Receiving deliveries: checking orders at the back door

The truck pulls up at 7:15, the driver stacks six cases by the back door, hands over an invoice, and wants a signature. What you check in the next five minutes decides whether you pay for exactly what you got. A receiving deliveries checklist gives whoever's on shift the same steps every time: count, compare, inspect, note, then sign.

Small errors at the back door add up over a year. A routine catches them.

Why does receiving matter so much?

Your signature usually says you received what's on the invoice. Once the driver leaves, proving a shortage gets harder.

Errors happen for ordinary reasons. A case gets loaded on the wrong truck. A price on the invoice doesn't match the agreed price. A case is crushed. A product arrives with a short date.

None of this means anyone is dishonest. It means a quick check protects both you and the supplier.

Here's a hypothetical. A store receives three deliveries a week. If each one has a single missed error worth $8 on average, that's $24 a week, or about $1,250 over a year. The check takes five minutes.

What's on the checklist?

Here's a simple version to print and post by the back door.

1. Count the cases or packages and compare with the invoice or delivery slip.
2. Open or check a sample of cases to confirm the right item, size, and flavor.
3. Look for damage: crushed boxes, leaks, torn packaging, broken seals.
4. Check dates on perishables. Note anything close to its date.
5. Check prices on the invoice against what you expected.
6. Write any shortage, damage, or substitution on the invoice before signing.
7. Get the driver's initials next to any notes, if they'll give them.
8. Sign, and keep your copy with the day's paperwork.

For busy mornings, the minimum is steps 1, 3, and 6. Count, look for damage, and note problems before you sign.

How do you handle shorts, damage, and substitutions?

Shorts. If the invoice says 10 cases and you got 9, write "received 9, short 1" on the invoice. Ask whether the missing case will come on the next delivery or be credited.

Damage. Refuse clearly damaged items if your supplier allows it, or note them and set them aside. Take a photo.

Substitutions. Sometimes a supplier sends a different size or flavor when they're out of what you ordered. Decide whether to accept it. If you do, note it so your records match.

Short dates. If an item arrives close to its date, note it. Some suppliers will credit or replace it.

Follow up the same day. Call or message your rep with the invoice number and what was wrong. Keep a log of credits owed and check that they show up on the next invoice.

Who should receive, and when?

Assign receiving to someone who knows the products and has authority to sign. A brand-new cashier alone at the register shouldn't also have to check a delivery.

Schedule deliveries for quieter times when you can. Receiving during a morning rush means either the register or the delivery gets shortchanged.

Keep receiving supplies by the back door: a clipboard, pen, box cutter, and a copy of the checklist. For clipboards, pens, and labels, browse the office and school supplies category on NRS Marketplace. For box cutters, bags, and other store items, check the store supplies category.

What happens after the truck leaves?

Put stock away promptly, especially cold items. Rotate older stock to the front so it sells first.

Update your POS inventory if it tracks stock. Accurate receiving keeps your counts accurate.

File the invoice with notes. At month's end, compare invoices with statements from the supplier, and make sure all credits were applied.

For general background on keeping stock records in order, Wikipedia's page on inventory management is a good overview.