Retail Stock Audit Checklist

Confirm the audit location, date, auditor, stock areas, departments, and SKU categories included in scope.

Verify the item master, barcodes, units of measure, pack sizes, and category assignments are current and accurate.

Capture the system stock snapshot and approved stock-movement cut-off time before counting begins.

Identify high-value, high-shrink, regulated, seasonal, and promotional stock that requires additional audit coverage.

Review previous stock audit variances, repeat discrepancies, overdue actions, and unresolved inventory issues.

Confirm the approved count method, tolerance limits, recount rules, and escalation thresholds for this audit.

Verify sampled deliveries match the purchase order, supplier document, expected SKU, quantity, and receiving location.

Confirm received products are scanned or entered using the correct barcode, unit of measure, and pack conversion.

Check received stock for damage, expiry, temperature, seal condition, and other category-specific acceptance criteria.

Verify receiving discrepancies are recorded and approved before the delivery is posted into inventory.

Confirm the receiving date, time, dock or entry point, and responsible employees are recorded.

Verify rejected, quarantined, short-delivered, and excess stock is physically separated and correctly reflected in the system.

Verify every storage location, shelf, bin, cage, and rack has a clear and accurate location identifier.

Confirm products are stored in the correct assigned location and not mixed with unrelated SKUs.

Verify FIFO or FEFO rotation is followed for dated, perishable, seasonal, or time-sensitive products.

Check damaged, returned, expired, display, demo, reserved, and customer-held stock is clearly segregated.

Confirm high-value and controlled products are secured with restricted access and documented custody.

Identify loose, unlabelled, open-pack, or unidentified products and assign immediate reconciliation actions.

Measure on-shelf availability for sampled core, high-velocity, promotional, and priority SKUs.

Verify products shown as available in the system can be located on the shelf or in the backroom.

Confirm shelf gaps are replenished within the approved service interval.

Verify promotional, seasonal, launch, and advertised products have the required stock available for sale.

Check facings, shelf capacity, and display quantity do not hide an out-of-stock or overstock condition.

Record every sampled out-of-stock with its root cause, replenishment action, owner, and expected resolution time.

Verify scheduled cycle counts were completed for the required locations, categories, and risk groups.

Confirm counters perform blind counts when required and cannot see the expected system quantity before entry.

Verify material differences trigger an independent recount by another authorized employee.

Check quantities are recorded in the correct unit of measure, including cartons, packs, pairs, weights, or individual units.

Confirm stock movements during the count are frozen, time-stamped, or separately recorded for reconciliation.

Verify completed counts include the counter, date, time, location, evidence, and supervisor sign-off where required.

Compare physical quantities with system quantities and calculate unit, percentage, and financial variance.

Investigate negative inventory balances and confirm whether the cause has been corrected.

Identify products physically present when the system shows zero or no active stock record.

Check for duplicate SKUs, incorrect variants, wrong categories, or products mapped to the wrong inventory record.

Verify inventory adjustments are supported by a valid reason, evidence, named user, and correct approval.

Review stock accuracy by category, location, value band, and risk group to identify systemic patterns.

Verify stock transfers are approved, dispatched, received, and posted at both the source and destination locations.

Confirm customer returns are correctly classified as saleable, damaged, repair, quarantine, or return-to-vendor stock.

Verify return-to-vendor stock is recorded, segregated, authorized, dispatched, and closed against supplier documentation.

Check damaged, expired, obsolete, and unsaleable stock is recorded promptly and stored in the correct location.

Verify write-offs and disposals meet approval, witness, evidence, and system-adjustment requirements.

Review open transfer, return, damage, and write-off documents that remain incomplete beyond the approved SLA.

Verify high-shrink and high-value products are counted at the required frequency and variances are reviewed promptly.

Confirm security tags, locked displays, cages, and controlled storage are used according to the product risk standard.

Review stockroom and controlled-area access records for unauthorized, unusual, or unrecorded access.

Identify unusual inventory adjustments, repeated variances, voids, returns, or transactions linked to the same user or SKU.

Verify suspected theft, loss, or unexplained stock disappearance is documented and escalated through the approved process.

Confirm disposal or destruction of controlled stock is witnessed and reconciled to the approved quantity.

Review aged, slow-moving, obsolete, and excess stock against the approved ageing thresholds.

Verify reorder points, minimum and maximum levels, and replenishment parameters reflect current demand and lead times.

Measure missed sales, substitutions, or customer impact caused by stock unavailability.

Review supplier fill rate, delivery reliability, lead time, and recurring receiving discrepancies.

Assign every material stock finding to a named owner with severity, due date, evidence requirement, and escalation path.

Schedule follow-up counts or targeted audits to verify that corrective actions improved stock accuracy.

Calculate the overall stock accuracy result and report it by unit, value, category, and location.

Confirm material variances are escalated according to financial value, percentage, recurrence, and business impact.

Record the estimated financial impact of shortages, excesses, write-offs, and unresolved stock differences.

Verify no unresolved critical stock issue remains without containment, ownership, and management approval.

Record the final audit decision, approver, comments, signature, and any conditions attached to approval.

Set the next stock audit, cycle-count schedule, and management review date based on the risk identified.