Low-stock warnings
The point of counting stock is the warning: know an item is thinning before the shelf is bare. Set one number per product and the Low tags do the watching.
Who can do this: anyone can read the warnings; changing thresholds takes inventory rights (Owner, Admin, or Manager).
How the warning works
- Every product has a Warn at number, set when the product is added (blank means 5).
- When a location's on-hand count is at or below that number, the row shows a Low tag.
- The Inventory page header counts them for the whole business: "3 items are running low." When nothing's low it says "Every shelf is stocked."
Tune the threshold
The Warn at number is set when the product is created, so choose it for how fast the item moves and how long reorders take:
- Fast movers with slow suppliers deserve a high warn-at (run out of CE Ferulic in a week, takes two to restock: warn at 4, not 1).
- Slow movers can sit at the default.
Example. Golden Coast warns at 3 on their retail sunscreen. Wednesday's count puts Santa Monica at 3: the Low tag appears and the header reads "1 item is running low." The order goes out Thursday; Monday's delivery gets Set to 12 and the tag clears.
Common questions
- Where do I see all low items at once? The header gives the count; the Low tags mark the rows. Scanning the page top to bottom is the review.
- Does it email or text anyone? No. The warning lives on the Inventory page; make it part of a weekly rhythm rather than waiting for an alarm.
- Why is one location low when the other is fine? Counts are per location by design. That's your cue to move product, not necessarily to buy more.
- Can I change Warn at later? Not on this screen today, so pick it thoughtfully when adding the product.
Good to know
- A Low tag at one location plus surplus at another is a transfer problem, not a purchasing problem.
- The header's count is the fastest daily read: anything other than "Every shelf is stocked." deserves ten seconds.