Can you fill this stock request?
Reconcile what the system shows with what the store can sell.
The question
A customer at a fictional clothing store wants 14 units of one style and size. Staff have yet to check every location. Transactions for that item are paused while the lead compares the records.
| Units | |
|---|---|
| On hand | 24 |
| Reserved for pickup | 6 |
| Shown as available | 18 |
The system subtracts pickup reservations from on-hand stock.
“How many units can you offer, and what needs to change in the record?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What does the stock record tell you?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Promise the 14 because 24 are on hand.
Tempting, but it misses something. Six of those units are already reserved, and the stock still needs verification.
Use 18 as the book figure and verify availability.
The strong move. This preserves the existing commitments while the team checks the count.
Remove the six reservations to make the request easier.
Tempting, but it misses something. Those units are assigned to earlier pickup orders.
See how a strong candidate says it
“It shows 24 on hand and six reserved. That leaves 18 shown as available. Confirm the physical stock before you commit to the customer.”
Why it works: The system figure tells you what is recorded for the item.
Step 2: What would you check in the store?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Count only the units on the sales floor.
Tempting, but it misses something. This misses pickup, held units and any units in the backroom.
Compare the total without checking the style or size.
Tempting, but it misses something. The customer asked for a specific item. A nearby size cannot satisfy the count.
Match all physical locations to item and movement records.
The strong move. This can show which units are free and which book entries are open.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Match the style and size in every location. Separate pickup and damage holds. Compare the count time with the transfer and damage records.”
Why it works: An on-hand difference can come from a stock movement that has yet to post.
Step 3: How many can you offer now?
A full count finds 18 units on site: 6 reserved for pickup, 2 held for damage and 10 saleable. The transfer record shows 6 units left the store, but the transfer has yet to post.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Offer 14 by taking four from pickup stock.
Tempting, but it misses something. That takes units committed to earlier customers.
Offer 10 and identify the 8-unit difference.
The strong move. This protects reservations and explains the difference between the book and the offer.
Post an 8-unit unexplained loss.
Tempting, but it misses something. The records explain both the transfer and the damaged units still on site.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Offer 10, so the request is short 4. The 18 on site and 6 pending transfer units explain the 24 on the system. The two damaged units and the six transferred units make availability 8 too high.”
Why it works: Only saleable units without a reservation can go to this customer.
Step 4: What would you tell the owners?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Tell the customer 14 are available and fix the record later.
Tempting, but it misses something. The verified stock does not support that offer.
Make the verified offer and give the inventory owner the transfer and hold records.
The strong move. This handles the customer request and lets the owner reconcile the system.
Close the stock issue after the customer takes ten.
Tempting, but it misses something. The incorrect record could affect the next shopper or pickup order.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Tell the customer you can offer ten once the check is clear. Verify any alternative for the other four. Ask the inventory owner to post the transfer and record the damage hold, then recheck availability.”
Why it works: The customer needs a verified offer. The inventory owner needs the two different record changes.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Offer up to ten verified units and reconcile the record.
- Because
- The full count separates reserved, damaged, transferred and saleable stock.
- What would change it
- A verified transfer or a confirmed alternative supplies the other four.
Common traps
- Treating system availability as a physical count.
- Recording a known movement as unexplained loss.
Check your answer
- What is reserved?
- What is physically present?
- How does the stock reconcile?
- Who owns each update?
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026