Featured in CROQ # 8, the Winter Issue 2007.

Inventory: The Necessary Evil?
         by Lauren Bernier

Break it down!
      Inventory is/does:
· Best for people with lots of stock that make multiples of the same items.
· Less necessary for someone who does OOAKs or commissioned work.
· Make it easier for: Tax purposes and doing craft shows.

 Inventory seems like a really big hassle. A really boring, time consuming, hassle. As someone who used to work in the restaurant business I can safely tell you that it is all of those things. But in some cases it’s also very necessary. And for those of us who are anal and/or mildly OCD this’ll be lots of fun. For the rest of you, I’ll try to make this as painless as possible.

 What exactly is inventory? Inventory is one of those words that encompasses a lot of things. It’s your rough materials (beads, glycerin, yarn, fabric, metal, dye), it’s your finished product (jewelry, scarves, soap), and it’s a process of record keeping. For our specific purposes it’s the latter. Inventory is the process of counting and documenting your current stock.

 So why do inventory? Knowing how much you sell and which products sell best is imperative to knowing what you should sell and where. Some items do better in larger venues, some sell better on-line, some only seem to sell in that one consignment store in Massachusetts. It helps you determine what you should bring to that next craft show or what you should present to that consignment store in Massachusetts the next time they call. It eliminates the guesswork. Despite all the time it takes initially, it eventually becomes a time, and money, saver.

 Who needs to do inventory? People who frequent craft shows will probably benefit most from doing inventory, especially those who make a lot of the same items like cards, buttons, shirts, soaps, and cosmetics. Though personally I mostly make OOAKs I still do inventory, just to keep track of what I’ve sold and when. That’s because I’m anal and mildly forgetful (read: really forgetful).

 So how do you do inventory? I’m going to show you the way I do it, but it’s by no means set in stone. Create your own system, something that fits the way you work. Maybe it’s just a straight up list and description, maybe it’s a complex excel spread sheet with diagrams, maybe - like me - it’s just a notebook with INVENTORY written on the cover.

 First, every item I create has a name. Baron Samedi, Spring Forest, Elemental Pound, etc… I then use the initials of these names to create an item number. Baron Samedi = bs1, Spring Forest = sp1, and so on. If I create multiples of an item the number rises, sp2, sp3. Pretty obvious stuff.

 From there the list is made. Item #, quantity, date (that inventory is taken, not date item was made), and description (earrings, necklace, reproduction of alien weaponry, etc…). Recently I also added date sold and location sold; this is mostly to keep track of who I owe sales tax (when I do fairs out of state), and also so I have an idea of what to bring next time I do a show there. If you don’t keep a ridiculous amount of receipts like I do, then you might consider adding a column for price of the item (again, good for taxes).

 Doodles on inventory lists are optional (pretty much any list I make, whether it be for shopping, inventory, or my ever expanding “List of things to do before the Shrub blows up the planet” is covered in doodles and random comments. It passes the time).

 Don’t forget to store your inventory list in a safe, dry place. Give it lots of love and care and don’t forget to take it out every once in a while for a little TLC (or updates, whichever). I like notebooks for this reason as they’re easy to file and not too complex (the world’s complex enough, why make it more frustrating?).

 And that, ladies and gents, is inventory. It’s pretty simple, slightly less painful than paying the rent, and a bit more useful than that bread machine you got from your Aunt Sue last Christmas.