How to Run a Reorder Register: A Practical Guide
Running out of a critical supply is rarely about forgetting to order, it’s about nobody noticing the stock was low until it was gone. A Reorder Register is the system that notices for you: a list of the items you regularly buy, the stock level that triggers a new order, and the status of every order in flight. It sits between your inventory counts and your suppliers, and it’s what turns reordering from a panic into a routine.
It works alongside the Office Supply Inventory Sheet, which tells you what you have. The reorder register tells you what to do about it: what to order, from whom, how much, and whether the last order actually arrived.
When to Use This
Use it for every item you buy on a repeat basis, office consumables, cleaning products, packaging materials, spare parts. If you’ve ordered the same thing three times, it belongs on the register. One-off purchases don’t need this level of tracking; a purchase order alone is fine for those.
The register earns its keep when ordering is shared between people or when deliveries take time. If one person does all the ordering from memory, the business has a single point of failure, the register is the backup brain that keeps working when that person is on leave.
How to Fill It Out
Section 1: Item and reorder point. List each repeat-purchase item with its reorder point, the stock level that triggers a new order. Calculate it from usage rate and supplier lead time: if you use 10 units a week and delivery takes 3 weeks, the reorder point must be above 30 units, with a safety margin on top. Write down how you calculated each point, so future-you (or your replacement) can adjust it sensibly instead of guessing.
Section 2: Order quantity and supplier. Record the standard order quantity for each item and the preferred supplier, with contact details or account number. Standard quantities stop the “just order some” problem, the person placing the order shouldn’t have to decide how much is enough at the moment of ordering. Note backup suppliers for critical items; a preferred supplier with no stock and no alternative is how emergencies happen.
Section 3: Lead time. Record how long each supplier typically takes from order to delivery, based on experience rather than promises. Lead times are the hidden variable in every stockout, the reorder point assumes a delivery time, and if the real one is longer, the maths fails. Update lead times when they change; suppliers get slower (and occasionally faster) without telling you.
Section 4: Order log. Every order gets a row: date ordered, quantity, supplier, expected delivery date, and status. Update the status as things move, ordered, confirmed, dispatched, received, or delayed. This is the section that answers “did we already order the toner?” without anyone having to search their inbox.
Section 5: Receipt and discrepancies. When the delivery arrives, record the date received, the quantity actually delivered, and any discrepancies, short deliveries, wrong items, damaged goods. Link this to the Delivery Receipt Log if you keep one. Unresolved discrepancies need an owner and a follow-up date, or the supplier quietly keeps your money.
Common Mistakes
1. Reorder points set once and forgotten. Usage changes, the team grows, a new printer drinks toner faster, a product line is discontinued. A reorder point calculated two years ago is probably wrong now. Review them against actual usage at least twice a year, or the register will confidently trigger orders at the wrong time.
2. Ignoring lead times. Ordering when stock hits the minimum only works if the delivery arrives before the stock runs out. The most common stockout story is “we ordered in time”, no, you ordered at the reorder point while the supplier needed three weeks and you had two. Build real lead times into every calculation.
3. No order status tracking. Placing the order is half the job. Orders get delayed, partially shipped, or lost entirely, and without status tracking nobody notices until the shelf is empty. Check outstanding orders weekly, a two-minute review that prevents most “but we ordered it!” surprises.
4. Panic ordering in bulk. Running out once often triggers massive over-ordering “so it never happens again”, which ties up cash and fills the storeroom with stock that expires or goes obsolete. Fix the reorder point that failed instead of burying the problem under a mountain of safety stock.
Who Needs to Sign Off
The person responsible for ordering, usually office admin or procurement, maintains the register day to day. Reorder points and standard quantities should be agreed with the budget holder, since they commit the business to a spending pattern. Individual orders within the agreed pattern shouldn’t need fresh approval each time; that’s the point of the system. Orders above the standard quantity, new suppliers, or new items added to the register need a manager’s sign-off.
How Often to Review and Update
Update the order log with every order placed and every delivery received. Review outstanding orders weekly. Reconcile reorder points against actual usage twice a year, and review supplier performance, lead times, reliability, pricing, annually. A reorder register that isn’t reviewed slowly drifts away from reality; one that is reviewed stays the quiet machine that keeps the shelves full.
Download the free Reorder Register template.