Run a profitable clothing store

Chapter 38 Clothing Store Daily Process and Inventory Management (3)
Quantity management starts from inventory

1. The importance of inventory

To operate a clothing store, it is necessary to know its inventory, sales volume, and damage volume well, so that it can timely adjust product categories, sales methods and means to achieve the goal of creating good sales performance.Therefore, the management of clothing products must first start with an emphasis on inventory.

Through inventory, the real inventory, expense ratio, gross profit rate, loss rate and other operating indicators of the clothing store will be clearly displayed, thus reflecting the store's operating performance.It can be used not only as a proof of the operating performance of a clothing store, but also as an assessment standard for product sales in a certain period of time.At the same time, the various problems found in the inventory will reflect the mistakes and loopholes in the store operation, so as to urge the store owner to improve the operation and solve the problems in time.

Inventory is of great significance to commodity management and store operation.It provides a direct way for store owners to grasp accurate information on various commodities, and also provides timely materials for them to familiarize themselves with store assets and logistics operations. It is the most important and critical information in store operations.

Usually, the inventory methods of clothing stores are divided into two types: regular inventory and temporary inventory.Regular stocktaking refers to a comprehensive stocktaking within a certain period of time (every quarter, every six months or a year); temporary stocktaking refers to when special circumstances occur (such as cargo damage accidents in warehouses, store closures, replacement of custodians, shopkeepers think there is something wrong with it). Necessary for stocktaking), carry out partial or comprehensive stocktaking.Relatively speaking, regular stocktaking is relatively fixed and suitable for long-term market sales reference and comparison data; temporary stocktaking is more flexible and suitable for short-term decision-making data for product sales adjustments.In different situations, shopkeepers can independently choose the appropriate inventory type to operate.

The content of the inventory mainly includes four aspects: quantity inventory, weight inventory, goods and account check, and account and account check.Among them, the link of checking the accounts is more critical, and the method of joint participation and checking by multiple people should be adopted, and it should be done carefully to reduce errors.

At the same time, when conducting an inventory, it is necessary to pay close attention to whether there is a shortage of clothing, whether it needs to be replenished, whether there is a change in quality, whether there is a long-term backlog due to unsalable clothing, and whether it needs to be processed in a centralized manner.After a careful inventory, the store owner can have a clearer understanding of the inventory and sales of clothing, so as to make more accurate and timely decisions when choosing sales strategies in the future.

2. The purpose of stocktaking

(1) Grasp the overall profit and loss and performance of the clothing store within a certain period of time.The profit and loss status of a clothing store in a certain inventory period will guide the store owner to make adjustments to varying degrees and change the channels and directions of future purchases and sales.

(2) Grasp the current inventory funds and inventory data of clothing stores.It is the current main trend to use computers to conduct statistics and management of all funds and commodities.Because, the established computer database will provide more concise, clear, clear and accurate information, which is beneficial for operators to observe the operation effect and determine the operation performance.

(3) Carry out key management for clothing with a large loss.In the process of transportation and storage of goods, sometimes some garments are damaged due to quality problems, improper storage or other reasons.Operators need to analyze and count these situations and find solutions in time.At the same time, it is also necessary to classify damaged clothing, especially learn to form different management and protection methods for clothing damage of various textures and styles, and strengthen key management of perishable clothing.

(4) Check the unsalable and defective products in the clothing.As a product with a strong fashion factor, although clothing will not expire, it is often unsalable because it is no longer popular.However, popular trends are often elusive, so there are more or less unsalable products in the warehouse of every clothing operator.Counting and processing them in a timely manner can provide convenience for operators to reduce operating burdens, speed up capital operations, and ensure smooth logistics.Similarly, the treatment of defective products is the same reason.Because these garments may bring capital turnover risks, operators must make early plans and deal with them in time to prevent risks in operation.

(5) Actively prepare for replenishment.After detailed inventory, operators will have a better understanding of which clothing is more popular.Especially when the goods are still selling well in the market, operators have to decisively make replenishment decisions in order to create better performance and gain more profits.

