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# Physical Inventory Count

The Physical Count tool helps you verify your inventory by comparing what's physically on your shelves to what the system says you have. After counting, the system automatically adjusts your inventory to match your real-world stock levels. This is sometimes called an "inventory true-up."

## Why Do a Physical Count?

Over time, your system inventory can drift from reality. Items get lost, damaged, miscounted during receiving, or simply misplaced. A physical count ensures your inventory numbers are accurate, which helps with:

* **Accurate reporting** — Your reports and analytics reflect what you actually have
* **Ordering confidence** — You know exactly what needs to be reordered
* **Sales accuracy** — Customers and staff can trust the stock levels they see

| We recommend doing a physical count at least once or twice a year, or whenever you suspect discrepancies.

## Getting Started

### Where to Find It

1. Go to the [Inventory page](https://go.cloudbridal.com/inventory)
2. Click the **More** menu (three dots) in the top right
3. Select **Physical Count**

If there's already a count in progress, the menu will say **Resume Physical Count** instead.

You can also reach it from the Inventory Tools section of [Reports & Tools](https://go.cloudbridal.com/reports).

### Starting a New Count

When you open the Physical Count page with no active session:

1. **Select item types** — Choose which item types to include in the count. Only item types with quantity tracking enabled are shown. All types are selected by default.
2. **Review recent counts** — If you've done counts before, you'll see a summary of your most recent sessions and their results.
3. Click **Start Count** to begin.

The system takes a snapshot of your current inventory at this point. This becomes the baseline for comparison.

| **Important:** Only one physical count can be active at a time per store. If multiple staff members open the Physical Count page, they'll share the same session — but their screens don't sync in real-time. If two people scan the same item, the count will be doubled. For accurate results, **assign one person to manage the count**, or divide the work by item type so there's no overlap.

## Counting Items

Once the count starts, you'll see a progress bar and three tabs: **Pending**, **Recent**, and **Summary**.

### The Pending Tab

This is your main worklist — it shows every item that hasn't been counted yet. For each item, you can:

* **Count** — Click the green **Count** button to confirm the item is in stock at the expected quantity. This is the quickest way to verify items that match.
* **Zero Out** — If you're certain an item is no longer in the store, click **Zero Out** to mark it as having zero stock. However, we recommend leaving items as pending until you've finished walking the entire store — the item may turn up in an unexpected location. You can zero out remaining items in bulk when you finalize the count.
* **Click the item name** — Opens the full item details, where you can review or edit item information and print labels.

### The Recent Tab

Shows items you've already counted, most recent first. Here you can:

* **Adjust quantities** — Use the **-** and **+** buttons or click the number to type a specific quantity
* **Uncount** — If you made a mistake, click the undo icon to move the item back to Pending

### The Summary Tab

Gives you an overview of your count progress:

* **Matched** — Items where your count matches the system quantity (no changes needed)
* **Discrepancies** — Items where your count differs from the system. Shows the current stock level and what it will change to. You can adjust these before finalizing.
* **Pending** — How many items still need to be counted

### Filtering and Searching

Use the filter bar above the tabs to narrow down items:

* **Text filter** — Type a name or vendor to find specific items
* **Item type filter** — Select an item type to show only those items (appears when you have multiple types)

These filters apply to whichever tab you're viewing.

### Barcode Scanning

If you have barcode scanning set up with QR code labels, you can scan items to count them automatically. The system plays a confirmation sound when a scan is successful. The scanner status badge in the progress area shows whether scanning is ready.

| For more information about setting up barcode scanning, see the [Label Printing & Scanning](https://help.cloudbridal.com/en/article/label-printing-scanning-1qbhni7/) documentation.

### Printing Labels

If an item doesn't have a label, you can print one directly from the count. Click the tag icon on any item row to open the label printer. This requires the label printing feature to be enabled in your [Inventory Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/inventory).

