Retail POS tracks detailed information about changes to inventory in each item’s inventory history. This can be useful for reconciling inventory counts, resolving negative inventory issues, identifying data entry errors, and troubleshooting unexpected average cost calculations.

Accessing inventory history

1. Navigate to Inventory > Item search.
2. Locate the item using the search features.
3. Click History.

Your cost accounting method determines which fields are displayed in an item’s history, and how some values are calculated. For example, ∆ Avg cost is not available on the Inventory Movement Logs table when using the first in, first out (FIFO) accounting method.

Understanding the Inventory Movement Logs table

The Inventory Movement Logs table tracks inventory activity. This includes sales, refunds, transfers, purchase orders, inventory reservations, and creating or breaking boxes and assemblies. Each column provides detailed information about inventory movements:

• # (ID): Click an ID number to open detailed information on the event, including the resulting quantity on hand (QOH) and average cost after the inventory movement was completed. This also shows details about adjustments made to individual inventory lots and negative inventory records to fulfill the action.
• Reason: Reason for an inventory movement, like sales and refunds, but also cost adjustments, reservations for work orders, and check-ins from purchase orders. This is displayed as a linear action (e.g. On August 1 > John the employee > Manually adjusted quantity > with impact on inventory). If a change is made through the API, the API client will display below the employee’s name.
• Change in qty: Changes in unit quantity.

• ∆ Negative (change in negative inventory): Changes in the amount of negative inventory in your account. This number increases when negative inventory is created, and decreases when negative inventory is resolved manually or by a purchase order or transfer.

  This column only tracks changes to negative inventory. This means it stops tracking units when QOH becomes greater than zero. For example, if your inventory for Kid's Striped T-Shirts is -5, and you receive 10 from an inventory transfer:

  • The ∆ Negative column will show a change of -5, since the negative inventory has reduced by 5 units.
  • The 5 remaining units of positive inventory won’t appear in this column, since the QOH has gone above zero.
• ∆ Reserved (change in reserved quantity): Change in quantity of items reserved for layaways, special orders, or work orders. Increases when units are reserved, decreases when units are sold or reservations canceled. Displays a negative value when selling these reserved units in a sale.
• Change in cost: Notes updates to the cost of an item. If troubleshooting an unexpected average cost, this field can help pinpoint which inventory movements caused the value to change.
• ∆ Avg cost (change in average cost): Indicates change to the weighted average cost of the item by the action. Displays a dash ( – ) when the workflow can’t change the average cost or $0 when items are received at the current average cost. This column only appears if you're using the average cost accounting method.
• ∆ Value (change in value): Indicates the change in the total value of inventory by shop. Reservations will not change the value of inventory until they are sold. Retail POS calculates this number differently depending on which cost method you’ve chosen for your account.
• Source: Cause of changes in inventory, such as sales, purchase orders, and work orders. Clicking a source will take you to its details.
• Customer: Click a customer’s name to navigate to their account details.

Understanding the Inventory Lot Changes table

The Inventory Lot Changes table tracks changes to inventory lots (a single reception of units). Lots are primarily used with FIFO cost accounting, but Retail POS displays information about inventory lots regardless of your cost accounting method. Lot information should not be confused for the inventory metrics used for average cost accounting.

• Inventory ID: Click to access the inventory entry for that change with details like cost information and changes in unit quantity.
• Change: Number of units added or removed from an item’s inventory.
• Remaining: Remaining quantity on hand (QOH) after the change.
• Received/Removed: Time the lot was added to the account or the last time it was adjusted. For other adjustments, the time stamp in these columns will match.
• Cost/unit: Cost per unit when the adjustment was made. This amount depends on your cost accounting method.
• Vendor: Vendor for the adjusted lot.
• PO# or shipment: Purchase order number for the units adjusted, when applicable.
• Employee: Employee who processed the sale or adjustment.
• Log ID: Click to access the Inventory Movement Logs page for that change.

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