The Inventory Hub has three sections beyond stock counts that most shops and restaurants end up using: Waste, Labels and Purchasing. This article shows what each one does and how to use it.
Opening the Inventory Hub
In the left sidebar click Shop+, stay on Products and click the Inventory tab. The Inventory Hub sidebar lists Overview, Stock, Purchasing, Waste, Labels and Reports.
Waste: recording stock you lost
Spoiled food, breakage, expired items and mistakes all reduce stock without a sale. Logging them keeps your counts right and shows where money is going.
Step 1 – Open Log Waste
Click Waste in the Inventory Hub sidebar. The Log Waste form is at the top and the Waste Logs table is underneath.
Step 2 – Fill in a row
Product: search for the product that was wasted.
Sub Product: optionally, the sub product involved.
Vendor: optionally, the vendor it came from.
Qty and Unit: how much was wasted.
Reason: for example expired or damaged.
Date and Notes.
Deduct from inventory: tick it to take the wasted quantity off the product's stock.
Click Add Row to log several items at once and Remove to take a row out. Click Save Waste.
Step 3 – Review the Waste Logs
Saved entries appear in Waste Logs with the date, product, sub product, quantity, unit, reason and notes. Filter by start date, end date and vendor, then click Apply. Export CSV downloads the list. The Inventory Hub Overview also summarises waste for the month, by day, by month and by most-wasted product.
Tip: log waste when it happens, with a consistent set of reasons (Expired, Damaged, Dropped, Overcooked, Returned). A month of consistent reasons shows whether the problem is ordering too much or handling.
Labels: printing QR or barcode labels for products
The Labels section creates label templates that carry a QR code or barcode of each product's SKU, and produces a printable PDF with one product per page for your label printer.
Step 1 – Start a template
Click Labels in the sidebar, then New Template (or Create Template if you have none yet). The Create Label Template window opens at Step 1 of 2.
Step 2 – Name it and choose the code type
Template Name: for example "Shelf label 2 x 1".
Code Type: QR Code (SKU) or Barcode (SKU). Both encode the product's SKU, so make sure your products have SKUs.
PDF Template: upload a single-page PDF that matches your final label layout. Each product is printed on a copy of this page, with the code placed where you choose.
Click Continue to go to the second step, where you position the code on the page.
Tip: design the PDF at the exact size of your label stock, with your logo and any fixed text already on it. The template then only has to add the code.
Purchasing: forecast, reorder and purchase invoices
Click Purchasing in the sidebar. The tabs across the top are Forecast, Reorder, POs, Bills, Drop-ship and Approvals.
Forecast
The Demand Forecast projects sales ahead from your sales history, using the trend and the day-of-week pattern, and rates each product's risk of running out. Cards at the top count products at High Stockout Risk, Medium Risk and Low Risk, products whose stock is not tracked, and the number of forecasted items. Choose how much history to use (28 days to 1 year) and how far ahead to project (7 to 90 days), then filter the list by risk level. The forecast needs sales history, so a new shop sees it fill in as orders come in.
Reorder
Reorder Suggestions are based on sales velocity over the last 30 days. Cards count products that are Critical (out of stock), Urgent (below reorder point), Watch (low days of cover) and To Order. The table lists each product with its urgency, on hand, on order, days of cover, suggested quantity and estimated cost. Products are grouped by preferred vendor. Products with no preferred vendor are grouped together with a note to set one, which is needed before a purchase order can be generated.
POs
The POs tab lists your Purchase Invoices. Click New Invoice to record a purchase from a vendor.
How these fit together
Receive stock with a cost so counts and costs are right.
Log waste as it happens so counts stay right between stocktakes.
Check Reorder weekly to see what is out or running low.
Use the Forecast before busy periods to order ahead.
Print labels for new products so they can be scanned.
Common questions
How do I record spoiled or broken stock? Inventory → Waste → fill in Log Waste, tick Deduct from inventory and click Save Waste.
How do I print barcode labels for my products? Inventory → Labels → New Template, choose Barcode (SKU) and upload your label PDF.
How do I see what I need to reorder? Inventory → Purchasing → Reorder.
Why is the forecast empty? It needs sales history. It fills in once you have orders.
Where do I see stock counts and adjust them? See "The Inventory Hub: On Hand and Inventory Details" and "Counting stock with Stocktake".