Doing a manual inventory count

Manual inventory counts are how you tell Amari what you actually have on hand. Even with perfect recipes, small discrepancies creep in — spillage, a cup that got torn, a free sample you gave to a regular. A weekly count keeps your system honest and your reports accurate.

Before you start

You can physically reach every item in the shop (shelf + storage)
You have 15–30 minutes of uninterrupted time — ideally before opening or after closing
Amari is open on the tablet you'll use for counting

When to do a count

Weekly — the standard cadence. Pick a day and stick to it (e.g. every Monday morning).
After a delivery — verify the warehouse sent what you ordered.
When numbers look wrong — if your expected count and actual count are dramatically different at shift close, do a full recount of that item.
Before reports — if you're about to show numbers to a partner or investor, count first to make sure the reports reflect reality.

How to do a manual count

Go to Inventory

From the sidebar, tap Inventory. You'll see every ingredient and supply for the current branch with their current stock levels shown as progress bars.

Filter by category (optional)

If you're only counting one category (e.g. just Cups, or just Powders), use the category filter at the top to narrow the list. Otherwise scroll through all of them.

Count each item physically

Walk the shelves. For each item:

Count what's on the working shelf (by the counter)
Count what's in storage (back stock)
For opened containers (half-full jars, partial sacks), estimate as a percentage or fraction

Counting liquids and powders

For items measured in grams or milliliters (powders, syrups, pearls), "full container" = 1.0 or capacity. A half-full jar = 0.5. Two sealed bags + one half-empty bag = 2.5. Amari stores these as decimal fractions of the capacity.

Enter the count in Amari

For each item, tap the current quantity field and type the actual number you counted. For items with separate Shelf and Storage amounts, enter both.

The new value replaces whatever was there — no math needed on your end. Amari records the old and new values for audit.

Tap Save Counts

At the bottom of the page, a sticky Save Counts bar appears as soon as you've changed anything. It shows how many items were modified. Tap it to commit all your changes at once.

Amari creates an InventoryCount audit record for each item — who counted, when, and what the new quantity was. You can see the history later if you need to trace back a discrepancy.

Tips for accurate counts

Always count before opening — counting during service means staff keep consuming items as you count them, and your numbers drift.
Count with two people — one counts, one enters. Faster and less error-prone than solo counting.
Don't round up — if you see 17 cups, enter 17, not 20. Rounding hides shrinkage you need to know about.
Check low-stock items first — Amari highlights items below their low-stock threshold in red. Count those first so you can decide whether to trigger a replenishment right away.

What to do if the count is way off

If your actual count is significantly lower than what Amari expected, you've got shrinkage. Common causes:

Recipe wrong — the per-sale quantity in the recipe is too low, so Amari thinks you've used less than you actually did. Fix the recipe.
Waste/spillage not logged — a spilled milk carton wasn't recorded, so Amari still thinks it's on the shelf.
Uncounted void/refund — a voided sale returned ingredients to stock that were actually thrown out.
Theft — rare but possible. Investigate if the same item is short across multiple counts.

Understanding units (base unit vs storage unit vs capacity)
Setting low-stock thresholds
Using the Inventory Audit report