Seven Steps to Better Inventory Control with C-Store Office

C-Store Office, the internet-based back office system from Petrosoft, has powerful inventory control software tools that can help you perfect management of your inventory. Combined with the proper business procedures, C-Store Office can help you keep accurate item counts, order only the items you need at any given time and virtually eliminate shrinkage.

In order to manage your inventory effectively, it is necessary to understand the volatile nature of inventory and how its value fluctuates. Think of inventory like a stock whose price changes over time. You have to manage your holding efficiently to keep its value high.

The first rule of inventory is this: The longer it stays on the shelf, the more it costs and the less its worth. The longer it stays on the shelf the less you will have due to theft, spoilage and financial carrying costs. Over time, the cost of existing inventory rises. Conversely, the longer you keep inventory on your shelf, the less its worth. Deterioration, obsolescence and spoilage lessen the value of your inventory with every passing day.

Having a tool like C-Store Office inventory control software is an essential part of maintaining and increasing your profitability. C-Store Office gives you the item-level information and sales projection data you need to make sure you carry only what is sufficient to meet your current needs, no more—no less. Using C-Store Office inventory control software, you can employ the following seven steps to optimizing inventory.

First, EDI is essential. You have to get item-level information into your system to start with in order to optimize your inventory. C-Store Office accepts all electronic invoices and enters them into you system at item level automatically.

Second, you must maintain a complete and accurate price book to ensure your margins are protected and your pricing at the register is correct. The C-Store Office price book is a powerful, easy-to-use price book that will do just that.

Third, scanning must get as close as possible to 100%. Item-level data in and item-level data out is the key. C-Store Office inventory software will be able to maintain perpetual inventory for you and calculate accurate sales projects by item if you scan at 100%.

Fourth, store-wide manual counts must be done monthly. Regular base-line corrections will help you maintain a close book to actual inventory ratio in C-Store Office.

Fifth, partial counts in at-risk items like cigarettes should be done daily. C-Store Office inventory control software can help make this task easier by generating cycle count tickets that you can use to count items of your own choosing.

Sixth, you have got to make inventory optimization part of the company’s culture. Managers must realize that inventory control is job one. C-Store Office inventory control reports are intuitive and easy to use which will make it easier for your managers to use.
The seventh step is—automate! If inventory control software is easy to use and saves time, people will use it consistently. C-Store Office automates ordering, eliminates tedious manual invoice processing and gives managers the information they need with the click of a mouse. When managers save time and reduce their work load, they will use it consistently.

The payoff is immense. C-Store Office will help you reduce your inventory investment 30 to 50% in just a few short months. It will virtually eliminate shrinkage in your stores. The improved cash flow and higher profitability delivered by C-Store Office inventory control software will transform your business!