Store Operations and Merchandise Handling
Store operations cover the daily routines that make a store ready to sell: opening and closing, receiving, replenishment, housekeeping, price accuracy and reporting. Merchandise handling is the physical care of stock from delivery to shelf. This domain tests sequence, documentation and stock rotation.
Core rules and concepts
- Opening checklist: safety walk, lights and equipment, clean floor, cash float, POS readiness, shelf gaps, promotional displays.
- Receiving sequence: check delivery against purchase order, count, inspect for damage and expiry, record on a goods received note (GRN), quarantine rejected stock, then put away.
- Price tagging must match the shelf label and POS record. A mismatch is a customer-trust and legal-risk issue.
- Replenish from backstock using FIFO for dated non-perishables and FEFO-first expiry, first out-for perishables and near-expiry stock.
- Closing checklist: secure cash, reconcile POS, tidy displays, record damages and out-of-stocks, switch off equipment, lock up.
Worked example
A supplier delivers 100 shirts. The purchase order says 100. Staff count 100 pieces and find 6 with torn collars. Reasoning: sign only for the checked quantity; record 94 accepted pieces on the GRN and 6 rejected on a damage or shortage note; keep the 6 in a quarantine area for return or credit; inform the supplier and store manager; put the 94 away by size and style. Do not shelve damaged goods or sign the delivery note without inspection.
Traps
- Signing the delivery note before counting loses your claim.
- FIFO and FEFO are not interchangeable; FEFO is driven by expiry date.
- Do not treat the GRN as a sales invoice.
- Do not hide damaged stock; record it.