A delivery is not ready to become stock just because it has arrived at the shop. A carton may be missing, an item may be damaged, or the quantity may not match the supplier order. If you update stock before checking, the records can become difficult to trust—and it may take longer to work out what happened.
A simple workflow for receiving supplier deliveries gives your team a consistent way to check goods, record accepted quantities and leave discrepancies visible for follow-up. It does not need to be complicated. The key is to compare the delivery with the order before changing stock records, and to keep a clear note of what you accepted and what still needs attention.
1. Prepare before the delivery is unpacked
Start with the supplier order or purchase record. Review which items were ordered, the quantities expected and any details your team needs to identify each product correctly. Having this information ready makes it easier to spot a mismatch while the delivery is in front of you, rather than relying on memory later.
If your business orders from several suppliers, make sure you know which order a delivery belongs to. Check the supplier name and any order reference shown on the paperwork or packaging, if available. When a delivery includes goods from more than one order, keep the items and notes clearly separated so that each receipt can be checked against the right record.
Choose a practical place to check the goods. Keep the order details, delivery paperwork and a way to make notes close at hand. If more than one person may receive deliveries, agree who will carry out the check and where they should leave goods that need review. A consistent handover reduces the chance that an unchecked carton is mistaken for stock that is ready to sell.
2. Check quantities and condition against the order
Work through the order item by item. Identify each product, count the quantity received and compare it with the quantity expected. Avoid checking only the total number of boxes: a carton count can look right even when the contents or product mix do not match the order.
Use a short, repeatable sequence for each item:
Confirm that the product matches the order description or identifier you use.
Count the units actually received and compare that count with the ordered quantity.
Look for visible damage, missing packaging or other issues that affect whether the item should be accepted as normal stock.
Note the quantity and condition you observed before moving on to the next item.
Keep the expected quantity and the received quantity distinct in your notes. For example, if an order lists twelve units and only ten arrive, record ten as received and flag the two-unit difference. Do not make the delivery appear complete by copying the ordered quantity into your count.
Check condition in a way that suits the goods and your normal handling practices. If you find damaged or questionable items, set them apart from goods you are accepting where practical, and record what you observed. That gives the person following up a clearer starting point and helps prevent an item with an unresolved issue from being treated as ordinary available stock.
3. Keep discrepancies visible before updating quantities
A discrepancy is any difference between what the order expected and what you received or could accept. Common examples include a short shipment, an extra item, a substitute product, damage or a product that does not match the order. The important thing is not to resolve every case on the spot; it is to record the facts clearly and avoid losing track of the difference.
For each issue, note the product, the quantity ordered, the quantity received or accepted, and a concise description of the problem. Include the date and supplier or order reference if those details are part of your normal records. Keep supporting delivery paperwork with the order information so the relevant details can be checked again.
Do not silently adjust the expected order to make it match the delivery. Leave the outstanding difference visible until it has been reviewed. A clear note can help your team decide what needs follow-up with the supplier and whether the affected goods should remain separate from accepted stock. Keep any communication or resolution with the original order record, using the record-keeping method your business already follows.
This separation matters because a delivery can be partly correct. You may be able to accept the items that arrived in good condition while leaving a missing quantity or damaged unit unresolved. Record the accepted part accurately and keep the exception clear; avoid treating the entire order as either fully received or entirely missing when the facts are mixed.
4. Record accepted stock changes and preserve the trail
Once you have checked the goods, record the quantity that your business is accepting into stock. Base the change on the count you verified, not on the quantity originally ordered or an estimate from the number of cartons. If some items remain under review, keep their status or location distinct in your working process until you decide how to handle them.
A useful stock record should make it possible to understand why a quantity changed. Keep the movement connected to the supplier and purchase information available to your business, and retain notes about any exceptions. This is especially helpful when someone other than the receiver later needs to explain a difference between the order, the delivery and the stock on hand.
Before finishing, compare the record with your receiving notes. Check that accepted quantities have been entered once, that unresolved differences remain visible and that you have not counted a damaged or missing item as accepted stock. Correcting a mistake immediately is generally easier than tracing it after more stock movements have taken place.
5. Make the routine work for a small team
A receiving process is most useful when people can follow it during a busy day. Keep the steps short and use the same order each time: find the order, identify the goods, count and check condition, note discrepancies, record accepted quantities, and retain the supporting information. A written checklist can help new or occasional receivers follow the same approach without relying on one person’s memory.
Decide how your team will handle common exceptions. For example, agree where unchecked goods go, who reviews a discrepancy and how the team marks an order as still requiring follow-up. The specific method can be simple; consistency is more important than creating a complicated procedure that no one has time to use.
When the receiving check is complete, make the handover clear. The person putting goods away should be able to tell which quantities were accepted and whether anything needs to stay separate. If one person receives and records the delivery, a final review against the order can still catch a missed count or an incomplete note.
Build a reliable link between delivery and stock
A good receiving workflow turns a delivery into a stock record through a series of small checks: prepare from the order, count and inspect what arrived, keep differences visible, and record only the quantities you accept. That gives your team a clearer basis for follow-up and makes stock changes easier to understand later.
If you want to keep stock, suppliers, purchasing, warehouses and stock movements organised, explore Suite.coffee Inventory & Purchasing to see how it can help your small business keep those records together.