A cycle count lets you check your shelves against what SalesThumb thinks you have, then correct every item you counted in one go instead of fixing them one at a time. It's part of Inventory, which is a Growth-plan feature (Growth and Pro). Starting, committing, and canceling a count needs permission to manage inventory, which owners, admins, and managers have by default.
Where to find it
From the sidebar, click Inventory, then click the Cycle count tab in the bar across the top of the Inventory pages.
What gets counted
A cycle count covers every active inventory item in your shop. Archived (inactive) items are left out. Film rolls are tracked roll by roll on their own, so they aren't part of a cycle count. For those, see receiving and tracking film rolls.
Starting a count
- On the Cycle count page, find the Start a cycle count card.
- Optionally type something in Notes (optional), like "Monthly full-shop count" or "Spot check: coatings shelf only." The note shows at the top of the count while it's open and in the history list afterwards.
- Click Start cycle count.
SalesThumb takes a snapshot of every active item's current on-hand and shows a message confirming how many items were snapshotted.
Only one cycle count can be open per shop at a time. If one is already open, you'll be asked to commit or cancel it before starting another. If you leave and come back, the open count is still there.
Entering what you counted
While a count is open, the Count in progress card shows one row per item with four columns:
- Item: the name, plus brand and SKU (or "no SKU").
- System qty: what SalesThumb had on hand when the count started.
- Counted qty: type what's physically on the shelf. The empty box shows the system number in grey as a hint.
- Variance: worked out as you type. It shows exact when your count matches, a green + number when you have more than expected, and a red − number when you have less.
A few things to know:
- Leave a row blank if you didn't count it. Blank rows aren't touched when you commit.
- Counts must be whole numbers, zero or higher.
- To clear a number you typed, click the small X next to the box. That marks the row as not counted again.
- The badges at the top track your progress: items snapshotted, counted, and with variance.
The numbers you type aren't saved until you commit. If you refresh or leave the page, the count stays open, but you'll need to re-enter anything you typed.
Committing the count
- When you're done, click Commit count. The button shows how many rows you've filled in, like Commit count (12). It's greyed out until you've entered at least one count.
- A Commit this cycle count? box tells you how many items have a variance and how many will be left untouched.
- Click Commit count to confirm.
For each item you counted, SalesThumb sets on-hand to the number you entered by recording a real stock adjustment, whether that's an increase or a decrease. Items that already matched stay as they are. A summary message tells you how many items were adjusted, how many matched exactly, and how many were left uncounted.
If stock moved while the count was open (a job used some, or a purchase order was received), that's fine. The adjustment is based on on-hand at the moment you commit, so the item lands on exactly the number you counted. Each adjustment's note mentions the cycle count, so you can tell it apart from a manual edit.
A committed count can't be undone from this screen. If a number was wrong, correct that item on its own.
Canceling a count
To throw a count away, click Cancel count at the top of the Count in progress card, then confirm with Cancel count. Nothing you entered is applied and no stock changes.
Looking back at past counts
When no count is open, the Recent cycle counts card lists your last 10 counts. Each one shows its status (COMMITTED, CANCELLED, or OPEN), when it started, how many items were snapshotted, and its note.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I have to count every item before I commit?
A: No. Only the rows you type a number into are adjusted. Any row you leave blank is left exactly as it is.
Q: Can two people run separate cycle counts at the same time?
A: Not in the same shop. Only one cycle count can be open per shop at a time, so commit or cancel the open one before starting another.
Q: What if a job used stock while the count was open?
A: That's handled. When you commit, each counted item is set to the number you entered based on on-hand at that moment, not the snapshot from when the count started.
Q: Are film rolls included?
A: No. A cycle count covers your active inventory items. Film rolls are tracked roll by roll and aren't part of it.
Q: Can I undo a committed count?
A: Not from the cycle count screen. Each correction is a normal stock adjustment, so fix any wrong number on that item directly.