??Inside the Head of Your Employee pt.3

An Expedition into the Dark Side of Inventory: Why Self-Counting is a Game Changer (part 3...the finale)

Ah, the wonderful world of inventory counting! If you've been there, you know—there’s a special kind of chaos that comes with stock takes. But out of all the methods I've tried, self-counting? That’s the one that makes sense. Sure, there are bumps along the way, but compared to the alternatives, it’s your best bet.

Like with third-party counting, you’ve still got prepping to do, an auditor (aka your trusty manager, in most instances) keeping an eye on things, and, of course, cleanup after the chaos. But unlike third-party counting, you control when you count, how messy it gets, and best of all—you save on resources!

Sidenote, ever seen the bill for bringing in a third party versus a one-time payout for devices and using your own team? It’s a big difference.

Alright, let's dive into the details!

Self-Counting: The Adventure Begins

When I first had the privilege of self-counting, it was a whole new experience compared to bringing in a team of outsiders. Sure, we still prepped for a week beforehand—tagging, organizing, and rallying enough manpower to make it happen.

Our store opened at noon on Sundays, so we had 10 counters (plus the manager) ready to go at 6:30 a.m., bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We had 12 scanners… or so we thought. As these things go, nothing ever runs perfectly. Two scanners wouldn’t upload, one was reserved for auditing, and one refused to charge. So, with four scanners down, we made do with six and sent the extra folks home.

Here’s where my brain went into overdrive: What if we could just use our phones for counting instead of these outdated scanners? Personal devices are always up-to-date, employees already know how to use them (we all know they sneak a look at their phones anyway), and it would be game-changing! Imagine an app that syncs with your system like your scanners but on a device everyone knows how to handle. Genius, right?

The Counting Process: Controlled Chaos

Despite the scanner drama, we powered through and wrapped up counting in about 4.5 hours. With help from other departments, they cleaned as they counted, knocking down recovery time. By the end, we spent just one more hour tidying up and troubleshooting the few items that refused to scan.

The beauty of this method?

We weren’t bound by a third-party’s schedule. If we hadn’t finished before opening, we could’ve continued during store hours. I even counted the backroom in the shoe department while customers shopped!

What I Learned: Self-Counting is the Bomb.com

Compared to my past experiences with third-party counts, self-counting wins—hands down. Why? Because you’re in control. Sure, the tech can be finicky sometimes (looking at you, scan guns), but nothing beats the satisfaction of running your own show. Plus, you avoid the nightmare of a third party wrecking your department and spending hours cleaning up after them.

Self-counting also lets you focus on customers. You pick the time that works best for your team—like a quiet Sunday morning. No more dealing with a third-party’s rigid schedule. It even gave us a chance to teach other departments about our products, helping us push inventory that needed moving.

One downside? Investing in scanners and maintaining them can get pricey. But hey, most companies already have a few. And, I’ve seen worse setups… (a story for another time.)

Final Thoughts

I’m not here to tell you exactly how to run your inventory counts—just sharing my experience from the trenches. Managing an in-house process is no small feat, and while self-counting offers more control, there’s still room for improvement. That’s where OmniCounts would have been a game changer.

Imagine skipping the scanner issues and using a simple app that connects to every device your team already has—the same personal devices they know and love.

No need to juggle outdated scan guns or send counters home because of tech failures. With OmniCounts, the process would have been faster, more accurate, and way more efficient. Real-time data, seamless counting, and the ability to continue during operating hours would have turned that 4.5-hour scramble into a smooth operation.

OmniCounts also would have eliminated the burden of maintaining expensive scanners or worrying about tech hiccups.

Everything is updated automatically, so your team can focus on what matters: accuracy and efficiency.

It’s a solution that doesn’t just fix the bumps in the road but paves a smoother path altogether.

Bottom line? OmniCounts could have made our self-counting experience faster, more flexible, and headache-free—giving us all the control we love, with none of the tech hassles. From someone whose been there, you need to explore the app-based counting option...it will change your life for the better.

Conclusion to this Series

This is the last part of the trilogy of counting methods, but do not fret! There are several other articles I've posted to help you navigate the world of app-based counting and ensure you get the most bang for your buck, and the best method for the future of your inventory. Please check those out!

For more information about OmniCounts, app-based counting system, please find us at www.omnicounts.com or hop on over to my DMs!

*Disclaimer-this is my personal view on how the count was done in my situation, it will vary from store to store. However, upon talking to several other employees on the frontlines, most of the plot is the same and most of the issues faced align.