Inventory Management

Track stock levels, manage inventory items, and receive low-stock alerts to ensure you never run out of key ingredients. TypeMenu’s inventory system helps you maintain accurate stock counts and control costs.

Plan Requirement: Inventory management is available on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Accessing Inventory

From the Dashboard

1. Click “Inventory” in the main navigation
2. View the inventory dashboard with stock overview

Inventory Dashboard

Quick Stats

At the top of the inventory page, you’ll see:

• Total Items: Number of inventory items tracked
• Low Stock: Items below reorder point
• Out of Stock: Items with zero quantity
• Stock Value (Cost): Total value at cost price
• Stock Value (Retail): Total value at selling price

Stock Status Indicators

Items are colour-coded by stock level:

• Green: Healthy stock levels
• Yellow/Amber: Low stock (below reorder point)
• Red: Out of stock or critical

Inventory Items

What is an Inventory Item?

An inventory item is anything you track stock for:

• Finished goods: Ready-to-sell products
• Raw materials: Ingredients used in preparation
• Packaging: Containers, bags, boxes

Item Information

Each inventory item shows:

• Product/Variant: Link to the product
• SKU: Stock keeping unit code
• Item Type: Finished good, raw material, or packaging
• Category: Product category
• Supplier: Primary supplier (if linked)
• Location: Which location holds stock
• Available: Quantity on hand
• Committed: Reserved for orders
• Incoming: Expected from purchase orders

Stock Quantities Explained

Quantity	What It Means
Available	Stock on hand, ready to sell
Committed	Reserved for pending orders
Incoming	Expected from suppliers
Total	Available + Committed + Incoming

Managing Stock Levels

Viewing Stock

1. Go to Inventory
2. Browse items or use search/filters
3. Click an item for detailed view

Adjusting Stock

To manually adjust stock quantities:

1. Open the inventory item
2. Click Adjust Stock
3. Enter the new quantity or adjustment
4. Select a reason for adjustment
5. Save changes

Adjustment Reasons:

• Received shipment
• Stock count correction
• Damaged goods
• Waste/spoilage
• Theft/shrinkage
• Other

Stock Movements

All stock changes are recorded:

• What changed
• When it changed
• Who made the change
• Reason for change

This creates an audit trail for accountability.

Low Stock Alerts

Setting Reorder Points

Each item can have a reorder point:

1. Open the inventory item
2. Set the Reorder Point quantity
3. When stock falls below this level, you’re alerted

Alert Notifications

When items reach low stock:

• Appear highlighted on the inventory dashboard
• Count shown in “Low Stock” widget
• Can be configured to send email alerts

Recommended Reorder Points

Consider:

• How quickly the item sells
• Lead time from supplier
• How critical the item is
• Storage capacity

Stock Counts

Stock counts (also called stocktakes) help verify actual inventory matches system records.

Starting a Stock Count

1. Go to Inventory > Stock Counts
2. Click New Stock Count
3. Select items to count (or count all)
4. Begin counting

Conducting the Count

For each item:

1. Physically count the item
2. Enter the counted quantity
3. System shows the variance
4. Continue to next item

Completing the Count

1. Review all variances
2. Investigate significant discrepancies
3. Post the stock count to adjust inventory
4. Records the adjustment with reason “Stock count”

Best Practices for Stock Counts

• Count during quiet periods
• Have two people verify counts
• Investigate large variances before posting
• Do partial counts regularly, full counts periodically

Inventory and Products

Linking Inventory to Products

Products with inventory tracking enabled:

1. Have stock levels managed
2. Can show “Out of Stock” on storefront
3. Automatically reduce stock when ordered

Enabling Inventory Tracking

When creating or editing a product:

1. Enable Track Inventory
2. Set initial stock quantity
3. Optionally set reorder point

Stock and Availability

When stock reaches zero:

• Product can be hidden from storefront
• Or marked as “Out of Stock”
• Configure behaviour in product settings

Location-Based Inventory

For multi-location businesses:

• Stock is tracked per location
• Each location has its own quantities
• Transfer stock between locations if needed

Viewing Location Stock

1. Filter inventory by location
2. See stock levels for that location
3. Manage each location’s inventory separately

Supplier Integration

Link inventory items to suppliers:

• Track supplier pricing
• Create purchase orders
• Receive stock from suppliers

Supplier Costs

For each item-supplier relationship:

• Cost price from supplier
• Minimum order quantity
• Lead time
• Supplier SKU

Stock Valuation

Cost Methods

TypeMenu tracks stock value using:

• Cost price: What you paid for stock
• Retail price: What you sell it for

Viewing Stock Value

The dashboard shows:

• Total stock value at cost
• Total stock value at retail
• Per-item values in detailed view

Cost Tracking

Knowing your costs helps:

• Calculate profit margins
• Make pricing decisions
• Control expenses

Reporting

Inventory Reports

Access reports showing:

• Stock levels over time
• Stock movements history
• Variance analysis
• Valuation reports

Stock Movement History

Track:

• What moved
• When
• Why
• Who made changes

Best Practices

For Accurate Inventory

1. Update promptly: Record stock changes as they happen
2. Regular counts: Verify physical stock periodically
3. Investigate variances: Don’t ignore discrepancies
4. Train staff: Everyone understands the system

For Efficient Operations

1. Set reorder points: Never run out unexpectedly
2. Track trends: Understand what sells when
3. Manage waste: Record and minimize spoilage
4. Plan ahead: Use data for ordering decisions

For Cost Control

1. Track costs: Know your margins
2. Compare suppliers: Get competitive prices
3. Monitor shrinkage: Identify loss sources
4. Review regularly: Monthly inventory reviews

Permissions

Access to inventory requires appropriate permissions:

Permission	What It Allows
View Inventory	See stock levels and items
Manage Inventory	Adjust stock, conduct counts

Contact your administrator if you need inventory access.

Troubleshooting

Stock Doesn’t Match Physical Count

• Conduct a stock count to correct
• Review recent movements for errors
• Check for unrecorded sales or waste

Product Shows Out of Stock Incorrectly

• Verify inventory tracking is enabled
• Check stock quantity for the specific variant
• Review any recent stock adjustments

Low Stock Alerts Not Working

• Verify reorder point is set
• Check notification settings
• Ensure you have permission to view alerts

Stock Not Deducting on Orders

• Confirm inventory tracking is enabled on product
• Check the specific variant’s settings
• Review order to ensure it was processed

Related Guides

• Products - Product setup including inventory tracking
• Locations - Multi-location management
• Reports - Business analytics

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Effective inventory management prevents stockouts, reduces waste, and helps control costs. Set up tracking for your key items, maintain accurate counts, and use the data to make informed purchasing decisions.