A candy store has two inventories. Bulk bins are sold by the pound, so they're counted by the pound: weigh what's in each bin and what's left in the back-room case, and value it at cost a pound. Packaged candy, chocolate bars, bags of imported licorice, boxes of fudge, is counted by the piece, with an eye on the best-by dates, since chocolate and fudge don't keep like hard candy. The gap between what the scale says and what the register sold is shrink: samples, spills, scoops that never got weighed, and the occasional pocket. And every self-serve bin needs its label in plain view: under the FDA Food Code, which states adopt in their own versions, bulk food customers scoop themselves shows the maker's label, or a card with the name, ingredients, allergens and nutrition. In the example below, a Minnesota candy store weighs its bins on a Monday and finds a bin with no card.
The short version
- Count bulk bins by weight: the bin plus the back-room case, valued at cost a pound.
- Order to a par in pounds, by the case.
- Every self-serve bin shows the maker's label or a card with ingredients, allergens and nutrition.
- Count packaged candy by the piece, and watch the best-by on chocolate and fudge.
- Shrink = start + received − sold − counted; work it out weekly for the big bins.
- Covered bins and scoops keep the candy protected and cut the spills.
- TaroStack counts by weight on a phone, and buys by the case and sells by the pound. More below.
What to count, and how
| Stock | Count by | Also keep |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk bins | Pounds, bin plus back room | The maker's label or card on each bin |
| Packaged bars and bags | Pieces | Best-by dates |
| Fudge and chocolates | Pieces | Best-by, kept cool in summer |
| Gift boxes | Pieces, and the candy in them | What goes in each box |
Starting the store is in how to start a candy store, and shrink in a store in grocery store shrink.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Self-serve bins | Labeled in plain view with the manufacturer's label, or a card or sign with the common name, ingredients, major food allergens and nutrition labeling (Food Code 2022, 3-602.11(C)) |
| Displayed food | Protected from contamination by packaging, guards, display cases or other effective means (3-306.11) |
Your state's retail food license and its inspector apply these. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a Monday weigh-in in Stillwater
Chestnut Street Candy Co., the made-up candy store in Stillwater, Minnesota, I use in these examples, weighs its bulk bins every Monday before ordering. Part of this week's count:
| Candy | Case | Cost a lb | Pounds on hand | Value | Par | Cases to order | Label on the bin? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gummy bears | 30 lb | $3.10 | 18.5 | $57.35 | 40 | 1 | Yes |
| Sour watermelon slices | 20 lb | $3.85 | 6.0 | $23.10 | 25 | 1 | Yes |
| Chocolate-covered pretzels | 15 lb | $6.40 | 9.0 | $57.60 | 20 | 1 | Yes |
| Salt water taffy | 25 lb | $4.20 | 31.0 | $130.20 | 30 | 0 | Yes |
| Jelly beans, 40 flavors | 10 lb | $7.90 | 4.5 | $35.55 | 15 | 2 | No |
| Malted milk balls | 10 lb | $5.30 | 7.0 | $37.10 | 15 | 1 | Yes |
These bins hold $340.90 at cost, against $15.99 a pound at the register. The jelly bean bin had lost its card when it was refilled, so the maker's label went back up, allergens and all. The week's shrink came to 2.1% on gummy bears, 5.0% on chocolate pretzels and 5.5% on taffy, $14.65 at cost on the three: the taffy bin's sample cup went, and the pretzels moved behind the counter with a scoop the clerk uses. A fudge box dated November 2 went to the front. Why counts drift is in why inventory does not match.
Get the spreadsheet
Download the candy store inventory spreadsheet. Three sheets: bulk bins, each candy by weight with its value, par, cases to order and whether the bin shows its label; packaged, with best-by dates, cases to order and days to best by; and bin shrink, the week's start, received, sold and counted weight, with shrink in pounds, as a share and at cost. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
Sixty bins, a back room of cases, and a register that sells by the pound: the spreadsheet needs the Monday weigh-in typed in by hand, and the summer rush makes it a week late.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack counts by weight on a phone, and buys by the case and sells by the pound.
Buy by the case, stock by the pound. A 30-pound case of gummy bears is received as a case and stocked in pounds, and TaroStack does the math.
Counts with no signal. The bins and the back room can be counted on a phone with no signal, typing each weight off the scale.
Oldest first. Packaged candy is received with its best-by date, and the expiry forecast shows what's coming up.
| The job | Spreadsheet | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Pounds in each bin | Typed in after the count | A count on a phone, offline |
| Cases to order | Par minus on hand, by hand | The reorder list |
| Fudge near its date | Checked box by box | The expiry forecast |
Counts, the reorder list and the expiry forecast are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.