A critical stock alert is only useful while the stock figure is right, and that figure depends on what a sale deducts. When a product has both a recipe and Stock Tracking on, it is unclear which one is used; products put under tracking without a single purchase go negative with every sale. That is why RoxPos inventory management first makes the deduction rule visible and then ties the alert to it.
What is deducted on sale? One rule
- A product with Stock Tracking on, a raw material or a semi-finished item: its own stock is deducted. Even if it has a recipe, the recipe is not used on sale; it only works in production.
- Stock Tracking off, product with a recipe: if Recipe Management is on, the recipe ingredients are deducted. This is the right setting for items made to order, such as a toastie or a coffee.
- Stock Tracking off, no recipe, or a product with a recipe while Recipe Management is off: nothing is deducted from stock.
- Produced items: when a production slip brings an item into stock, its tracking is switched on automatically. Ingredients are deducted once, at production, and the sale deducts the item itself, so nothing is deducted twice. More in our article on production slips and cost.
The coloured badge on the recipe screen
In the Recipe Management list every product carries a badge: green means Stock Tracking is off and a sale deducts the recipe; red means tracking is on and the product's own stock is deducted. When you open the recipe of a tracked product, the screen warns you as well. The product card also shows a warning when a product has a recipe but its own stock is tracked. For the cost side of recipes, see our recipe cost guide.
The Stock Tracking menu: every product in one list
The Stock Tracking menu under Stock shows all of the branch's products in one list: the number of recipe ingredients, the number of stock movements and the last movement date, current stock and a Deducted on sale label. The label states the result of the rule: own stock, recipe ingredients or nothing. Filters: tracking on, tracking off, tracked with no movement, with recipe, recipe with tracking on, raw material. The same menu is in the mobile app.
The most useful job is clean-up. Over time, tracking may have been switched on by mistake for hundreds of products; they have no purchases or counts and go negative as they sell. Filter the tracked products with no movement, select the visible ones, switch tracking off in bulk and save; only the changed rows are saved, in one go. Raw materials and semi-finished items are always tracked, and their switch is locked.
The Critical Stock Levels screen
The Critical Stock Levels screen under Stock lists tracked products, raw materials, semi-finished items and stock items not linked to a product together. Each row shows current stock next to a critical level box. An item at or below its level shows as Critical, one at zero as Out of stock and one below zero as Negative Stock, all in red. The below-critical-only switch narrows the list to what needs ordering.
When does the notification arrive?
When an item falls to or below its critical level, the notification is sent once per item and is not repeated on later sales. Table, QR and online sales all count. To re-arm, the alert waits for a real stock entry: a purchase, a count increase, production, a transfer in, an opening balance or a stock entry without a document lifts the stock above the level, and if the item drops again the notification comes again. A sale cancellation or return does not re-arm it. If you set a level on an item whose stock is already at or below it, one notification goes out right away. Recipients are chosen in the Critical stock row of Notification Management: everyone, selected staff or off.
Setting it up: five steps
- Turn on Recipe Management in general settings; give made-to-order products a recipe and leave Stock Tracking off.
- Turn Stock Tracking on for products you buy in and sell as they are (bottled water, canned drinks).
- In the Stock Tracking menu, review products with a recipe and tracking on, and tracked products with no movement; switch off unneeded tracking in bulk.
- Enter levels for your items on the Critical Stock Levels screen and save.
- Choose the Critical stock recipients in Notification Management, and record purchases and counts regularly with stock movement documents.