Open an inventory count from the Items module, then scan items in Scan and Add or Scan and Set mode — or import an Excel count sheet. Review the items-not-counted lists, then close the count with or without updating inventory. Blind counts, variations, permissions and count reports are all covered.

The quantity in the system and the quantity on the shelf drift apart — breakage, theft, receiving mistakes, miskeys. An inventory count is how you bring them back together: walk the store, record what is actually there, and let PHP Point Of Sale reconcile the difference and log every adjustment.

Counts live under Items: open the Items module, click the more menu (…) and choose Count Inventory. Every count belongs to one location — it is created for the location you are signed into, and in a multi-store business each location runs its own counts. Anyone working with counts needs the Count inventory permission on the Items module (see permissions and templates).

The counts list

The counts page lists counts with their Count date, Items counted, Employee, Status, Comments and actions. It shows open counts by default; Show closed counts switches to the closed list and Show open counts switches back. From here you can:

• Click New inventory count to start a count and go straight into it.
• Click Continue count on an open count (or View Count on a closed one).
• Edit a count's Status or Comment inline by clicking the value.
• Click Delete count to discard a count entirely — a confirmation warns that this cannot be undone.

A count stays open until you close it, so a full-store count can span several shifts: count a few aisles, click Continue count later, and pick it up again from the counts list.

Count by scanning or keying

Inside an open count there is an item entry box ("Start typing item name…") that accepts a barcode scanner or typed searches, with a mode selector next to it:

• Scan and Set (the default) — each scan adds the item to the count with quantity 0 and immediately opens the quantity box so you type the total you counted. Best when you count a shelf by hand and enter one number per item.
• Scan and Add — each scan increments that item's counted quantity by 1. Best for scanning every unit as you go.

Switching modes affects only how scans behave; you can change it mid-count. Each counted line shows the item name (with category), the Variation where relevant, the Count, the Actual on hand quantity, and a Comment — click any of the editable values to change them. Comments let the counter note "found in back room" or "damaged box" right on the line. Delete Count Item removes a line entirely.

Some rules the count enforces:

• Service items cannot be counted — they have no stock. Deleted items are also rejected.
• Items with variations must name the variation on each line. Scanning a variation barcode selects it automatically; scanning the parent item leaves the variation blank for you to pick from the line's dropdown. A count cannot be closed while any line with variations is missing its variation — you will get "There was an error closing the count. Check to make sure you have selected an item variation for each item in the count."
• A search box at the top (Search By Barcode Or Item ID) filters the counted list when it grows long.

The gear icon configures which columns display — beyond the defaults (item, variation, count, actual on hand, comment) you can add item number, product id, category, supplier, cost price, unit price, reorder and replenish level, and running total value by cost price / total value by selling price columns, which also total at the bottom of the table.

Blind counts

By default the count shows Actual on hand — what the system expects — next to what you enter. To run a blind count, remove the See inventory count when counting inventory permission (and See Item Quantity) from the counting employee: the expected column disappears, and counters record what they see without being anchored by what the system thinks. This is standard practice for loss-prevention counts. Configure it in permissions and templates.

Count on paper with Excel

If your team counts with clipboards, or a laptop is impractical in the stockroom:

1. In the open count, click Excel Import.
2. Download the count template. It has two columns: Item Id/Item Number/Product ID and Count. It downloads as XLSX or CSV depending on the Spreadsheet Format setting in Store Config.
3. Fill in one row per item — any of the three identifiers works, including variation barcodes — with the counted quantity.
4. Upload the completed file. Each row lands in the open count exactly as if it had been scanned, with the expected quantity snapshotted at import time. Rows with unknown identifiers or deleted items are skipped; only .xlsx and .csv files are accepted.

You can mix methods freely: import the stockroom sheet, then scan the sales floor into the same count.

Print a paper count sheet

For the clipboard itself, the Items module offers two printable stock-on-hand sheets. Open Items, click the more menu (…) and choose:

• Inventory Print List — every item with its Item Id, name, category, Product ID, Item Number, supplier and current quantity, plus a shaded row for each variation with its own quantity.
• Inventory Print List Summary — the same sheet without the per-variation rows, one line per item.

