FIELD NOTE · Pro Shop Owner
A monthly inventory review for a small pro shop
Separate stock you need from stock you are simply used to seeing.
Build a short, consistent report
Use item identifier, description, quantity on hand, unit cost, last receipt date, last sale date, and recent units sold. Keep special orders and customer-owned items separate. A physical count of a small category can reveal unit or receiving errors before they spread into the rest of the report.
Look for movement and tied-up cash
Suppose five units cost $100 each and only one has sold in 90 days. That is $500 of recorded cost sitting on the shelf, not $500 of profit waiting to happen. Ask whether demand is seasonal, the item is essential to service, a count is wrong, or the product is genuinely slow. Age alone is not a reason to discount a necessary part.
Use a simple reorder calculation carefully
For a consumable, average weekly use multiplied by supplier lead time gives an expected usage during replenishment. At eight units per week and a two-week lead time, that is 16 units. Add a buffer chosen from observed variability rather than a universal percentage. Check stock already on order and pack size before placing another order. Sporadic high-value items need a different decision than routine consumables.
Choose an action, then check it
Give each flagged item one action: verify count, hold purchases, move display, seek a return, bundle responsibly, or reorder. Record the owner and review date. Do not make every slow item a promotion at once; you will lose the ability to see what helped. Keep the review to a manageable list so it leads to decisions instead of another untouched spreadsheet.
Prepared with AI assistance. Examples are constructed for explanation, not reported customer results. Corrections are welcome through the contact page.
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