Familiar with the basics of stocktaking

Inventory is to check whether the number of inventory clothing recorded in the account book is consistent with the actual clothing. It is to check all or part of the clothing in the store regularly or irregularly, so as to accurately grasp the actual loss during the period.Inventory is an important indicator to measure the operating performance of a clothing store, and it is also a comprehensive assessment and review of the operation and management of a clothing store. It can be seen from this that inventory is a management work that mobilizes the masses and operates rigorously and meticulously.

1. Inventory is purposeful
The quality of the inventory work often determines the quality of the clothing store's operating conditions. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call it the most standard measure of the clothing store's operating conditions.Inventory can not only control the inventory to guide the daily operation of the clothing store, but also grasp the profit and loss in time, so as to truly grasp the business performance and take leak-proof measures as soon as possible.

The purpose of stocktaking is very strong. The main purpose is to understand the business status of a clothing store in a certain period. The purpose of all detailed and specific inventory work is to find out whether the clothing store is in a loss or profit in a certain period, or not. In order to facilitate the specific formulation of countermeasures.In order to understand this situation, it is necessary to provide the most detailed real data of clothing stores.

2. Six principles of stocktaking

Clothing stores must also follow relevant principles when conducting inventory to ensure that the inventory work is carried out quickly and orderly.These principles are mainly divided into five aspects: truthfulness, accuracy, completeness, clarity, and teamwork.

(1) COMPLETE.The inventory should cover all aspects of the clothing store, and complete data is conducive to the summary of the inventory of the clothing store.All inventory process procedures, including regional planning, original materials for inventory, and points for inventory, must be complete without missing areas or products.

(2) REAL.All data generated during the stocktaking process must be authentic.All the points and information in the inventory must be true, and cheating or falsification is not allowed to cover up loopholes and mistakes.

(3) Accurate.There is no room for small mistakes in the inventory, so as to avoid the situation of "a slight difference, a thousand miles away".The process of stocktaking requires accuracy, whether it is the input of data, the verification of display, and the number of points in stocktaking must be accurate.

(4) clear.The inventory process is a flow operation, and different personnel are responsible for different tasks, so all information must be clear, personnel must write clearly, and goods must be sorted clearly, so that the inventory can be carried out smoothly.

(5) Teamwork.The inventory of clothing is a work that requires teamwork, which requires a good sense of coordination and coordination within the clothing store, focusing on the overall situation, so that the entire inventory can be carried out as planned.

(6) Efficient.Inventory is a work that mobilizes the masses and often requires all the staff of the clothing store to participate.In order to reduce the economic loss caused by the closure of clothing stores, the inventory work needs to be completed in a time-saving and efficient manner.In order to ensure the efficiency of stocktaking, there are mainly four specific operation methods.

Instant inventory.During the business process, inventory should be carried out at any time according to the specific situation to ensure the orderly progress of sales. It is not necessary to wait until the "closing of business" and "month-end inventory" before the overall inventory data.

Physical inventory.In the clothing store, the actual inventory quantity of unsold clothing in the store can be carried out on the spot, mainly to grasp the actual inventory status of the clothing store, defective products in the store, unsalable products, backlog of inventory or clothing out of stock and other real conditions.It is best to use the book inventory as a comparison during the physical inventory.

Price inventory.The retail price of clothing can be used as the basis for inventory, and the inventory of clothing is controlled by the retail price, and the profit and loss of clothing and retail errors in a certain period of time can be determined through inventory.

Automatic inventory.With the rapid development of science and technology, more and more electronic technologies are used in clothing stores.Some stores use handheld terminals to complete ordering and inventory operations at one time, or use cash registers and scanners to complete inventory operations.

3. Categories of inventory

Inventory is not only a matter of stimulating teachers and mobilizing people, but also a very detailed work.Before starting the inventory, the store owner or relevant supervisors should make a comprehensive plan for the inventory, and formulate a detailed and specific inventory list, classify and plan the interior of the clothing store, let the store staff perform their duties, and complete the inventory carefully and quickly work, to obtain the most accurate inventory data, in order to facilitate the conclusion of the most real operating conditions.Generally speaking, before the inventory, the inventory is mainly classified into five aspects.

(1) Classification of accounts and objects.In the operation process of clothing stores, accounts and objects have substantial consistency and independent existence modes, which are highly referential. Clothing stores can carry out inventory on book inventory and actual inventory respectively.Book inventory counting is a method of calculating clothing inventory based on data; actual inventory counting is the on-the-spot counting and statistics of unsold inventory products.

