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Goods-in checklist template

The twenty minutes on the loading bay that prevent a month of inventory nobody trusts.

A goods-in check has to happen against an expected quantity, or it is not a check. Count against the open purchase order, note discrepancies on the carrier's paperwork before signing, and tell three people when the numbers disagree: whoever placed the order, whoever handles invoices, and anyone waiting on the stock.

When to use it

Use it on every delivery you would mind being short on. In practice that is all of them from a new supplier, all high-value stock, and anything a campaign or a customer is waiting for.

The step people skip is the first one, which is having the purchase order to hand before the boxes are opened. Counting without an expected number produces a figure with nothing to compare it against, so discrepancies are invisible rather than absent.

The template

The order matters. Everything before the signature is harder to do afterwards.

GOODS IN
PO number:              Supplier:
Date / time:            Received by:

BEFORE SIGNING
   [ ] Carton count matches the delivery note
   [ ] No visible damage to cartons or pallet
   [ ] Any discrepancy written on the carrier's paperwork BEFORE signing
   [ ] Delivery note references our PO number

COUNT
   [ ] Counted by item against the PO, not spot-checked
       (spot check acceptable only for a known supplier, low value)
   [ ] Cartons opened from more than one part of the pallet
   [ ] Correct variant confirmed, not just correct product

RESULT
   [ ] In full   [ ] Short   [ ] Over   [ ] Wrong item   [ ] Damaged
   Detail:
   Photos taken (damage only):  [ ] yes

TOLD
   [ ] Person who raised the PO
   [ ] Person who handles invoices
   [ ] Anyone waiting on this stock

PUT AWAY
   [ ] One SKU, one location
   [ ] New stock behind old
   [ ] Similar variants not adjacent

How to adapt it

  • Keep the before-signing block first. Once you have signed a clean delivery note, your position on a damage or shortage claim is much weaker.
  • Keep the third "told" line. Whoever is waiting on the stock is the one most often missed, because the person receiving has no way of knowing who that is.
  • Add a batch or expiry line if you handle dated stock.
  • The put-away block is not optional. Accurate receiving followed by careless put-away produces the same symptom: a number that is right and a picker who cannot find the stock.

Why it is this short

Receiving is treated as unskilled work and given to whoever is nearest, which is why it is the largest single source of inventory drift in most small stores.

The checklist is short because it has to survive a busy delivery day. Anything longer gets abandoned in exactly the weeks, usually peak, when the deliveries matter most.

Common questions

What should I check before signing for a delivery?

Carton count against the delivery note, visible damage, and that the note references your PO. Write any discrepancy on the carrier's paperwork before signing, because afterwards your claim is much weaker.

Should every delivery be counted in full?

In full for a new supplier, high-value stock, and anything a campaign or customer is waiting on. Elsewhere a sample is reasonable if taken from several parts of the pallet rather than the top carton.

Who needs to know about a discrepancy?

Whoever raised the order, whoever handles invoices so a short delivery is not paid in full, and anyone waiting on the stock. The last is missed most often.

Why does put-away matter to inventory accuracy?

Because stock received accurately and put away carelessly produces the same symptom as a bad count: the number is right and the picker cannot find it.

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