Both sheets stamp the date, follow whatever search or category filter is active on the Items screen, and offer a Print button and an Excel Export link. Both menu entries (and the pages themselves) require the View Inventory Print List permission on the Items module.

Before closing, use the two review buttons at the top of the count:

• Items Not Counted — every item the location carries that has no line in this count.
• Items not counted & In Stock — the same list filtered to items the system thinks are in stock. This is the important one: anything here is either missing from the shelf or was skipped by the counters.

Both views can be filtered by category (respecting Include child categories when searching or reporting if enabled), exported with Excel Export, and printed. Each row has a Count action that prompts for a quantity and adds the item to the count on the spot — so you can walk the not-counted list and clear it item by item. The list shows cost and unit prices, and — for employees with the see-count permission — the expected on-hand quantity and total values by cost and selling price.

Close the count

When you are satisfied, the buttons at the bottom of the count offer three ways out:

1. Close/Finish count and update inventory — the normal finish: for every line where the counted quantity differs from the snapshotted on-hand quantity, stock is adjusted by the difference and an entry labeled "Inventory count adjustment" lands in the inventory ledger with the employee and date. This button only appears for employees who also hold the Edit quantity permission, because it changes stock.
2. Close/Finish count and do NOT update inventory — the count is recorded for reference but stock levels stay untouched. Useful for audit-only counts, or when a supervisor will review before adjusting.
3. Continue count later — leaves the count open and returns to the counts list.

Closing asks "Are you sure you want to finish the inventory count?" before proceeding. After an inventory-updating close, adjustments sync to your connected ecommerce platform automatically (see how ecommerce sync works), and each adjustment is visible in the item's ledger described in stock levels, adjustments and damaged items.

A closed count can still be viewed (View Count) from the closed-counts list, but its lines are read-only and its status can no longer be edited — closing is final, so use the do-not-update close if you are unsure.

Print barcodes from the count

A count surfaces untagged product. The Barcode Sheet and Barcode Labels buttons at the top of the count print labels for the counted items — the sheet option asks how many labels to skip on a partially used sheet. See barcodes and labels.

Reports

Under Reports, three reports cover counting:

• Detailed Count Report — each count line by line: expected versus counted.
• Summary Count Report — counts summarized with dates and items-counted totals.
• Uncounted In-Stock Items — what a count missed, which over time reveals the corners of the store your process keeps skipping.

See inventory and purchasing reports for the full report list.

Common questions

Who can run a count? Any employee with the Count inventory permission on the Items module. Closing a count with inventory update additionally requires the Edit quantity permission — without it, only the do-not-update close is offered.

How do I run a blind count? Remove See inventory count when counting inventory (and See Item Quantity) from the counting employee's permissions. The expected quantity column disappears from the count screen.

Can I count only part of the store? Yes. A count contains only what you record in it — count one section a week rather than the whole store once a year. Closing with update only adjusts the items in the count; everything else is untouched. Use Items not counted & In Stock with a category filter to check a section's coverage.

What happens to items I did not count when I close? Nothing. Only counted lines create adjustments. Items you expected but did not count stay at their current quantity — check the not-counted views before closing if the goal is a complete reconciliation.

Why can't I close my count? Almost always a variation problem: a line for an item with variations has no variation selected. The error message says to check variations; set the variation on each flagged line (or delete the line) and close again.

Can I pause a count overnight? Yes — counts stay open until closed. Click Continue count later and resume from the counts list; multiple employees can contribute to the same open count.

The system quantity changed while my count was open (sales kept happening). Which number is used? Each count line snapshots the on-hand quantity at the moment it is recorded, and closing adjusts by the difference between your count and that snapshot. For the cleanest results count during closed hours, or count sections quickly and close promptly.

Can I import counts from a spreadsheet instead of scanning? Yes — Excel Import inside the open count, using the two-column template (identifier and count). Damaged stock has its own separate import — see stock levels, adjustments and damaged items.