Sunday evening with a phone and a notebook
The bakery wants its order by 2pm the day before. The dairy takes orders by text on Mondays and Thursdays. The cheese maker delivers fortnightly and needs to know a week ahead. The wholesaler has an online portal with a cut-off at 8pm. The chutney maker just turns up when she has stock, and you tell her what you need on the spot. The ice cream supplier has a minimum order you never quite remember.
So every evening, someone walks round the shop, looks at the shelves, checks the notebook and sends a mix of texts, emails and portal orders. Some nights they forget one. The next day the bread runs out at noon or the fridge is full of yoghurt that goes out of date.
Why ordering never gets easier
Every supplier works differently, and the knowledge of how is held by one or two people. Order quantities are based on what the shelf looks like and a feel for the week ahead, not on what sold. Your till knows what sold, but its figures are not in front of you when you order.
- Each supplier has a different order day, cut-off and minimum.
- Orders go by text, phone, email and portal.
- Quantities are judged from the shelf, not from sales.
- Holidays and events change demand, but orders stay the same.
- Only one or two people know how to order from everyone.
What piecemeal ordering costs
Running out of your bestsellers, such as the local bread or milk, sends customers to the supermarket for their basics, and they may not come back for the rest. Over-ordering short-life products ends in waste. Forgotten orders mean gaps on the shelf for days. And the time spent, often in the evening by the owner, is time not spent on anything else.
Holiday cover is the hidden cost. When the person who does the ordering is away, the shop runs on guesswork.
The ordering sheet we build
- A supplier list holding each supplier's order days, cut-off, minimum, delivery days, how they like to receive orders and any notes, such as 'ring after 10am'.
- Products linked to their supplier, with a par level you set: how much you want on the shelf after delivery.
- Recent sales for each product from your till, adjusted for the days until the next delivery and any events or holidays you mark.
- A daily list of which suppliers need ordering today, with a suggested quantity for each product: par level minus current stock, or expected sales until next delivery, depending on the product.
- Orders sent the way each supplier prefers, by email or text generated from the approved list, or a ready-to-paste list for a portal or phone call.
- A delivery check on a tablet when goods arrive, comparing what came with what was ordered, so short deliveries and substitutions are noted for the invoice.
| Supplier type | How the order goes |
|---|---|
| Bakery with daily cut-off | Email or text sent after approval |
| Dairy ordered twice a week | Text sent on the right days |
| Wholesaler with portal | List ready to enter in the portal |
| Maker who calls in | Suggested quantities shown when they arrive |
| Fortnightly supplier | Reminder a week before their order date |
Suggested quantities are a starting point. You approve each order, and the sheet learns nothing it should not: if you always change a quantity, you adjust the par level rather than fighting the suggestion.
An evening afterwards
At four o'clock, the ordering sheet shows which suppliers need an order today. The shop manager checks the suggested quantities against the shelves, changes a couple because of the weekend forecast and approves. Emails and texts go out. The wholesaler's list is pasted into the portal. It takes a fraction of the old evening round.
When deliveries arrive, a quick check on the tablet shows that the dairy was short on cream, which is noted for the invoice. When the manager is on holiday, whoever covers sees exactly what to order and how.
Over time, sales and waste by product show which par levels are too high or low, and which suppliers are regularly short.
Is your ordering like this?
- Ordering takes an evening round of texts, calls and emails.
- Orders are judged from the shelf, not from sales.
- A forgotten order has left a gap on the shelf.
- Only one person knows how to order from every supplier.
- Short deliveries are not always noticed before the invoice is paid.