Parts stock at the counter: SKUs and barcodes
How parts stock moves when parts are sold at the counter in Achekam, why a barcode scan finds a part only by its SKU, and what to set up carefully.
By Achekam · · 4 min read · For Automotive businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya
A parts counter lives or dies by how quickly it can find things. A fitter asks for front brake pads for a particular model, the counter assistant scans the barcode on the box, and the till shows nothing. Now somebody is searching by description, guessing between two similar part names, and the customer behind the fitter is waiting.
Parts are also where workshop stock quietly drifts. Filters walk out to the workshop floor without being booked, a supplier's delivery is shelved but never recorded, and the stock figure in the system stops meaning anything.
This article explains how Achekam handles parts sold at the counter: how parts are set up, how a scanner finds them, how stock moves, and the limits that make careful set-up worth the effort.
Creating parts in the Item Master
Parts are products, and products are created in the Item Master in the Accounting menu. Each one carries a SKU, a name, a category, a selling price, a cost price, an opening quantity and a VAT treatment. The Item Master needs the Point of Sale, Warehousing or Wholesale add-on.
For a parts department, the category is worth thinking about before you start. Grouping by system, such as brakes, filters, electrical, suspension and body, makes the list usable for people who do not know a part number by heart.
A scan finds a part only when the code matches its SKU
At the time of writing, no screen lets a business record a separate barcode for a product. A scanner at the till therefore finds a part only when the code it scans matches the part's SKU.
That leaves two practical approaches:
| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Use the barcode as the SKU | When creating the part, enter the number printed under the manufacturer's barcode as its SKU | Scanning the box works; but your SKUs are long numbers that mean nothing when read |
| Keep your own SKUs and label the shelves | Use your own part codes and print labels with those codes for the bins | Codes stay meaningful; boxes without your label cannot be scanned |
You can also mix the two: barcode-as-SKU for fast-moving boxed items like filters and plugs, and their own codes for loose or unboxed parts. Whatever you choose, be consistent within a category so the counter staff know what to expect. Investopedia's guide to stock-keeping units explains how retailers build and use SKUs to track stock levels and sales, and how a SKU differs from a UPC barcode.
Stock leaves at the till's location
When a part is sold at the till, the sold quantity comes off stock in the same step, at the location the till was opened at. If you run a front counter and a workshop store, open each till at the location its parts physically come from, so the quantities stay true for each.
With the Warehousing add-on, a business keeps stock locations such as warehouses, stores, bins and vans, with the quantity on hand at each. A service van carrying common parts can be its own location.
Negative stock: allow it or refuse it
If a sale would take a part's quantity negative, the till refuses it, unless the business has chosen to allow negative stock.
Refusing is the stricter choice, and for most parts counters the better one. A part that shows as out of stock but is physically on the shelf is a signal that something was received without being recorded, and it is better to find out at the counter than at the year-end count. Allowing negative stock keeps the counter moving on a busy Saturday, but the negative quantities then need someone to investigate them every week.
Cost of sales from a single cost price
Every till sale posts a journal in the same step, including cost of sales against inventory at the product's cost price. In Achekam that cost is the single cost price typed on the product. There is no FIFO or weighted-average costing.
For parts whose supplier price changes often, that means the cost of sales on each sale reflects the cost price you entered, not the price you paid for the particular box on the shelf. Your accountant may want to review margins on frequently repriced lines at month end.
Prices and costs that cannot be edited yet
At the time of writing, no screen lets a business change a product's price, cost or VAT treatment after creating it, or deactivate it. For a parts catalogue that is the most important limit to plan around. Before creating each part:
- Check the selling price against your current price list.
- Enter the cost price you expect to pay on your next order.
- Confirm the VAT treatment with your accountant.
- Get the SKU right, especially if it is the barcode number.
- Have a second person check a batch of new parts before you create them.
Getting new stock onto the shelves
Two more limits affect how quantities change. Goods received against a purchase order do not add stock, and stock counts, wastage, transfers and opening quantities do not post to the general ledger; only till sales and till returns move the inventory account.
With the Warehousing add-on, a stock count sets a location's quantity to what was counted and records the difference as an adjustment. For a parts department, a regular count of fast-moving lines keeps the quantities believable, and your accountant can adjust the inventory value in the ledger from the count with a manual journal.
Once parts are in place, the next questions are about payment at the counter; see bank transfers at the service counter and recording card payments from the bank terminal.
General guidance only, not advice on your own circumstances. Tax and payroll rules change: check the current position with the authority or your adviser.
