The cigarette inventory count sheet, and how to use it
A cigarette inventory count sheet has one row per item with the scan code, cartons, packs, total packs, the counted figure and the variance. Cigarettes are one of the highest value shelves in a c-store, so they get counted more often than anything else.
In short
- Count in packs, not cartons, because one loose pack logged as a carton is a nine pack error.
- Count the top movers every shift and the whole rack once a week.
- A variance is a question, not a theft report, so check the boring causes first.
What goes on a cigarette inventory count sheet
Seven columns, no more, or cashiers stop halfway down the rack. Copy the sheet into a spreadsheet or print it, and leave Counted and Variance blank for whoever counts. Use item names and scan codes straight from your price book.
Total packs is cartons times ten, plus loose packs. A sheet kept in cartons hides every loss smaller than ten. The rows below are examples.
Cigarette count sheet, one shift
| Item | Scan code | Cartons | Packs | Total packs | Counted | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro Red box | 028200001238 | 4 | 6 | 46 | 46 | 0 |
| Marlboro Gold box | 028200002037 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 30 | -2 |
| Pall Mall Blue box | 028200504197 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 18 | -1 |
| Total | 8 | 17 | 97 | 94 | -3 |
How to count cigarettes in a convenience store
The count is easy. Doing it the same way every time is the hard part, because two people who start at different ends get two different answers.
Count the top movers every shift and the whole rack once a week, on the same day and shift. A full count every shift sounds careful and gets skipped by Thursday.
The shift count, in order
Start at the same end
Top left of the rack, every time, in the sheet's order.
Cartons first, then loose packs
Write both numbers at the rack. Do not convert in your head.
Include the back stock
The carton under the counter and the case in the back both count.
Compare and sign
Put On hand next to the count, fill in the variance and sign.
What the variance column is telling you
Most of the column should read zero. The row that disagrees is the reason you counted.
Check the common causes first: a sale not rung or rung on the wrong scan code, a case broken into packs and never recorded, or a carton received but never logged. Theft usually shows as the same item short on the same shift.
Example count, one week, in cartons
Marlboro Red
Agrees
Newport
6 short
Marlboro Gold
Agrees
Camel Crush
Agrees
Newport 100s
Agrees
- Counted on the shelf
- What the system expected
From a cigarette inventory spreadsheet to a screen
A convenience store inventory spreadsheet works, but it makes one person the system. It does not know what the register sold overnight, and it never tells anyone to reorder.
In a back office the sheet becomes the Inventory screen. Each item carries On hand, a Reorder Point and a Restock Target, with a Low stock flag below its point. You type the count, and the variance is worked out against what the POS rang.
The weekly cigarette count
Before
On a printed sheet
- On hand copied from last week's sheet
- Variance worked out on a calculator
- Reorders from a gut feel
After
On the Inventory screen
- On hand kept current from POS sales
- Variance worked out for you
- Low stock flagged at the Reorder Point
Same rack, same ten minutes, an answer at the end.