How to track fabric stock by the metre
By Loomton · Updated
A fabric shop sells in lengths, not pieces: 2.75 metres from one roll, 1.5 from another. Counting rolls tells you little. What you need to know is how many metres are left of each fabric, and that needs a simple habit at the counter.
Give every fabric its own record
- A name you and your staff will recognise: "Cotton, white, 58 inch" is better than "white cloth".
- The unit you sell it in: metre, yard, piece or roll.
- Your selling price per unit.
- The level at which you want a warning, for example 10 metres.
Add stock when a supplier's bill arrives
Enter each purchase from the bill: the supplier, the date, each fabric and how much came in. Stock goes up by exactly what you received, and you have a record of what you paid.
Take stock off at every sale
Every cut is a sale line: the fabric and the exact length. Fractions matter. If 2.75 metres is written as 3, your records will show less cloth than you really have.
Returns go back in the same way, with the length that came back.
Check a few rolls each week
Measure two or three fabrics each week and compare with your record. Small differences come from generous cutting; large ones need a closer look. Correct the record and note why.
Reorder before you run out
A fabric that is "almost finished" is still on the shelf, so nobody notices until a customer asks for more than is left. A warning level for each fabric tells you earlier.
