Unlike what most people believe, store keeping is an important aspect of material management after purchase process. A storehouse is basically a place where finished goods and materials are kept and the person responsible for each activity in the store is known as the storekeeper or a store manager.
One of the major objects of storekeeping is to make sure that supply of materials in the store is incessant and without any delay. Another significant objective is to take care of over and under stocking of materials in the store. Storekeeping shield products from getting damaged, theft, fire and other risks. In addition, it also helps minimize the cost of storage. Storekeeping also guarantees appropriate and unremitting control over products. With the help of storekeeping the exact utilization of the storage space is done efficiently.
· Whenever it is required, issuing purchase requisitions to purchase department.
· After confirming about the quality and quantity of the product, receiving purchased materials from the purchase department.
· Storing all the products in the storehouse properly so that the items could be easily located whenever required.
· Keeping all the materials safely and in a manner that minimizes the risk of damage from mishandling.
· Issuing any product to different departments against material requisition slips properly authorized by the particular departmental heads.
· Maintaining proper records of each inventory and taking control of them for proper management.
· Providing complete information about each material available in the storehouse which is only possible if proper record is maintained with the help of bin cards and ledgers or any other means.
A store majorly has four sections, receiving section, storage section, accounting section and issue section.
Receiving Section: In a store, four kinds of inventories are received: raw materials; stores and supplies; tools and equipments; and work-in- progress or semi-finished goods.
First of all, the materials are received in the stores and then their checking and inspection is done. After this process, these are recorded in the books and maintained properly. A note is then forwarded to the purchase section of the store. The purchase department is also informed about any damaged goods or about any surplus. These damaged ones are then returned back to the suppliers with the instructions of the purchase department. And finally, the materials are forwarded to the respective departments where they are to be preserved.
Storage Section: A storehouse must have convenient sections for preserving different products at the right place. It must have various facilities such as shelves, racks, bins etc. so that the goods are stored carefully without getting damaged. A single room is manageable if the organization is small but if it a big one then multiple sections and rooms are mandatory.
Accounting Section: This section is sole responsible for keeping every single detail about the receipt and issue of materials. The actual role of this section is to control and manage the inventory.
Issue Section: The goods must be issued to other departments only after getting authorized requisition slips. Soon after issuing any product, an entry must be made in the cards to maintain records. These cards contain every single detail which is helpful for inventory control.
There is a very broad set of skills that is required for this very niche role. While on one hand you have to be good at customer management, on the other, you should also have the knack to sell. Thus good sales and marketing skills that includes knowledge of various principles and methods of selling and promoting products and services and a solid understanding of business and management principles involved in strategic planning is also a requirement for storekeeping role.
If you want to excel at your job then good communication skills is also necessary as you will be talking to a number of customers, most of whom are more comfortable using English. Throw in some psychoanalytical abilities such as ability to understand human behavior and performance, and you will be the most sought after storekeeper in the town. Needless to say, a solid finance background and good mathematical skills will always prove helpful in maintaining the balance sheet and profit-loss ratio.
All the above mentioned skills can be developed in due time. Plus, once you learn the art of relationship building, a storekeeping job would yield great results.
What are the various objectives of storekeeping?
One of the major objects of storekeeping is to make sure that supply of materials in the store is incessant and without any delay. Another significant objective is to take care of over and under stocking of materials in the store. Storekeeping shield products from getting damaged, theft, fire and other risks. In addition, it also helps minimize the cost of storage. Storekeeping also guarantees appropriate and unremitting control over products. With the help of storekeeping the exact utilization of the storage space is done efficiently.
What are the various functions of storekeeping?
· Whenever it is required, issuing purchase requisitions to purchase department.
· After confirming about the quality and quantity of the product, receiving purchased materials from the purchase department.
· Storing all the products in the storehouse properly so that the items could be easily located whenever required.
· Keeping all the materials safely and in a manner that minimizes the risk of damage from mishandling.
· Issuing any product to different departments against material requisition slips properly authorized by the particular departmental heads.
· Maintaining proper records of each inventory and taking control of them for proper management.
· Providing complete information about each material available in the storehouse which is only possible if proper record is maintained with the help of bin cards and ledgers or any other means.
How a store works?
A store majorly has four sections, receiving section, storage section, accounting section and issue section.
Receiving Section: In a store, four kinds of inventories are received: raw materials; stores and supplies; tools and equipments; and work-in- progress or semi-finished goods.
First of all, the materials are received in the stores and then their checking and inspection is done. After this process, these are recorded in the books and maintained properly. A note is then forwarded to the purchase section of the store. The purchase department is also informed about any damaged goods or about any surplus. These damaged ones are then returned back to the suppliers with the instructions of the purchase department. And finally, the materials are forwarded to the respective departments where they are to be preserved.
Storage Section: A storehouse must have convenient sections for preserving different products at the right place. It must have various facilities such as shelves, racks, bins etc. so that the goods are stored carefully without getting damaged. A single room is manageable if the organization is small but if it a big one then multiple sections and rooms are mandatory.
Accounting Section: This section is sole responsible for keeping every single detail about the receipt and issue of materials. The actual role of this section is to control and manage the inventory.
Issue Section: The goods must be issued to other departments only after getting authorized requisition slips. Soon after issuing any product, an entry must be made in the cards to maintain records. These cards contain every single detail which is helpful for inventory control.
The skills required for a storekeeper job
There is a very broad set of skills that is required for this very niche role. While on one hand you have to be good at customer management, on the other, you should also have the knack to sell. Thus good sales and marketing skills that includes knowledge of various principles and methods of selling and promoting products and services and a solid understanding of business and management principles involved in strategic planning is also a requirement for storekeeping role.
If you want to excel at your job then good communication skills is also necessary as you will be talking to a number of customers, most of whom are more comfortable using English. Throw in some psychoanalytical abilities such as ability to understand human behavior and performance, and you will be the most sought after storekeeper in the town. Needless to say, a solid finance background and good mathematical skills will always prove helpful in maintaining the balance sheet and profit-loss ratio.
All the above mentioned skills can be developed in due time. Plus, once you learn the art of relationship building, a storekeeping job would yield great results.