Guide · Anyone who receives deliveries

How to check in deliveries so mistakes never reach the shelf

A simple receiving routine for small shops: check every delivery against the purchase order, record shorts, damage and over-shipments, and only pay for what actually arrived.

Most stock problems start at the back door. A box is signed for without being opened, three of the ten parts are missing, and nobody notices until a job needs them. Or a damaged part goes straight onto the shelf, and the supplier gets paid in full for all of it. Receiving properly takes a few minutes per delivery and saves hours of chasing later.

1. Have the purchase order in hand

You can only check a delivery against something. Before you open the box, pull up the purchase order: what was ordered, how many, and at what price. If a delivery arrives with no purchase order behind it, set it aside and find out who ordered it before it goes anywhere.

2. Count and check every line

• Count it. Compare the quantity in the box with the packing slip and the purchase order, not just the number of boxes.
• Check it is the right part. Part number, size, grade and revision. A near-match is a wrong part.
• Look at it. Damage, missing paperwork such as material certs, or anything that needs a closer look.

3. Put every line into one of five buckets

• Accepted: right part, right amount, good condition. It goes to stock.
• Short or backordered: less arrived than was ordered. Record what came and what is still owed.
• Damaged: it arrived but cannot be used. It does not go to stock, and the supplier hears about it the same day.
• Held for inspection: it may be fine, but needs checking first, for example waiting on a cert. Keep it physically separate and out of usable stock until someone decides.
• Over-shipped: more arrived than was ordered. Decide whether to keep it or send it back, and do not let it quietly become free stock that is later billed.

4. Write the problem down while it is in front of you

Note what was wrong, how many, and take a photo for damage. Do it at the time, not from memory at the end of the week. Suppliers credit problems that were reported on the day with evidence; they argue about the rest.

5. Only pay for what arrived

When the supplier's bill comes in, check it against two things: the purchase order (was this the agreed price?) and what you actually received (did we get this many?). This is called a three-way match. If the bill is for ten and you received seven, you pay for seven, or you get a credit note for the rest.

6. Chase the open problems every week

Keep one list of every short, damaged and held delivery that is not yet sorted, with how long each has been open. Look at it once a week. Anything older than a month is usually money you will never see unless someone picks up the phone.

The checklist

• Purchase order in hand before the box is opened.
• Every line counted and checked, not just the boxes.
• Each line marked accepted, short, damaged, held or over-shipped.
• Problems written down with photos on the day.
• Bills checked against the order and the receipt before paying.
• Open problems reviewed every week.