A good restock list starts before you open a supplier catalog. It brings together what customers bought, what is still in the building, and what is already on the way. Use the same short routine each week so the order reflects your store rather than whoever happened to walk the aisles that morning.
Short answer
Count the shelf and backroom together, subtract usable stock and confirmed incoming units from your target, then round deliberately to the available case pack.
1. Walk the store before building the order
Choose a regular counting time and begin with a quick shelf walk. Record empty spaces, thin facings, damaged packaging, and products sitting in the wrong location. A shelf gap can mean a replenishment task, a misplaced item, or a real shortage. Check which one it is before adding another case.
Keep the notes specific: product name, size or variant, shelf location, and observed issue. “More drinks” is difficult to act on. “Lemon sparkling water, individual cans, lower cooler shelf empty” gives the next person something they can verify.
2. Count usable stock in selling units
Combine the sales floor, cooler, display, and backroom counts. Keep damaged or otherwise unsellable units separate instead of letting them inflate the total. Check open purchase orders too, noting which quantities and arrival arrangements the supplier has actually confirmed.
Use one unit consistently. Three cases of 12 plus seven loose units is 43 units, not ten. Include the case size beside the count so a different team member can check the calculation without reopening every carton.
3. Set a target from your own sales pattern
Look at recent sales across comparable days and note anything unusual, such as a promotion or a temporary closure. Decide how much stock should cover the next buying cycle, allowing for the replenishment arrangements you have confirmed and the space you can actually use.
For example, a target of 48 units with 17 usable units and 12 confirmed incoming units leaves a 19-unit gap. If the product comes in cases of 12, two cases add 24 units. Make that extra five-unit holding decision consciously; it is not free space or free inventory.
4. Separate replenishment from experiments
Divide the draft into established repeat purchases, operational supplies, and new items. When money or storage is tight, this makes the tradeoff visible. Bags, cleaning supplies, and other store-use items need their own counts even when they do not appear in product sales reports.
Give every experimental item a shelf location, an initial quantity, and a review date. Avoid letting an attractive new assortment quietly take the budget assigned to an item customers already buy regularly.
5. Leave a clear record for next week
Save the final quantities, case sizes, substitutions, and unresolved questions in one shared order record. Give one person responsibility for submitting it so two staff members do not independently order the same shortage.
At the next count, compare the plan with what happened. Note products that ran out, cases left unopened, and deliveries that changed. Adjust a few targets using those observations instead of rebuilding every target from memory each week.
Your quick checklist
- Walk the shelves and distinguish empty stock from items waiting in the backroom.
- Count usable units across every location and check confirmed open orders.
- Calculate the gap to your target and verify each case pack.
- Check the draft against available cash, shelf space, and storage.
- Save the submitted order and a short note for the next count.
Talk to sales
Talk to our team about your product, quantity, and delivery needs. Message sales on WhatsApp at +1 (630) 540-9910, or browse the catalog to build your order.
Apply for an account