### Exporting the Count

Click **Export** to download the count as a spreadsheet showing the system quantity, your counted quantity, and the variance for every item. Useful for reviewing discrepancies away from the screen, or for keeping a record of the count alongside your accounts.

## Pausing and Resuming

You don't have to finish a count in one sitting. Click **Pause & Resume Later** to save your progress and return to the inventory page. Your count session is preserved — when you come back, everything will be right where you left it.

| If a count has been sitting for more than a week, you'll see a warning suggesting you start fresh, since inventory may have changed significantly in the meantime.

## Finalizing the Count

When you're ready to apply your count to the system, click **Finalize Count**.

### If All Items Are Counted

You'll see a summary of what will happen:

* **Matched items** — No changes needed
* **Discrepancies** — Will be adjusted to match your physical count

Review the summary and click **Finalize** to apply the changes.

### If Some Items Are Still Pending

If there are uncounted items, the system assumes they're no longer in stock. You'll be asked to confirm:

* All pending items will have their **quantity set to 0**
* You must type **ZERO** to confirm this action

If some pending items are actually still in stock but you just didn't get to them, click **Go Back** and count them first.

| This is an important safety step. Make sure you've counted everything you intend to before finalizing. Zeroing out items that are actually in stock will require manual correction.

## After Finalizing

### Inventory Adjustments

The system automatically adjusts your inventory:

* **Items you counted more of** — New stock units are created to make up the difference. The cost basis for these units is set to the item's wholesale price, and the received date is set to today.
* **Items you counted fewer of** — Existing stock units are reduced to match your count.
* **Matched items** — No changes are made.
* **Uncounted items that were zeroed out** — All stock units are reduced to zero.

| The cost basis for newly created stock units is based on the item's current wholesale price. If you need to adjust this, you can update the wholesale price on the item before finalizing the count.

All adjustments are recorded in each item's change history as "Quantity (physical count) updated" so you have a clear audit trail.

### Disposing Zero-Quantity Items

After finalizing, if any items now have zero quantity across all their variants, you'll be offered the option to **dispose** them. Disposing an item hides it from your active inventory lists and reports. This is optional — you can skip it and dispose items later through the inventory form if needed.

### Completed Summary

After finalization, you'll see a summary showing:

* How many items matched
* How many were adjusted
* How many were not counted
* Total items counted

## While You're Counting

A physical count is a great opportunity to take care of other housekeeping tasks while you have each item in hand:

* **Print missing labels** — Click the tag icon on any item to print a label. If you're using barcode scanning, this is a good time to make sure every item has a scannable label for next time.
* **Spot check pricing** — Click on an item's name to open its details. Verify that the retail price, sale price, and wholesale cost are still accurate.
* **Check item condition** — Note any items that are damaged, stained, or showing wear. You can update the item's notes or mark it as discontinued from the item details.
* **Verify item details** — Make sure sizes, colors, and display names are correct. Inaccurate details can cause confusion during sales.

## Tips and Best Practices

* **Use the Pending tab as your checklist** — Items are organized by item type and vendor, making it easy to work through your store systematically.
* **Count by section** — Use the item type filter to focus on one category at a time (e.g., count all dresses first, then accessories).
* **Count during quiet hours** — Physical counts work best when the store is closed or during slow periods, since sales during a count can cause minor discrepancies.
* **Save zero-outs for the end** — Don't zero out items as you go. An item might be misplaced and turn up later in an unexpected spot. Leave unfound items as pending until you've walked the entire store, then let the finalize step handle them in bulk.
* **Review before finalizing** — At the end of your count, check the Pending tab carefully. Items you zero out will need manual correction if they're actually still in stock.

## Related Documentation

* [Inventory Management](https://help.cloudbridal.com/en/article/inventory-management-1ray8x9/)
* [Label Printing & Scanning](https://help.cloudbridal.com/en/article/label-printing-scanning-1qbhni7/)