What Is a Blind Count?
A blind count can be defined as an inventory technique for making sure that your store’s inventory is completely accurate. By performing blind counts, you can catch mistakes before they become a serious problem.
Blind counts are performed by walking through the store and checking every shelf and stock location to see if it contains what it should. For example, if you have a stack of shirts on a shelf, you would count the number of shirts on the rack. Afterward, you can compare it against the computer register to make sure that the number matches up.
Advantages of the Blind Count
Avoiding Inventory Loss
Blind counts are effective because they provide protection against inventory loss. For example, if someone accidentally throws out a box of T-shirts, you’ll know when you count the shirts during a blind count. If something is damaged or missing, the count will reveal its absence.
Preventing Human Error
In addition to catching mistakes in your inventory, blind counts can also be used to ensure that your employees are properly doing their tasks. For example, an employee might be told to keep enough shirts in stock for one day’s worth of sales. If you’re running low on stock and you suspect that someone has stolen some shirts from your store or otherwise mishandled them in some way, counting the shirts can tell you whether or not that employee was following instructions.
Disadvantages of the Blind Count
If blind counts are not performed correctly, there could be mistakes in computation that lead to inaccurate results. The person doing the counting doesn’t have the full picture of the on-hand inventory. For example, if an item has been misplaced, the worker won’t be aware of that so the result will be off.
In addition, blind counts are quite time-consuming. So they may not be feasible in certain situations where businesses have many different types of products or a high volume of products at one location.