Inventory how-to

How to train a team member to do reordering

Give them a written process, not just verbal instructions.

Short answer: Give them a written process, not just verbal instructions. Walk them through one real reorder cycle together, then let them run the next one with you checking their work before anything is sent to suppliers.

Write down the process first

Before training anyone, put the steps on paper or in a shared doc. Include where supplier lead times and minimums live, how to read a reorder point, and who approves a purchase order before it goes out. If this only exists in your head, the training will be inconsistent and hard to repeat with the next hire.

Start with the why, not just the how

Explain the basic logic before the clicks: daily sales rate, lead time, safety days, and reorder point. Someone who understands that reorder point equals daily sales times lead time plus safety days will catch mistakes. Someone who just follows a checklist will not.

Shadow, then swap roles

Have the new person watch you do a full cycle: review suggested quantities, adjust for anything unusual like an upcoming promotion, approve, and send. Next cycle, they drive and you watch. Only after that do they run it alone, with a rule that anything above a set dollar amount or anything unusual gets a second look from you.

Set clear limits and escalation rules

Decide upfront what they can approve on their own and what needs you. New suppliers, price changes, large orders, and discontinued items are common lines to draw. Put this in writing so it is not a judgment call made under time pressure.

Step by step

  1. Write a one-page process doc covering lead times, safety days, and approval rules
  2. Run one full reorder cycle together and narrate your decisions out loud
  3. Have them run the next cycle while you review before anything is sent
  4. Set a dollar threshold or category list that always needs your sign-off
  5. Give them a short list of edge cases to flag: new SKUs, discontinued items, supplier changes
  6. Check their first few solo cycles against what you would have ordered
  7. Revisit the written process after a month and fix whatever was unclear

Worked example

Say a store sells a candle at 6 units a day, the supplier lead time is 10 days, and the safety stock is 4 days. The reorder point is 6 x (10 + 4) = 84 units. If the team member sees 90 units on hand, they should know not to reorder yet. If they see 70, they should know it is already time. Walking through two or three examples like this during training makes the formula concrete instead of abstract.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf can make training easier because it already calculates the order-by date and suggested quantity per SKU, so your team member is reviewing and approving a draft rather than doing math from scratch. It will not decide which orders are unusual enough to escalate to you, so you still need to set those rules and check their early decisions yourself.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.

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FAQ

Should the new person have their own login for approving purchase orders?

Yes, give them their own access rather than sharing your login. This makes it clear who approved what, which matters if an order turns out to be wrong and you need to trace back what happened.

How long does it usually take someone to reorder confidently on their own?

It depends on how many SKUs and suppliers you have, but most people need to see a few full cycles, including at least one unusual situation like a stockout or a supplier delay, before they should run things unsupervised.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

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