detailed, not "Variance" but "Weekly count, system 10, physical 8, probably customer theft."
WASTE is a separate category, not ADJUSTMENT, accountant treats differently.
Weekly count is ideal for small salons, monthly for large. Quarterly is too rare.
Don't leave Stock Count IN_PROGRESS for days, sales during the interval skew results.
Negative Adjustment rarely justified, WASTE is usually correct (e.g., expired).
Variance rate measurable over time: if every month 2-3% unexplained drop, theft prevention needed.

Stock adjustments, counts, and waste