Stock in the warehouse does not match the records

For warehouse and logistics assistant posts this is the question, often as a written scenario: the stock card says 480 bags, your count says 452. The panel scores four things: do you recount before you report, do you look for paper errors before you suspect theft, do you report the difference honestly even when it looks bad for you, and do you fix the cause so it does not return. Drivers and fleet assistants get the same scenario with fuel: the log says 40 litres went in, the tank and the mileage say less.

1. 1Recount with a second person, the same day, in every location: the main store, the damaged corner, the pallet by the door, the truck not yet offloaded.
2. 2Reconcile the paper: waybills received but not posted, issue vouchers not entered, a wrong item code, a loan to another project, expired items removed without a disposal form.
3. 3Check physical causes: damage, expiry, pests, water, a broken lock. Write them on a damage report with photos; hiding a torn bag is worse than the bag.
4. 4Report the unexplained difference in writing to your supervisor the same day, with the count sheet, the stock card and the list of what you checked. Never change the record to make it match.
5. 5Adjust only with written approval: a stock adjustment form signed by the manager, attached to the card. The card then shows the truth and who approved it.
6. 6Fix the cause: weekly cycle counts on high-value items, one named person per stock card, FIFO or FEFO on the shelves, a locked cage for medicines and fuel, and receipts posted before the truck leaves.