A cycle count lets staff reconcile what is physically on the shelf against what CoolFocus shows on hand in Points & Inventory. You do not edit a stock lot quantity directly. Staff record a physical count, and CoolFocus corrects any difference through the same inventory movement ledger used for checkouts and receipts. Every correction stays attributable and auditable.
Use a cycle count when a shelf count turns up more or less than the system total: a delivery that was never logged, items that went missing, or damaged stock pulled without a checkout.
Cycle counts are center-scoped. Only one count can be open per center at a time, so finish or cancel an open count before starting another one there.
1. Start a count for a center. CoolFocus records who opened it and when. You can add a note (for example, "Monthly shelf count" or "Post-inventory audit"). The count stays open until every line is resolved.
2. Capture lines. For each item, enter the counted quantity against a specific stock lot, or leave the lot blank to count the item across all of the center's lots (the resolving adjustment then draws from the oldest-received lot first). Each line records:
• The system's expected quantity at the moment of capture
• The counted quantity (what is on the shelf right now; a negative count is rejected)
• The discrepancy (counted minus expected)
• An optional reason code and free-text note
3. Review discrepancies. Lines with a variance are flagged. Large variances need supervisor sign-off before they can be applied (see below).
4. Approve or dismiss lines.
• Approve clears the supervisor gate so the line can be applied at completion.
• Dismiss records that a variance was reviewed and intentionally left uncorrected. No stock movement happens for a dismissed line.
5. Complete the count. Every ready line is applied as a stock adjustment through the inventory movement ledger. If every line resolves, the count closes. Lines still awaiting approval or in conflict keep the count open until they are handled.
6. Cancel a count at any point to abandon it without applying anything new. Any line already applied stays applied; cancelling does not reverse corrections already in the movement ledger.
A discrepancy at or above a configured absolute threshold (10 units by default) requires a supervisor's approval before it can be applied. The threshold applies to overcounts and undercounts alike.
The threshold is re-checked at completion against whatever the setting is at that moment, not only what it was when the line was counted. Tightening the threshold after a count was captured still catches that line.
By default, the person who counted a line cannot also approve it. An administrator can turn on self-approval for smaller centers where only one staff member is available.
When you complete a count:
• Lines within the threshold, or already approved, post automatically. Stock never goes negative; the adjustment is capped by what the movement ledger allows.
• Lines still awaiting supervisor approval stay open and block the count from closing.
• If stock moved during the count (a checkout or a new receipt on that item between capture and completion), the line is flagged as a conflict instead of applied. Re-count it rather than trusting the old discrepancy.
Resubmitting a completion that already ran is safe. Every completed discrepancy ties to a specific movement, so re-running completion cannot double-apply the same correction.
Every cycle count keeps a full audit trail: counted quantity, expected quantity, discrepancy, item, lot, reason, operator or staff user, and timestamp for each line, plus the inventory movement each resolved line produced. Use this to review a count before closing it, or to investigate a past correction.
Cycle counts reuse the same Stock permissions as the rest of Points & Inventory (no separate permission to configure):
• Stock - Create: start a count and capture lines.
• Stock - Update: approve a line. Approval is gated on Update rather than Create so an organization can let staff count without also letting them clear their own variances.
Set these on Settings → Security → User Groups.
• Inventory Tracking
• Stock Transfers: Moving Inventory Between Centers
• Boutique Operators: PINs and Supervisor Approval
