Can you send us a pallet of lintels?
The branch in town is out of lintels. The branch on the industrial estate has plenty. The manager rings across, the pallet goes on the next delivery lorry heading that way, and the favour is done. Nobody raises a transfer. The receiving branch sells the lintels, the sending branch's stock still shows them, and a month later both branches have stock errors that cancel out on paper but confuse everyone.
Sometimes the pallet goes to the wrong branch, or sits on a lorry overnight, or is dropped at the back of the yard and found a week later.
Why transfers are informal
Transfers happen in a hurry, to rescue a customer order, and the formal process in the merchant system feels too slow for that moment.
- Checking stock at other branches means phoning round rather than looking.
- Raising a transfer in the system takes more steps than the phone call.
- Transfers travel on delivery lorries, so they are not planned as loads.
- The receiving branch doesn't check what arrived against what was sent.
- Transfer pricing and who carries the cost is left vague.
The result is stock records that are wrong in two places at once, and branch performance figures that are hard to trust.
The cost of loose transfers
Both branches' stock figures drift. Customer orders are promised on stock that has already gone. Goods get lost in transit or double counted. Branch managers argue about margin because sales and costs are in different places. And the buying team orders more than the group needs because stock is invisible across branches.
Stock-outs also get worse, not better. Because a transfer sent as a favour leaves the sending branch's figure unchanged, its reorder report thinks the lintels are still there. The sending branch runs short next week, rings round, and another informal transfer goes the other way.
Transfers with a paper trail that takes seconds
- A stock lookup shows each product's free stock at every branch, read from your merchant system, so the counter can see where to ask before picking up the phone.
- A transfer request takes a few taps: product, quantity, from, to and the customer order it is for.
- The sending branch accepts, picks and marks it loaded, and the transfer is added to the lorry's run so the driver sees it.
- The receiving yard confirms receipt on a phone, noting any shortage or damage with a photo.
- The transfer is posted in your merchant system at each step, so stock is right at both ends.
- A daily list shows transfers requested but not sent and sent but not received.
| Moment | Recorded by | Effect on stock |
|---|---|---|
| Request raised | Requesting branch | Stock reserved at sender |
| Loaded | Sending yard | Moved to in transit |
| Received | Receiving yard | Added at receiver |
| Shortage noted | Receiving yard | Flagged for investigation |
What branch managers notice
Stock at the other branches is visible, so rescues are quicker. Transfers take less effort than the phone call used to, so people actually raise them. Stock stops drifting from this cause, and the monthly branch figures reflect where goods were really sold.
Signs your transfers are informal
- Branches phone each other to check stock.
- Goods move between branches without a transfer in the system.
- Transfers are received without being checked.
- Branch managers argue about who sold what.
- Stock errors at one branch often mirror errors at another.