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Negative UsageLast Count + Deliveries - Ending Count = UsageNegative usage is a common error that shows up on finalized inventories because some combination of the Last Count, Deliveries, and Ending Count for a particular item is inaccurate. "Unexplained growth" is another way to conceptualize negative usage because it results from a larger Ending Count than the combined total of the Last Count + Deliveries. It appears as if you ended with more product than you started with, and no records to show why that is the case.Taking the example below, you can see that this account started the inventory period with 1 bottle of Yards Pale Ale, received 0 bottles, and ended with 25 bottles, resulting in a usage of -24. Because the usage of this beer cannot actually be negative, either the last count of 1 bottle, the total deliveries of 0 bottles, or the most recent count of 25 bottles is inaccurate. Negative Usage - No DeliveriesBecause this beer comes in a case of 24 bottles, let's assume that there was an order of 1 case that is not showing up here on this inventory. If it was, then the usage would be 0 bottles and the negative usage error would be resolved.Corrected Usage - Example #1In addition to making sure the delivery/order records are accurate, checking the two counts (last and ending) to make sure there are no errors is also important. If we use a very similar starting example, we are now seeing a usage of -10 bottles even though we have a delivery entered. In this case, maybe the error is with the last count. Negative Usage - Last CountFor example, maybe the count from the last inventory period was supposed to be 1 case instead of 1 bottle. If we make that correction, then the negative usage is resolved.Corrected Usage - Example #2Conversely, maybe there was a miscount on the current inventory that we are looking at, and in one of our storage rooms we accidentally counted 1 case of Yuengling and put that on the Yards Pale Ale count. Once that is corrected, the negative usage resolves once again.   Corrected Usage - Example # 3While negative usage can seem like a confusing concept at first, it is really just a way for BevSpot to alert you to data entry errors on an inventory count. The most common error that results in negative usage is "missing" deliveries or orders. Quotations are used here because "missing" does not necessarily mean an order was not communicated or recorded in BevSpot. The "missing" order from the first example of 1 case of Yards Pale Ale could have been entered into BevSpot, but the delivery date and time of the order, or, the finalized inventory date and time is inaccurate. This results in the order typically showing up in the inventory period before or after the current one.  A simple date/time adjustment fixes that issue. You can also check the item history on the Item Card to see if there was an order that is falling outside of the inventory range.See the Inventory Overview article for why dates and times are crucial for accurate data.*IMPORTANT* - The above examples can also incorporate Transfers and Prepared Items, along with deliveries, in creating/resolving negative usage.MiscountsA good first step to check for miscounts is to toggle the Usage column on the Count Summary tab to display the Current Value, which is the sitting inventory total ($) for all of the items. Clicking the Current Value column will then toggle the values from highest to lowest or lowest to highest. This action helps identify counted items with a low sitting inventory value, or a value of $0.00, as well as any items whose sitting inventory value looks abnormally high. Items with a count greater than 0, but a sitting inventory value of $0.00, means that the price/cost of the item on that inventory is $0.00 and needs to be updated. The section below on Cost/Price Issues covers how to fix this.Current Value If an item is identified with an abnormally high or low sitting inventory value, then there may have been a miscount of some kind on the current inventory. Sometimes this occurs because a count was made in cases that was meant to be made in units, or vice versa. To quickly look at all of the counts for any item on an inventory, navigate to the Count Summary tab, and click the Total Count next to any item that you want to investigate.Total CountThis action will pop out the storage areas on the right side of the screen (full screen on mobile) with the counts in each area displayed for that item. This view makes it easy to compare the counts in each storage area from the previous inventory to the current one, and help to determine if a miscount occurred across the entire location, or if it is isolated to a specific storage area. Adjustments to current counts can be made directly from this pop out window by selecting the blue button in the storage area and displaying the calculator feature.The display windows are also important to check because they can be toggled between unit, case, and packaging type (volume, weight, etc,), but any switch made does not change the entered value for the count. If you count 12 bottles and then change the display window to "cases," BevSpot is now calculating the storage area count as 12 cases. Display WindowsThe display windows are for showing the storage area count with a specific packaging type. For example, you may want to see your bottled beer counts in the FOH storage areas displayed in bottles, but the counts in the BOH storage areas displayed as cases. As long as any display window switches are made before you begin counting the storage area, this type of counting error is avoided.Cost/Price IssuesIncorrect costs/prices on an inventory is a very similar error to overcounting or undercounting. It is commonly caused because the case price for an item is entered as the unit price and vice versa. Pricing updates/changes that are made on the Items page or from an Order Record will be reflected on either a currently open inventory draft, or the next inventory draft that is opened. However, for previous inventories, including inventories that were just finalized, if updates need to be made to items with incorrect costs, those edits need to be made directly on the inventory. BevSpot will highlight any items whose current cost is significantly different from the cost on the inventory with a red flag (>50% difference). From the Count Summary tab, click the three vertical dots next to the item and select Edit Cost to make the appropriate updates. Edit Cost*IMPORTANT*  - The above action to make edits to the costs of items on a specific inventory can also be done on the Cost of Goods Sold report. Cost of Goods Sold If you have additional questions or would like to learn more, feel free to schedule a training with the BevSpot team HERE.