Stock Take Template (Free Template)
Use this stock take template to count what is on your shelves, compare it against your records, and see exactly where stock has gone missing. A regular stock take is the single best defence against shrinkage and theft.
| Product | Code/SKU | Counted qty | System qty | Difference | Unit cost (KES) | Value of difference (KES) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking oil 1L | CO-001 | 42 | 48 | -6 | 250 | -1,500 | Check for theft or breakage |
| Sugar 2kg | SG-002 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 180 | 0 | OK |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Example rows shown. Download the CSV for a blank version to fill in, or open it in Excel or Google Sheets.
How to use the stock take template
- 1List every productEnter each product and its code. Work shelf by shelf so nothing is missed.
- 2Count and recordPhysically count each item and enter the counted quantity. Do it when the shop is closed or quiet.
- 3Compare to your recordsEnter the quantity your system or book says you should have. The difference is your shrinkage.
- 4Value and investigateMultiply the difference by the unit cost to see the shilling value of the loss, then investigate the largest gaps.
- +Do a full stock take at least monthly, and spot-check fast movers weekly.
- +Count when the shop is closed so stock is not moving.
- +A consistent gap on one product or shift points to a cause worth investigating.
Frequently asked questions
Do a full stock take at least once a month, and spot-check your fast-moving or high-value items weekly. More frequent counts catch shrinkage while it is small and traceable.
Shrinkage is stock that is missing from your records, lost to theft, breakage, expiry or mis-recording. A stock take measures it by comparing counted stock against what your records say you should have.
Multiply the difference in units by the unit cost. That gives the shilling value of the missing stock, which tells you which gaps are worth investigating first.
No. Count when the shop is closed or very quiet, so stock is not moving while you count. Counting during trade produces errors that look like shrinkage.
Veira keeps a live system quantity for every product as you sell, so a stock take is just confirming the count against an accurate record, and it flags slow and missing stock automatically.
Veira records sales, stock and payments automatically, so this runs itself. From KES 2,999 a month, with a free terminal.