How to make a weekly restock list for your shop

Many owners decide what to buy by looking at the shelves and remembering. It works until the shop is busy, or you are tired, or the product that ran out is in the back. Then a regular customer asks for something you sold out of three days ago and you did not notice.

A restock list replaces memory with a routine. Once a week (or once per supplier visit) you work from the same list, in the same order, and the decisions get faster. This guide builds that routine by hand first, so it works with a notebook, then shows how Shopkeepa builds the list for you.

The minimum is the stock level at which you reorder. It should cover the sales you will make while waiting for the delivery, plus a small cushion. The full method is in how to set reorder points. A rough version:

Minimum = average daily sales x days the supplier takes + cushion.

A product that sells 4 a day with a 3-day delivery needs 12 to cover the wait. Add a cushion of 4 and the minimum is 16. Your fast sellers need careful minimums. Slow sellers can use a rough number like 2 or 3. Start with the top 20 products by sales and set the rest as you go.

The target is how many you want on the shelf after an order arrives. A common choice is enough for one to two weeks of sales, limited by shelf space and how much cash you can tie up. A bigger target means fewer orders but more money sitting on the shelf. See cash flow for shop owners before you over-order to chase a discount.

Order quantity = target level minus current stock. Then round up to the supplier's pack size if they sell by the case.

Laundry soap is not on the list because 5 is above its minimum of 4. Cola goes on, and since cases hold 12, 31 becomes 36. Rounding up is deliberate: a short order means another delivery fee.

Sort the finished list by who you buy from. Now one call or trip covers everything. Typical groups are a drinks distributor, a wholesaler, a bakery or local producer, and a cash-and-carry. Write the supplier's usual order day at the top of each group so nothing is missed.

Before you place the order, ask two questions per line: is this still selling, and am I over-ordering on slow stock? Slow-moving and dead stock covers what to do with products that sit.

1. Pick a fixed day

   Pick the day before your main supplier delivers or the day you shop.

2. Check stock against minimums

   Mark everything at or below its minimum.

3. Calculate quantities

   Target minus current, rounded to pack size.

4. Sort by supplier

   One list per supplier.

5. Check against cash

   If the total is more than you can pay, cut the slowest lines first, never the fast sellers.

6. Keep the list

   When the delivery arrives, tick it off and receive it properly. See how to receive stock deliveries.

• Ordering by feel. It works until it does not. The product you notice is the product you remember, not the one that is actually running low.
• One minimum for everything. A slow seller with a minimum of 20 will sit on your shelf for months. A fast seller with a minimum of 5 will run out before the truck arrives.
• Ignoring cash. A list that looks perfect on paper but costs more than you have leads to rushed cuts or late supplier payments. Total the list before you order.
• Not updating after a change. If a supplier changes delivery days or you start selling more of something, your minimums are out of date. Review the top 20 monthly.
• Forgetting what is already on order. If a delivery is arriving tomorrow, do not order the same goods again today.

In Shopkeepa you set a low-stock minimum on each product. When stock falls to that level, you get one reminder, and the product appears on your restock list. You do not get repeat alerts for the same product, so the reminders stay worth reading.

The restock list shows each low or out-of-stock product with a suggested order quantity, worked out as your target minus current stock. You can adjust any line before you act on it. Use the list as your shopping list or read it out when you phone your supplier. When goods arrive, Stock In adds them to your stock as a received movement, so the numbers stay right. Learn more about low-stock alerts. Shopkeepa does not place orders with suppliers. It tells you what to order. Shopkeepa is in development, and early access shops will help shape it.