Stock Adjustments

A stock adjustment is a manual change to a product's quantity outside of the normal sale, purchase, or count workflow. Adjustments are used sparingly — for specific known events — and require a reason code to maintain a clear audit trail.

Adjustments vs. stock counts

Use adjustments when you know exactly which product is affected and why. Use a stock count when you want to reconcile your whole inventory or a category against physical reality.

| Situation | Use | |-----------|-----| | One product damaged in storage | Adjustment | | Theft of a specific item identified on CCTV | Adjustment | | Entire stockroom after holiday closure | Stock count | | Unexplained shrinkage across a category | Stock count |

Reason codes

Every adjustment must have a reason code:

| Code | Description | |------|-------------| | DAMAGE | Physical damage to goods | | THEFT | Confirmed or suspected theft | | WRITE_OFF | Expired, unsaleable goods | | CORRECTION | Correcting a data entry error | | WASTAGE | Spoilage or food waste | | OTHER | Requires a mandatory note |

Creating an adjustment

1. Go to Inventory → Adjustments → New Adjustment
2. Search for the product (by name or SKU)
3. Select the warehouse
4. Enter the quantity change (positive to add stock, negative to remove)
5. Select a reason code
6. Add a note (required for OTHER, recommended for all)
7. Attach evidence if available (photo, delivery note)
8. Click Submit

Approval requirements

By default, adjustments over ±10 units or £50 value require Manager approval before they are applied. This threshold is configurable in Settings → Approvals.

Approved adjustments create an immutable movement entry and update stock levels immediately. The adjustment record includes who submitted it, who approved it, and when each action occurred.