---
title: How to Do a Stock Take in a Pharmacy or Shop
description: A step-by-step stock taking guide for pharmacies, agrovets and shops: full counts vs cycle counts, preparation, counting, variances and what to do next.
url: https://www.poso.co/guides/stock-taking/
updated: 2026-10-29
---

Guide · 9 min read

# How to do a stock take, step by step.

How to prepare, count, investigate differences and post adjustments, plus how to set up cycle counts so the annual count holds no surprises.
By the poso team · Updated 29 October 2026

**Short answer:**
To do a stock take: choose a quiet time and freeze stock movements, prepare count sheets or a scanner by location, count every item (with batch and expiry for tracked products) in pairs, recount anything that looks wrong, compare the count with your records, investigate large differences, then post the adjustments with reasons. Between full stock takes, run short cycle counts of high-value and fast-moving items.

## Full stock take vs cycle counts

| | Full stock take | Cycle count |
|---|---|---|
| What | Every product in every location | A small set of products or one area |
| How often | Once or twice a year (often at year end) | Weekly or monthly |
| Disruption | High: often done after hours | Low: during normal hours |
| Best for | Year-end accounts, resetting all records | Catching problems early, high-risk items |

Most well-run pharmacies and agrovets do both: cycle counts all year so problems are found quickly, and a full stock take for the annual accounts.

## Before the count

- **Pick the time**: after closing, or a quiet morning. Tell suppliers not to deliver.
- **Process everything pending**: receive all deliveries, post sales, record returns and write-offs.
- **Tidy and group**: same products together, earliest expiry at the front.
- **Separate what isn't yours to count**: customer orders awaiting collection, supplier returns, quarantined expired stock (count it separately).
- **Prepare by location**: count sheets or a scanner list per shelf, room or area.
- **Assign pairs**: one person counts, one records. Rotate so nobody counts only their own area.

## During the count

- **Count in base units**Count boxes, strips and loose units, and convert to the base unit (tablets, ml, pieces) consistently.
- **Record batch and expiry**For batch-tracked products, record quantity per batch.
- **Mark counted areas**Tag each shelf when done so nothing is skipped or counted twice.
- **Don't look at expected quantities**Blind counts are more honest. Compare afterwards.
- **Recount differences**Any item more than a few units or a set value away from records is recounted by a different pair.

## After the count

- **Compare**List counted vs expected for every product, with the value of each difference.
- **Investigate the biggest differences**Check recent deliveries, sales of similar products, pack-size mistakes and unrecorded write-offs.
- **Post adjustments with reasons**Correct the records so they match the shelf, giving a reason for each adjustment.
- **Write off expired stock**Record it separately so expiry losses are visible.
- **Report**Total variance as a value and a percentage of stock; top 10 products by loss.
- **Fix the causes**Change receiving checks, shelving or permissions where the investigation pointed.

## Setting up cycle counts

| Group | Examples | Count |
|---|---|---|
| A: high value or high risk | Expensive medicines, small high-value items, cosmetics | Weekly |
| B: fast movers | Popular analgesics, ORS, feeds, fertiliser | Every 2–4 weeks |
| C: everything else | Slow, low-value items | Quarterly |

## Stock takes in poso

In poso you can count a whole location or a filtered set (one category, one shelf, items not counted in 30 days). Enter or scan counted quantities, including per batch; poso shows the differences, and applying the count posts the adjustment to stock and to your accounts. Every adjustment keeps who did it and when. See [inventory management](https://www.poso.co/features/inventory-management/) and [reducing stock losses](https://www.poso.co/guides/reduce-pharmacy-stock-losses/).

## Stock take questions

### What is a stock take?

A physical count of all the stock you hold, compared with your records so that differences can be investigated and corrected.

### How often should I do a stock take?

A full stock take once or twice a year, and cycle counts of high-value and fast-moving items weekly or monthly.

### What is the difference between a stock take and a cycle count?

A stock take counts everything at once; a cycle count checks a small group of products regularly without closing the shop.

### How long does a stock take take?

It depends on the number of products and people. A small pharmacy with good preparation and a scanner can often finish in an evening.

### What causes stock take differences?

Unrecorded sales or write-offs, receiving errors, wrong products scanned, pack-size mistakes, supplier short-deliveries and theft.