Stock Control

EFFECTIVE RETAILING

Introduction

As part of learning outcome 4, we are required to investigate the importance of an awareness of stock control procedures to a retail sales person in a selected outlet. To analyse the implications for a selected retail sales business of poor stock control management, and the importance for personal sales effectiveness of specific training in stock control management.

Handleheld in-store computers are one of the equipments used to monitor the stock taking in many organisations. This is a very convenient and time effective equipment which makes the stock taking process much easier, because the stock taker does not have to go around the shop and write down everything on a piece of paper and then transfer in on the system. This equipment easily scans the product barcodes on the shelves and records them temporarily in order to be transferred to the main system through the cables.

However, if the use of handleheld computer is not effective then everything can wrong. Staff who carries out stock taking should be careful with the barcodes on the shelves as they can get mixed up with other products’ barcodes and if that happens then a business can send the orders for the incorrect items. There could be a return policy, but if the stock taking was done accurately then the business would not waste time on sending incorrect orders to its suppliers. Staff will also require on the job training on how to operate the handleheld computer.

Stock control is concerned with the processing of data into information on the basis of which major operational decisions affecting production, distribution, planning and engineering can be made. The computer’s ability to process and store vast amounts of data and thus produce high quality management information at very high speed and low cost has had a major impact upon stock control operations in many organisations.

Stock taking is also made easier by having the barcodes on the product which can be...