Stopping Shrinkage in a Liquor Store

When a liquor stock-take comes up short, theft is usually the last reason — bad records are the first. Before installing cameras, install controls at the four places stock numbers actually go wrong.

Source 1 — The receiving gap

The invoice says 100 bottles; 98 arrived. If receiving isn't checked against the bill while the delivery is still at the door, those 2 bottles become permanent "shrinkage". Control: scan the invoice on arrival, count against it, and record billed-vs-received differences with a reason. (Liquor Pro records shortage/leakage per purchase line so received quantity — not billed — is what enters stock.)

Source 2 — Register drift

A mis-copied opening balance or a netted-out breakage compounds daily until the books and the shelf disagree by cases. Control: a register that chains opening from yesterday's closing automatically, plus same-evening approval. See the register format guide.

Source 3 — Untracked breakage and leakage

Bottles break. Seals leak. When there's no easy way to record it, staff quietly absorb it into the count — and now the ledger lies. Control: make recording a breakage take ten seconds, with a reason field, visible to the owner. What's easy to record gets recorded.

Source 4 — Multi-shop leaks

For chains: stock "borrowed" between branches without a transfer record, or sales recorded against the wrong shop. Control: per-shop stock isolation and first-class transfers — covered in the multi-shop guide.

The weekly 15-minute audit

1. Pick 10 SKUs: 5 fastest movers + 5 random. Count them physically.
2. Compare against the app's live count. Investigate any gap the same day using the movement ledger — every entry has a who/when.
3. Review the week's recorded shortages and reasons. A reason that repeats is a process problem, not bad luck.

Related reading

• Liquor store inventory management: the complete guide
• Cash management for liquor shops