It’s one in the morning, you are counting an endless aisle filled with jars of tomato products and just as you reach your fiftieth jar you think, “Wait, was that fifty or sixty?” If this has happened to you, it’s likely you’ve participated in a grocery store overnight inventory.
Conducting regular, accurate inventories is a requirement for running a successful store. Many co-ops do cyclical counts of center store products on a quarterly basis, and it’s not uncommon for co-ops to do inventories themselves to save money. However, there can be unrecognized cost savings and other benefits to contracting with a professional inventory service instead. NCG offers discounted inventory counting services through a national contract with the North American Association of Inventory Services (NAAIS).
Working with NAAIS or a similar service results in more efficient use of your labor hours. Co-op staff don’t need to work additional hours or late at night for an after-closing count, and you won’t have to train employees how to conduct an inventory. NAAIS sends a team of professionals to perform a fast, accurate and efficient inventory. Depending on store size, the work can be done in a matter of hours. In addition, co-ops that participate in our centralized contract with NAAIS enjoy the benefit of having NCG process the billing on their behalf.
The end of a calendar year is a good time to plan your co-op’s upcoming inventory schedule and book your quarterly counts with NAAIS. Because many retailers prefer to conduct inventory as close to the end of a financial quarter as possible, dates and times can fill up quickly. Scheduling early and having some flexibility on the exact dates makes it more likely that NAAIS can accommodate your request.
While a number of NCG co-ops already take advantage of our inventory services contract, many more are also eligible. NAAIS continues to work toward expanding its service footprint, including larger metropolitan areas that our program has not had access to. To find out if your store is located in a geographical area served by NAAIS, check the participation requirements on the Inventory Counting Services page on our website, or contact Leslie Kegel at (866) 709-2667 ext. 2320 for information on potential service expansion in your area, rates and how to get started with NAAIS.
Whether you are able to participate in NCG’s NAAIS contract or not, you can take advantage of our Inventory Counting Services Prep Checklist. It outlines tasks to accomplish before you undertake an inventory to support an accurate, efficient and smooth-flowing count. Even at one in the morning.
