Deviations in inventory count - display and handling

During an inventory count, an indicator of deviations will be seen. Here we explain how to interpret this.

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The display of deviations (deviation indicator) is a small "box" to the left of the counter. 

Remember, the discrepancy shown is not a definitive answer, it is only intended as an aid so that you can more easily see if something is terribly wrong. Ultimately, you should only count what you have physically in stock, even if it causes deviations.

To the left of the counter, the deviation of the product is displayed. This discrepancy is based on the inventory that is in Mystore.
Orange arrow:  Orange arrow pointing upwards with a positive number means that you have counted more than what you had in stock when you started counting items.
Green equal sign:  A green equal sign with the number 0 means that you do not have a deviation. In other words, you have counted as many as you had in stock when you started counting goods.
Red arrow:  Red arrow pointing down with a negative number means that you have counted fewer than what you had in stock when you started counting items.

Calculation of deviations

To calculate, one compares the expected physical stock (what the store has in stock at the start of the count) with the number that has been counted. 

When you start a new count, the counter will always be set to 0 so that you count upwards as you find products in the warehouse. 

If the product you're counting has an expected physical stock of 10, the deviation will be -10, as the system expects your store to have 10  in stock, but you've counted zero. As you count upwards, the deviation will decrease. 

Below is an example of how the deviation will be updated as you count:

In the example above, we see that deviation is 0 when you have counted as many as expected physical stock.
If you count more than the expected physical stock, you get a positive deviation, i.e. you have counted more than what the system has stocked at the start of the inventory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some are a little uncertain about what deviance means and how to deal with it. Here we answer some common questions we get.

Is it important that the count ends in zero deviations?

In short: no.
The deviation is only intended as an aid so that you can more easily see if something is terribly wrong. Ultimately, you should only count what you have physically in stock, even if it causes deviations.

Can I confirm the count even if there are discrepancies? 

Obviously! It is the number that is counted that is updated on inventory, regardless of the discrepancy.
So if you have counted an item where the expected stock was 8 but the inventory count says 10, and then gives a positive deviation of 2, 10 will be the new inventory value when you confirm the count.

I have positive deviation even though I haven't counted anything, how is that possible?

This is a recurring question that can create some confusion.
Some customers find that the deviation is positive even though nothing has been counted, as shown in the illustration below.

Why is this happening?
The answer is quite simple: the product has negative physical stock at the start of counting.
In the example below, we see that the deviation is 10 and count 0. It tells us that physical stock here is -10, after 0 is 10 more than -10 . 

How do we fix this?
Single! Correct physical inventory on the product.
A product should never have fewer than 0 in physical stock. Think of it like this: it is not possible to have less than nothing lying in physical storage. 

If you have a negative on physical stock, it may be that order statuses are set up incorrectly, consequential errors from old or an import with incorrect inventory. 

To correct this, you need to manually correct your inventory. This is done in one of the following ways:

1. Open the product in the control panel, click "Quick adjustment" and make the necessary changes.
2. Go to the menu > Tools > Inventory Management, search for the product and make the necessary changes.

What about overselling, shouldn't that give a minus to physical inventory?
Nothing! When overselling, physical stock should not be lower than 0. Only disposable stock can go into the minus. 

When you oversell, the item is reserved in stock, but should not affect physical stock.
A typical item that is oversold will look like this: 

Here we see that physical stock is 0, i.e. the item is not in stock. 2 pieces are reserved in one or more orders, which then gives available stock of -2. 

Read more about order statuses that reserverer varer her →