Goods Receiving: The First Step in Stock Control That Most Sites Get Wrong.
Updated: Sep 5
Every cardboard box on that delivery isn't just a cardboard box.
Treat it like an envelope stuffed with £50 notes, because that's exactly what it is.
That's the mindset shift that separates sites that control their stock from sites that wonder where the money went.
Goods receiving is the first fundamental step in the stock control journey. It's the point at which your money enters the building, and it's one of the most consistently overlooked parts of the operation.
For the full breakdown of how this actually plays out, including the keg, the pressure tactics drivers use, and what a properly run goods-in process looks like at scale - See the three-part series starting with Two Kegs In, Two Empties Out - One Wasn't Empty!
Nobody enters your cellar or storeroom unaccompanied. Ever.
This isn't about distrust. It's about removing the opportunity for anything to go wrong.
I've seen a delivery driver wheel a full keg of Guinness out of a cellar, hidden underneath a stack of empties. It happened. It cost money. And it happened because nobody was watching.
Your cellar and storerooms hold significant value. Access should be controlled, supervised, and limited — full stop. The moment you allow unsupervised access, you've created an opportunity you can't afford to leave open.
Touch every product. Don't scan and assume.
Your delivery note is a legal document. It's the record of what your supplier says they've delivered — and it's what they'll refer to if you try to claim a credit later.
Don't wave it through. Don't trust the driver's count. Don't scan a barcode and assume the box behind it contains what it should.
Touch every item. Check every line. Tick it off only when you've confirmed it's there.
Delivery drivers are professional, generally decent people — and part of their job is waiting while you check. A few minutes won't hurt them. Rushing a delivery check to be polite will hurt you.
Put the stock away immediately.
I've walked into sites and found a full delivery sitting in the car park — cases of wine stacked outside, nobody around, because the person who took the delivery had gone back inside.
That stock isn't in your building yet. It's accessible to anyone who walks past. Loading a few cases of Pinot Grigio into a car takes thirty seconds.
Once a delivery is checked and signed for, it goes straight to the cellar or storeroom. Not in a bit. Immediately.
Always check for discrepancies and claim credits.
Short deliveries happen. Wrong products get substituted. Items arrive damaged.
The question is whether you catch it at the point of delivery — or whether it silently becomes a variance on next month's stocktake.
Check the delivery note against the invoice. If something is missing, damaged, or substituted, note it on the delivery documentation before the driver leaves. Unclaimed credits are money your business is owed that never arrives.
Weak goods receiving is a signal.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: if your goods receiving process is inconsistent or poorly supervised, word gets around.
Suppliers, drivers, and staff all develop a working understanding of how tight or loose a site is. A site with weak delivery checks sends a clear signal — this is a soft touch.
That signal gets exploited. Not always dramatically. Often quietly, gradually, in ways that show up as variance month after month without an obvious cause.
Tighten goods receiving and you remove an entire category of loss at source — before it ever reaches the stocktake.
I'm David Holden. I've spent 30 years working across hospitality audit and operations, helping hotels, pubs, restaurants and bars identify where profit is being lost and put practical controls in place to stop it.
If you think your goods receiving process or wider F&B controls aren't giving you the control they should, get in touch. I'll help you work out where the gaps are and what needs to change.
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