Off-licence stock take: count every bottle by scanning, from the chiller to the stockroom
By mise · Updated October 15, 2026
Quick answer: an off-licence (liquor store, bottle shop) does its stock take bottle by bottle, scanning the barcode: hundreds of lines with a few units each, where one missing bottle matters more than ten cheap ones. Count by zone (shelves, chiller, stockroom), multiply sealed cases, record tastings and breakages as wastage with a reason, and compare the count with till sales to find the gap in money.
Scan the barcode on the bottle or snap a photo of the label: mise's AI finds the wine, spirit or beer and brings it back categorized. In an off-licence that means counting four hundred lines in a morning, knowing what the stock on the shelves and in the stockroom is worth, and seeing which bottles have not moved in months.
Off-licence in the UK and Ireland, liquor store in the US, bottle shop in Australia: the same shop with different words, and the same stock problem. Hundreds of lines, two or three bottles of each, and a bottle that walks out is a line that is missing and a customer who wanted it. This guide covers how to count fast and where the money goes.
Off-licence or liquor store: same count, different words
| UK and Ireland | US | What it means for the count |
|---|---|---|
| Stock take, stocktaking | Inventory count, physical inventory | Counting what is on the shelf |
| Wastage, shrinkage | Shrink | Stock that left without being sold |
| Till | Register, POS | Where sales are recorded |
| Chiller, stockroom | Cooler, back room | Zones to count separately |
| Multipack, case | Six-pack, case | Scan once, multiply by units |
| GP (gross profit) % | Gross margin % | What the gap costs you |
What to count in an off-licence
| Line | How to count | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Spirits (gin, whisky, vodka, rum, tequila) | Barcode of each bottle | Theft; 70 cl vs 1 L; limited editions |
| Wine (red, white, rosé, sparkling) | Barcode | Vintage: same label, two years |
| Beer and cider (cans, bottles, multipacks, cases) | Unit barcode; sealed cases × units | Best-before dates; chiller |
| Liqueurs, fortified, aperitifs | Barcode | Slow movers |
| Soft drinks, mixers, ice, snacks, tobacco | Barcode | High volume, low margin; tobacco counted every shift |
| Bottles with no barcode (small producers, direct imports) | Photo of the label; otherwise add once by hand | Never create the same item twice |
| Tastings, breakages, staff | Wastage with a reason | The "missing" bottle that was a tasting |
Many lines, few units: why the count is different
In a supermarket, being two units out in a hundred is 2 percent. In an off-licence, being one bottle out in three is 33 percent, and that bottle may cost what twenty cans do. So an off-licence does not sample: it counts everything, bottle by bottle, and needs to do it fast enough to repeat every month.
- Split the shop into zones: shelves by line, chiller, counter, stockroom. Several shops sit in one account as separate locations.
- Scan every bottle with the phone camera. It comes up with name, brand, size and photo; you type the quantity.
- Sealed cases: scan one bottle and multiply by 6 or 12. An open case is counted by unit.
- Recount the big differences before accepting them. Half the "missing" bottles are in the window display, in a gift box or in the other shop.
- Close and compare with the previous count and with purchases: real usage per line.
Do it in mise
- Scan the barcode on the bottle or snap a photo of the label: mise's AI finds the wine, spirit or beer and brings it back categorized (name, brand, photo, size, group and category).
- Count by zone (shelves, chiller, stockroom) and by shop with your team; sealed cases are multiplied by units.
- Tastings and breakages as wastage with a reason, so the real gap against the till stays clean.
- Minimum stock on the lines that turn and a reorder list in PDF, Excel, WhatsApp or email, split by supplier.
- Invoices in XML, Excel or CSV; stock value and movement history per bottle; export to Excel and PDF. Unlimited items, counts and scans.
7 days free, no card needed.
Finding the gap against the till
Expected stock = last count + deliveries − till sales. Counted stock is what you scanned. The difference, line by line, is wastage plus shrinkage: tastings, breakages, staff drinks, theft, till errors and deliveries that were short.
- Tastings and gifts nobody wrote down. Record them as wastage with a reason when they happen; the real gap stays clean.
- Till errors: the 70 cl sold, the 1 L rung up. Cash balances, stock does not.
- Short deliveries: the wholesaler left 11 cases, the invoice says 12. Check deliveries against the invoice by scanning each case.
- Theft: small, expensive bottles near the door. Weekly spirits counts show the pattern by shelf and by shift.
Stock value, rotation and the reorder list
An off-licence is working capital on a shelf. The stock take answers two questions: what is the stock worth at the invoice cost, and what is not moving. A line that has not sold in six months takes space and cash that could be in the gin that sells every week.
Set a minimum stock on the lines that turn (the best-selling lagers, the three gins that always go, the house wine). Anything below turns red and goes on the reorder list with the quantity short; the list exports as PDF or Excel or goes by WhatsApp or email to the wholesaler, split by supplier. See par level and liquor store inventory.
What mise does in an off-licence, and what it does not
In short, everything in the "Do it in mise" box above: scan or photo lookup, counts by zone and location with your team, wastage with a reason, stock value and history per bottle, minimum stock with a reorder list, invoices in XML, Excel or CSV, and export to Excel and PDF, with no limit on items, counts or scans.
Point the camera at the bottle and it comes up complete; stock value comes out in money. 7-day free trial, no card.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the barcode tell vintages apart?
Usually not: the same wine from two years tends to carry the same barcode. If you need to separate them, create an item for that vintage, with a name and photo, and count it on its own.
What about bottles with no barcode?
Snap a photo of the label: mise's AI tries to identify the wine. If it exists nowhere, add it by hand once, with a name and a photo.
How do I record tastings?
As wastage with a reason (tasting). Their cost shows up at month end and is not mistaken for theft.
How often should an off-licence do a stock take?
Spirits and premium sparkling weekly; the whole shop monthly. By barcode, four hundred lines are counted in a morning.
How much does mise cost?
7 days free, no card needed, to try it in your shop.