How to do a salon stocktake in under an hour

The short answer

Pick a quiet hour before opening or after closing, tidy the shelves the day before and split the salon between two people. Count one zone at a time in a fixed order: colour, developer and lightener, backwash, retail, then the storeroom. Count unopened stock, follow one rule for opened items, recount anything odd, then write the reorder list.

What do you need before you start?

Very little: a stock list or a stock app, two people, a pen and an hour when the salon is closed or quiet. The work that saves the most time happens the day before: putting deliveries away, tidying and facing the shelves, and agreeing how you will count opened bottles and tubes.

• A stock list in shelf order. Print it from your system or spreadsheet so you count in the order the products sit, or use an app on your phone.
• Two people. Each takes half the salon, so the counting takes half as long.
• Deliveries put away. Boxes on the floor get counted twice or not at all. If one arrives late, count it as a separate line.
• Tidy shelves. The same products together, labels facing out, the oldest stock at the front.
• A rule for opened items, agreed before you start (see below).

How do you do a stocktake in a salon?

Work zone by zone in a fixed order and count only what is in front of you. Two people can each take half the salon: one the colour bar and dispensary, the other the backwash, retail shelves and storeroom. Recount anything that looks wrong, then turn the numbers into a reorder list.

1. Choose a quiet hour. Before opening or after closing, so nothing is used or sold while you count.
2. Split the salon into zones. Colour bar, dispensary, backwash, retail and storeroom, plus anywhere stock hides: stations, drawers and reception.
3. Count in the same order every time. Left to right, top to bottom, shelf by shelf, in the order of your stock list.
4. Count unopened stock as whole units. Opened items follow the one rule you agreed.
5. Write each number down straight away. Never count a whole shelf in your head and write it up later.
6. Count the spares. Back-up stock in the storeroom is still stock, and so are unopened boxes from today's delivery.
7. Recount anything odd. If a number is far from what your records expected, count that product once more before you accept it.
8. Turn the count into a reorder list. Compare each product with its par level and order the gap.

How often should a salon do a stocktake?

Do a full stocktake once a month or once a quarter, with a quick weekly check of fast movers such as colour, developer and backwash products in between. Add a full count at your financial year end if your accountant needs a closing stock figure. Short, regular counts are easier than one big one.

Monthly suits a busy colour salon where shades come and go quickly. Quarterly can be enough for a smaller salon with a short retail shelf. Whichever you pick, count on the same day each time so the numbers compare.

Should you count half-used bottles and tubes?

Count unopened stock as whole units and give opened items one simple rule, used the same way every time. The easiest rule is to leave opened items out, because they are already in use. If you want them in, count each opened item as a half rather than guessing by eye.

When should a UK salon do its year-end stocktake?

Count as close as you can to the last day of your financial year, if your accountant needs a closing stock figure, and list each product with what you paid for it. Whether you need one depends on how your accounts are kept, so ask your accountant before the year ends, not after.

• Limited companies cannot use the cash basis (GOV.UK), so ask your accountant how they want stock counted and valued.
• Sole traders, and partnerships without corporate partners, use the cash basis as standard. With it, "you only record income or expenses when you receive money or pay a bill" (GOV.UK), so ask whether a stock figure is needed at all.
• Valuing stock: HMRC's manual lists "the lower of cost or net realisable value" as one accepted basis (HMRC, BIM33115). In plain words: what you paid, unless the product is now worth less, for example because it is damaged or out of date.
• Keep the count sheets with your records for the year.

This is general information, not tax advice. Pages checked on 14 October 2026.

What do you do with the numbers after a stocktake?

Use them the same day. Reorder each product up to its par level, look into any product where the count and your records disagree, and change par levels that turned out too high or too low. Then put the next count in the diary, so the routine sticks.

1. Reorder up to par. Par level minus what you counted is your order.
2. Look into the gaps. Less on the shelf than your records say can mean use that was not recorded, retail that left without going through the till, a short delivery or a breakage.
3. Fix your par levels. Bring down a shade that has not moved; raise one that ran out before order day.
4. Move slow retail. Feature it at the till, or move it to the backwash and record the move, before it is past its best.
5. Book the next count. Same day, same order, same rule for opened items.

In stock against full level

Correct the count

What should a stocktake checklist include?

Three short lists: what to do the day before, what to do during the count and what to do straight after. Print the one below and keep it with your stock list, or copy it into your own. Ticking it off each time keeps every count the same, whoever does it.

Questions salons ask

How long does a salon stocktake take?

It depends on how many products you carry and how tidy your shelves are. The routine in this guide is planned to fit in under an hour with two people, shelves tidied the day before and a fixed counting order. The first count takes longest, because you are also building your stock list.

Can I do a stocktake while the salon is open?

You can, but the numbers move while you count. If you have to, count one zone at a time when it is quiet and note anything used or sold from that zone during the count. Counting before opening or after closing is simpler and more accurate.

What is the difference between a stocktake and a stock check?

A stocktake counts everything you hold. A stock check, sometimes called a spot check, counts a few products, for example your fast movers such as colour, developer and backwash products. Weekly stock checks between full stocktakes catch problems early.

Should I count stock at cost price or retail price?

For your accounts, list stock at what you paid your supplier. HMRC accepts valuing stock at the lower of cost or net realisable value, which matters for damaged or out of date products. Retail prices help with your own sales planning, not with the stock value.

On the App Store and Google Play

Let Stocktend keep count

Stocktend is a stock app for hair salons. Snap a supplier invoice, check the lines and they land on your shelf, scan products out at the backwash or the till, and see what is running low before it runs out. It works alongside the booking system you already use.

See how it works

£8.99 a month for your whole team, and every new salon gets a 2-month free trial. See pricing.