(2) Classification of inventory areas.Clothing stores can divide the inventory area into comprehensive inventory and partition inventory for inventory.Comprehensive inventory refers to taking inventory of all the inventory in the store within the specified time; zoning inventory refers to distinguishing the clothing in the store by category, and counting a certain area in order each time.

(3) Classification of inventory cycle.Periodic stocktaking and irregular stocktaking are the main ways of classifying stocktaking cycles.Regular stocktaking refers to the same interval for each stocktaking, including yearly, quarterly, monthly stocktaking, daily stocktaking, and shift shift stocktaking.Unscheduled inventory refers to the inconsistency of the interval between each inventory. It is a temporary inventory under the circumstances of adjusting prices, changing sales methods, personnel transfers, accidents, and cleaning warehouses.

(4) On-site inventory time classification.According to the business rules of the clothing store, inventory classification can be carried out according to the time of on-site inventory, and the inventory is carried out before business, during business and closed.Pre-opening inventory refers to taking inventory before the clothing store opens for business or after closing. This method does not affect the normal operation of the clothing store, but sometimes it will cause negative resistance from the shop assistants.Inventory during business is also called timely inventory, that is, inventory is carried out at any time during business, and business and inventory are carried out at the same time.Although this kind of inventory saves time and overtime, it sometimes affects customer shopping.Closing business inventory is to stop business activities for a period of time during normal business hours for inventory, but it will cause inconvenience for customers to shop and affect the normal operation of clothing stores.

(5) Stage classification.The inventory work of clothing stores can also be divided into three stages: initial inventory stage, re-inventory stage and spot check inventory.There are three methods of inventory work: initial point, re-point and sampling.The initial point is to carry out the inventory from left to right and from top to bottom according to the area in charge during the inventory; the second point is to take stock again on the basis of the initial point, which is a review of the initial point; Spot checks in irregular areas.

Three forms of inventory

Inventory work is ubiquitous in various types of enterprises and shops.Because the integration of goods and accounts is a key step in store management.Some people think that the more frequent and frequent the inventory, the better.As everyone knows, each inventory will consume part of the resources, and the inventory of individual large enterprises will also cause temporary suspension of business.Therefore, operators need to rationally analyze their own situation and decide to carry out daily inventory, monthly inventory, and annual inventory respectively.

When determining the order and time of inventory, operators should control the inventory time as much as possible, and take into account the characteristics of strong seasonality and fast flow of clothing.Determine the characteristics, value, flow speed, etc. of different clothing, so as to determine the order and focus of inventory.

The specific operations are as follows:

Daily inventory: generally at the time of shift change every day.Before the store closes every day, the inventory staff will conduct an inventory of the sales and remaining goods on the day, check the data, and leave an inventory record, which will be signed by the inventory staff for confirmation.On the next day, the successor checks the goods according to the records and signs for confirmation.

Generally, in order to strengthen daily management, small and medium-sized clothing stores prefer daily inventory.It should be noted that if you want to use daily inventory, you should first make the arrangement, display and storage of clothing easy to take and inventory.The storage space should be fixed for different clothing according to the quantity, category, shelf, etc. of the goods.Keep the clothing in an orderly manner, and try to be consistent with the clothing categories in the inventory list.In this way, it can not only improve the inventory efficiency, but also avoid mistakes, and ensure the accuracy of clothing information.

Monthly inventory: generally on the last day of each month, organized by the operator, for a unified inventory.First of all, one month's documents and bills should be collected before the inventory, and detailed arrangements should be made, and the situation between the bills and accounts should be checked.Then carry out an inventory according to the clothing category.At the end of the inventory, the person in charge of the inventory needs to sign for confirmation and hand it in uniformly.

The advantage of monthly inventory is that it can detect deficiencies in the management and sales process in a timely manner, quickly adjust sales methods, and reduce losses caused by too frequent daily inventory.In the peak season of clothing sales, when manpower and material resources are limited, you can choose to take inventory.

Annual inventory: the time is generally chosen at the end of the year.The specific process is similar to the monthly inventory.However, more people are required to participate and work together to improve efficiency and supervise each other.Since the key to the profit and loss of the inventory results is the number of times goods are put in and out of the warehouse and the length of the inventory time, the more times and the longer the time, the possibility of causing mistakes will increase accordingly.Therefore, it is necessary to avoid goods in and out of storage, and to limit the comprehensive inventory to one week as much as possible.

