Real-World Stock Differences
Handling Real-World Stock Differences
In real shared spaces, stock levels are rarely perfect.
People may forget to book a drink, make a mistake, or in rare cases items may go missing or break. Since Tapper cannot physically prevent someone from taking a product, the goal is not strict enforcement, but transparent tracking.
Why Stock Differences Happen
Common reasons include:
- A consumer forgot to book a purchase
- Counting errors during restocking
- Broken bottles or damaged items
- Products taken without booking (intentional or not)
These situations are normal in shared environments. What matters is having a clean way to record and understand them.
Using Inventory Counts to Correct Stock
If you perform a physical inventory count and notice that the stock in the app does not match reality, you should use the Update Stock function.
With this function, you can:
- Set the stock to the actual number of items you have
- Let the app automatically calculate how many items were added or removed
This keeps your inventory accurate without manual calculations.
Normal Operations vs. Manual Updates
In day-to-day operations:
- Stock is automatically reduced when consumers book products
- Stock is automatically increased when you add new products through the Orders function
Manual stock updates should mainly be used for corrections, not regular restocking.
When you set stock to a specific number, the app:
- Calculates the difference
- Records whether items were added or removed
Adding Context With Descriptions
When updating stock manually, you can add a description explaining why the adjustment was made.
Examples:
- Inventory count
- Broken bottles
- Missing items
- Theft
- Counting correction
If you know the reason, adding it here makes future reviews much clearer.
Reviewing Stock Adjustments
All manual stock updates are recorded and visible in the Order Ledger.
This allows you to:
- See when stock corrections were made
- Understand how often items go missing
- Identify patterns over time
Over time, this gives you valuable insight into what is happening in your shared space, even when things don’t go perfectly.
The Goal: Transparency, Not Perfection
Tapper is designed for real life.
Tracking losses is better than ignoring them.
Even when items go missing, having them recorded keeps your inventory, bookkeeping, and decisions grounded in reality.