Why a box of 100 tablets can become one tablet in your stock report

The supplier invoice says quantity: 1. The carton in your hand contains 10 strips of 10 tablets. You enter the delivery, open the stock report and see 1 tablet available.

The supplier and the stock report are counting different things. On the invoice, “1” means one carton. In this POS record, “1” means one tablet. The missing step is the pack conversion: 1 carton × 10 strips × 10 tablets = 100 tablets received.

For a pharmacy buyer, the distinction matters before the next order. A report showing one tablet can trigger a purchase even when there are 100 on the shelf. Here’s how to find the first transaction where the POS balance stops matching the physical stock.

Choose one unit for the stock count

For this example, assume the pharmacy sells this product by the strip and by the individual tablet. Use the tablet as the stock unit. Staff can still receive a carton or sell a strip. The POS needs to convert each movement into tablets:

• Receive 1 carton → add 100 tablets.
• Sell 1 strip → deduct 10 tablets.
• Sell 1 loose tablet → deduct 1 tablet.

Check the pack size on the product you actually received. Another presentation of the same medicine may contain a different number of tablets per strip or strips per carton.

Follow one carton from delivery to sale

Start with an opening balance of zero for this product and batch. Assume there are no other sales, returns or transfers during the example.

1. Receive one carton.

The invoice lists one carton, and the packaging confirms 10 strips of 10 tablets. After receiving it, the physical count is 10 full strips = 100 tablets. The POS should show 100 tablets. If it shows 1 tablet, check the unit selected on the receipt and the carton conversion in the product record. If the report displays 1 carton, the quantity may already be correct. Read the unit label before changing anything.

2. Sell two full strips.

Two strips contain 20 tablets. Eight full strips remain on the shelf, so the physical count is 80 tablets. The POS should also show 80. If it shows 98, the till deducted two tablets for a sale of two strips. The delivery was recorded correctly. The mismatch began at the sale.

3. Sell three loose tablets.

Open one of the eight remaining strips and sell three tablets. The shelf now holds seven full strips plus seven loose tablets. That is 70 + 7 = 77 tablets. The POS should show 77. Opening the strip changes how the remaining stock looks on the shelf. Only the three tablets that left the pharmacy should reduce the total.

If the balance is wrong, correct the movement that caused it

Suppose the receipt added only one tablet. A second receipt for 100 might seem like a quick fix, but it would leave 101 tablets against a physical count of 100. A second receipt could also duplicate the purchase in your supplier records.

Trace the original delivery using the invoice number, product, batch and receiving unit. Use your system’s authorised correction or reversal process, and check the resulting stock balance and supplier invoice. If sales have already occurred, include them in the reconciliation. In the example above, the right closing count after both sales is 77, even if you discover the receiving error later.

Check the purchase cost at the same time. If the carton cost 500 in your local currency, the acquisition cost is 5 per tablet. A report showing 100 tablets at 500 each would value that delivery at 50,000 despite an invoice total of 500. Getting the quantity right is only half the receiving check.

A five-minute check before your next order

Choose one product your pharmacy buys by the carton and sells in smaller units. Take its latest invoice, the packaging and the POS movement history. Answer three questions:

1. At receipt: How many tablets did the carton contain, and how many did the POS add?
2. At sale: On a receipt for two strips, how many tablets did the POS deduct?
3. At the shelf: How many full strips and loose tablets remain, and does that total match the POS after all recorded movements?

For the example in this article, the three figures to look for are 100 received, 20 deducted for the strip sale, and 77 remaining after the loose-tablet sale. If your figures disagree, the first movement that fails the check tells you where to investigate before you spend money on another carton.