Stock Replenishment Checklist

Run the prior-day sales report from the POS (Lightspeed, Shopify POS, NCR Counterpoint). Sort by units sold descending and flag SKUs with sell-through above 70% of on-hand — those are the replenishment priorities for the floor walk.

Walk every aisle and end-cap against the current planogram. Empty facings, single-unit holes, and front-row gaps all count as out-of-stocks even if backroom has the item. Note SKU and location on the pick list.

Count physical units of every flagged SKU — floor plus backroom plus any in-transit holds. Scan the UPC; don't eyeball. A cycle count that catches a 12-unit phantom on-hand before reorder saves a duplicate PO.

Any SKU with a variance over 5 units or $100 value gets investigated, not just adjusted. Check receiving for mis-scans, transfer logs for in-transit, and CCTV for shrink. Adjustment without root cause masks the real trend.

Submit the variance details to the LP manager with date, SKU, count vs. system, suspected cause, and CCTV timestamps reviewed. Repeated variances on the same SKU or department flag organized retail crime (ORC) or internal theft patterns worth a deeper look.

Sequence the pick list by backroom location, not by floor location — a stock associate working out of order doubles their walk. Most WMS / inventory tools (Cin7, NetSuite, Lightspeed) export a pick path; use it.

Scan each carton or unit against the pick list as it leaves the backroom. Stage on a rolling cart per aisle to avoid blocking customer paths during open hours. Replenishment outside open hours moves faster but adds payroll.

Face front, pull older stock forward (FIFO), and match the current POG facings count. Common drift: associate stocks two facings of SKU A where the schematic shows one — squeezing out SKU B and creating tomorrow's out-of-stock.

Snap one photo per end-cap and promo table after restock. Visual team or DM reviews against the corporate set photo. This is how you catch planogram drift before it goes a week.

Post the cycle-count adjustments and replenishment moves to the inventory system the same day. A 24-hour lag on adjustments throws off the next morning's pick list and breaks BOPIS availability promises on the storefront.

Top-velocity SKUs go on eye-level racks closest to the floor door. Slow movers go up high or in the back. Re-stage weekly; a backroom organized for last quarter's velocity costs minutes per pick all season.

A-class SKUs (top 20% of revenue) get weekly cycle counts; B-class monthly; C-class quarterly. Schedule into the WFM tool (Homebase, Deputy, 7shifts) so coverage is staffed before the count day, not the morning of.

Pull WOS (weeks of supply) per SKU. Anything under the reorder point — typically lead-time-in-weeks plus a safety buffer — needs a PO this cycle. Don't wait until stockout; vendor lead times of 4–8 weeks are common for specialty goods.

Generate POs from the planning tool with quantity, ship-by date, and terms confirmed. For new vendors, verify W-9 on file before the first PO; for renewals, confirm the price list hasn't moved without a notice.

Open the cartons and piece-count against the PO before signing the BOL or POD. Signing "OK" on a short-shipped load means the retailer eats the difference 60 days later when the vendor refuses adjustment. Note damages on the carrier paperwork with the driver present.

File the claim with the vendor inside their notice window — many vendors limit claims to 5–10 business days from receipt. Attach the annotated BOL, photos of damages, and the discrepancy count. Tag the RTV in the inventory system so the units aren't re-counted as on-hand.

Pull older units forward, new units to the back. For dated goods (food, beauty, supplements) this is non-negotiable; for fashion / seasonal, FIFO prevents older color runs from getting buried behind the current drop.

Any unit past its sell-by date comes off the floor immediately. Units within 30 days of expiry get tagged for markdown or donation. Document the pull quantity for write-off — selling an expired item is a state agriculture / health-department citation risk.

Take the first markdown per the markdown matrix — typically 25% at 30 days out, 50% at 14 days, terminal markdown inside 7 days. Anything below cost needs DM approval to protect margin; the override should be logged in the POS for the weekly close review.