Vending Stock Bought Is Not the Same as Stock Used

A large stock delivery can make one month’s spending look high even when many products remain in storage. For an operational review, separate what was purchased from what physically left your available stock. Keep accounting treatment with your accountant and use the stock record to explain movement.

Set the boundary of the count

Decide whether the review covers a warehouse, one machine or the whole route. Record opening and closing stock using the same unit and product definitions. If warehouse stock moves to a machine inside the same boundary, it is an internal transfer, not consumption. If the boundary is only the warehouse, the same movement needs a transfer-out entry.

List each type of movement

Record receipts, transfers, customer purchases, test vends, returns and write-offs separately. Do not label every missing item as a sale. Use source records such as delivery notes, refill sheets and service logs. Nayax’s inventory guide describes machine stock and visits where supported, but a complete operational picture may also require warehouse and route records.

Use a simple unit example

Suppose a location starts with 100 packs, receives 60 and ends with 90. The net reduction is 70 packs before considering other movements. If ten were transferred elsewhere and five were recorded as unsuitable, only 55 remain to explain through sales or other use. These are hypothetical figures demonstrating the reconciliation, not an assumed level of vending loss.

Investigate before changing the balance

Check counting mistakes, delayed records and the reporting boundary first. Preserve the original figures and explain authorised corrections. A stock discrepancy is a question to investigate, not evidence of wrongdoing by a particular employee. Share recurring causes with the purchasing and refill teams. Clear movement records make future cost reviews more useful without confusing cash spent with products actually consumed.

Source: supporting primary guidance. For site-specific help, explore our fully managed vending service or contact our team. Related reading: Vending Stock Count Does Not Match the Dashboard? Start Here.