Plate 07. A working bay code lets the owner query a variance without walking the whole shop again.
From first email to final CSV
How A Count Runs
The work is plain, but the order matters. A good count starts before the crew arrives, with the owner sending the right file and naming the awkward parts of the shop.
hello@vendorproductivity.comTimeline
The Job In Seven Steps
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01
Enquiry
Email hello@vendorproductivity.com first. Send the shop name, postcode, rough SKU count, preferred date, trading-hours limits and till export type. No contact-form enquiries or anonymous tenders.
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02
Scope
Vendor Productivity confirms whether the work is a shelf audit, half-day stocktake, full-day stocktake or compliance round. Travel beyond 25 miles from WV1 is priced at 62p per mile before booking.
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03
Deposit
First booking requires a 25% deposit. The balance is due 7 days after report delivery. Rush work inside 72 hours carries a £90 + VAT surcharge when a crew is free.
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04
Prep File
The shop must provide till export, supplier list or last stock file at least 24 hours before arrival. Locked areas, high-value stock and delivery cut-off times should be named in the same email.
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05
Arrival
Audit crews work Monday to Saturday 05:30-22:00. Sunday 07:00-16:00 is by prior booking only. A two-person crew is standard for live trading shops.
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06
Count And Reconciliation
Each shelf bay is numbered before counting. Variances are marked while the crew is still on site, not guessed later from memory. Back-room lines are tagged so front-shelf duplicates do not hide overstock.
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07
Final CSV And PDF
Reports are normally delivered as CSV and PDF by 10:00 the next working day. They show counted quantity, source file quantity, variance and operational notes where a discrepancy needs a human explanation.
Owner checklist
Prepare The Shop Before The Crew Arrives
- Send till export, supplier list or last stock file at least 24 hours before arrival.
- Name locked cupboards, tobacco cages, cellar stock and high-value spirits.
- Nominate one staff contact who can answer where a product is kept.
- Stop avoidable shelf filling while a bay is being counted.
- Tell the crew about expected deliveries, refit trades or fridge moves.
On-site method
Bay Numbers, Variance Marks And Plain Speech
Counts are taken in shop order, not spreadsheet order. The crew starts from a fixed point, records every shelf bay, then reconciles gaps against the file. If a line is found in the wrong bay, the report says so. If stock is sealed in an inaccessible cage, the report says that too.
Early starts before 06:00 or late finishes after 20:00 are charged at £45 + VAT per crew hour. Minimum booking is 3 crew hours on site.
Report plates
What The Deliverable Looks Like
01 CSV for till import or stock file comparison.
02 PDF summary for owners who want variance notes without opening the spreadsheet.
03 Rounded figures may be used in archive examples. Client names are not shown.
04 No valuation sign-off for insurance, insolvency or legal proceedings.
Turned away
Work We Do Not Take
- No valuation sign-off for insurance, insolvency or legal proceedings.
- No live pricing disputes with suppliers on the shop owner's behalf.
- No controlled-drug counts, pharmacy dispensary stock or tobacco duty investigations.
- No large national supermarket work that conflicts with independent clients.
- No mystery shopping, staff surveillance or covert filming.
Seasonal closure
We close the office from 24 December to 2 January. I will answer anything urgent if a shop has had a flood, a break-in or a failed delivery count, but ordinary January bookings wait until we are back at the desk. Martin.