The Liquor Shop Stock Register Format, Explained

A liquor shop stock register needs exactly seven columns per SKU per day — and most paper registers are missing at least two of them. Here's the format that reconciles, why each column exists, and how digital registers generate it automatically.

The seven columns that matter

The three rules that keep the format honest

• Chaining: column 2 today = column 6 yesterday, for every SKU, with no exceptions. Most paper-register errors are chaining errors.
• No netting: never write "sold 12, broke 1" as "sold 13". Shortages go in column 7 with a reason — that's what makes month-end explainable.
• Same-day entry: a register written from memory at week's end is a story, not a record.

Common format mistakes

1. One row per brand instead of per size — makes the register useless for reordering.
2. No received column — purchases get "remembered" into closing stock, and reconciliation becomes impossible.
3. Pencil totals — computed columns done mentally invite transposition errors that surface weeks later.

The digital version

A digital register implements this exact format with the error-prone parts automated: opening chains itself from yesterday's approved closing, received fills from AI-scanned purchase invoices, computed columns can't be mistyped, and every row carries who/when. In Liquor Pro the register is generated from the stock ledger — so even back-dated entries rebuild the chain correctly.

Related reading

• Liquor store inventory management: the complete guide
• The daily sales register, done right