Every shop owner knows the feeling: the shelf says one thing, the books say another. Here are seven common ways stock leaks out of a Kenyan shop, and what to do about each.
1. Sales that are never recorded
When a sale isn't rung up, the money and the item both vanish from the records. Fix: make every sale go through the till, and close each cashier's shift with a cash count so short or over shows the same day.
2. Deliveries that don't match the invoice
Short deliveries signed for in a hurry mean you pay for stock you never got. Fix: receive goods against the supplier's invoice, item by item, before you pay.
3. Credit given and forgotten
Goods leave on credit and the notebook page gets lost. Fix: put credit sales on the customer's account with a limit, and send their balance on WhatsApp.
4. Expired stock
Pharmacies and agrovets lose money on medicines and chemicals that expire on the shelf. Fix: record batch and expiry dates, sell the earliest-expiring batch first, and check what expires in the next 30–90 days.
5. Damage and breakage nobody writes off
Broken items stay "in stock" in the books. Fix: write off damaged stock with a reason so your numbers stay real.
6. No regular stock take
Without counting, small losses add up for months. Fix: count a section each week and compare it to the system; investigate big differences straight away.
7. Selling below cost
When buying prices rise but selling prices don't, every sale loses money quietly. Fix: let your POS update the average buying cost on every delivery, and check items with thin or negative margins.
Afritelligence records every sale, delivery, return and stock take in a stock ledger, and Insights flags items selling below cost, stock that isn't moving and what to reorder. See how stock control works.
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