The shop counted 18. The brand sent 20. What happens next?
A stock difference is easier to sort out when dispatch, receipt and later sales are kept as separate facts. Here is a practical way to handle the conversation.
The brand packed 20 units. The shop says 18 arrived. If both teams simply change the stock total to 18, the gap disappears from the spreadsheet. It does not disappear from the relationship.
A better response is to keep the two counts and ask where the difference happened. The same principle works later when a stocktake does not match the sales and returns on record.
Keep dispatch and receipt separate
The dispatch record is what the brand sent. The receipt record is what the shop counted on arrival. Check the packing list, carton count and delivery notes while the handover is fresh. If two units are short, record the shortage against that delivery rather than silently changing the brand’s dispatch number.
You may find a second carton, a counting error or damage that needs a different conversation. Keeping the original records gives you a way back through what each person knew at the time.
Reconcile in steps
Start with the quantity the shop confirmed. Subtract recorded sales and returns. Then compare the expected remainder with a physical count. For example, if 18 were received, 7 sold and 2 returned, you would expect 9 left. If the shop counts 8, there is one unit to investigate. That is a stock difference, not automatically a sale.
Review till records, transfers, breakages and any late entries. Decide how a confirmed loss or damage is handled under the terms both businesses agreed. Do not use a convenient adjustment to turn an unresolved unit into settled revenue.
Use the record for the next placement
Fondacos keeps dispatch, receipt, sales and returns tied to the same agreement. A discrepancy can be seen alongside the movement that caused it. Once the count is understood, the brand and shop can have a useful conversation about the next delivery rather than reopening the last three months of messages.
If you are setting up a first trial, the shop checklist is a good place to start. Clear terms before delivery make a short count much easier to resolve.
