Why furniture on-hand stock differs from available stock

Combine location with availability

A product can be in a store, on display, in a warehouse or at a factory. Location alone does not establish availability: if three of five warehouse units are allocated to customers, fewer units remain for a new sale. Display stock may also be subject to different sales policies or condition checks. Staff should be able to understand both the location and the order allocation of each quantity.

An expected receipt is not a ready product

A purchase ordered from a supplier may not yet be physically held by the business. Showing an incoming quantity as ready stock can lead to an unreliable delivery promise. Connect purchasing and partial receipts to the quantities actually received. Keep shortages, returns and products awaiting checks visible rather than assuming that every expected receipt is immediately available for sale.

Separate reservations from physical movements

Allocating a product to a customer and delivering it are different events. A reservation plans the quantity required by the order; a stock movement or delivery records a physical event. Review both when an order is canceled, partly delivered or changed. This helps staff explain why a product shown in stock cannot be allocated to another customer.

Record count differences with their reasons

Do not resolve stock-count differences by silently replacing a quantity. Transfers, counts, receipts and issues need a traceable history. Establish a regular count routine and investigate products or locations with frequent discrepancies. This approach supports both ready-made retailers and manufacturers bringing products together from different sources.

• Read physical stock, reservations and availability separately.
• Do not treat incoming purchases as products already received.
• Preserve the reason for transfers and stock-count adjustments.

Explore the related Furnidesk module ↗