Daily inventory, monthly inventory, and annual inventory reflect different issues, and the store manager should reasonably set the inventory categories for different purposes.

Related ways to avoid inventory loss
It is the hope of every operator to achieve the highest efficiency and minimum loss in the inventory.But many times, due to lack of experience, the inventory process will be messed up.How can we reduce the loss of clothing in inventory?In general, to reduce loss:
First, there must be a plan for the inventory.That is to draw up the plan before the inventory, and then carry out the inventory strictly according to the plan to avoid the disorder of the work.Otherwise, when it comes to inventory, it may become more and more chaotic, delaying the inventory time.When the inventory plan is formulated, the details of the work should be carefully considered.It is necessary to make a preliminary estimate of how to take inventory and how long it will take.Only a relatively clear plan can allow the inventory personnel to control the various contents of the inventory according to the operating conditions of the clothing store, so as to really achieve high efficiency.

In reality, many operators do not pay enough attention to the inventory plan, ignoring the guidance and clarity of the plan.In the inventory, it not only consumes a lot of human resources, but also prone to low efficiency such as duplication of labor.

Second, it is necessary to standardize the arrangement of clothing in normal times.And try to achieve the immobilization of its position and quantity.Experience has proved that when the clothing can be placed in a one-to-one correspondence, and the quantity can be fixed horizontally and vertically, the inventory will be much easier.Even if you replenish the stock later, you can even know the number of clothes you want to buy by visual inspection.Such a method not only reduces the inventory workload and shortens the inventory time, but also greatly reduces the loss of clothing caused by movement and touching lights during inventory.

Third, it is necessary to achieve a high degree of cooperation among the participating personnel.Taking inventory of goods often requires the participation and collaboration of several people, or even the entire store.If the coordination among everyone is not good, it will directly affect the quality of the inventory work.In order to reduce unnecessary waste of time, all personnel should enhance their awareness of cooperation, actively implement the inventory plan, and jointly complete the inventory work quickly and effectively.

Fourth, the inventory must be orderly.Most of the inventory is carried out on the spot, and the relevant personnel should maintain the order of the scene when they are doing specific operations.The person who is mainly responsible for the inventory controls the transfer of personnel and the progress of the inventory, and arranges the storage of clothing reasonably.Moreover, maintaining a good order in the inventory will help deal with various emergencies in a timely manner and ensure the smooth progress of the inventory.

Fifth, it is necessary to timely repair the loopholes in storage and management.During the inventory process, if there are clothes that are being damaged or have a greater possibility of being damaged, they should be decisive and deal with the goods immediately.As for the loopholes in management, relevant personnel need to solve them in a short period of time, so as to clear the obstacles for the inventory, reduce losses, and reduce the loss of inventory.

Important items related to stocktaking

When the inventory of clothing stores is carried out in detail, the following aspects need to be paid attention to:
1. Preparations before stocktaking
(1) Cleaning up the inventory site means cleaning up the warehouse, sorting out the clothing on the inner warehouse and shelves, sorting and storing all kinds of clothing, and sorting out the obvious defective products.

(2) Suspension of picking up and replenishing goods in the warehouse means that during the inventory, in order to avoid confusion caused by the entry and exit of clothing products into and out of the warehouse, the action of picking up and replenishing goods in the warehouse should be suspended.

(3) Organize the required documents. In order to facilitate the inventory and prevent mistakes in the inventory, the relevant personnel should check the accounts in advance and arrange the relevant documents and vouchers properly.

(4) Determine in advance the personnel to participate in the inventory, which must include the personnel responsible for the inventory, audit personnel, financial personnel and physical custodians.

In addition to the above four points, sometimes a store with a large inventory will conduct a pre-order before the official inventory to know the possible shortfall in advance, and then supplement the popular clothing in the market according to the shortfall.

2. Clarify the key points of inventory

For clothing stores with a large inventory, sometimes it will take too much manpower and material resources to conduct a full inventory, so they may choose to make an inventory in a focused manner, that is, focus on inventorying some important clothing.

(End of this chapter)