# Compare a shop delivery with the purchase order

A delivery arrives with three product lines. The note in the box agrees with the order, but the physical count tells a different story for two of them. The shop owner wants a clear exception list before deciding what to do with the delivery.
The products, quantities and records here are fictional. They illustrate a comparison prepared from a purchase order, delivery note and staff count.

Canonical: https://areinum.com/examples/retail-delivery-quantity-difference/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-31

## Fictional example

The owner's request: Compare the purchase order, delivery note and staff count. Show the differences and prepare a supplier question.

Information provided:
- Fictional A102 black: ordered 12, delivery note 12, counted 10.
- Fictional B205 white: ordered six, delivery note six, counted seven.
- Fictional C310: ordered four, delivery note four, physical count not yet supplied.

Example result: A102: two short against the order. B205: one extra. C310: physical quantity unverified. A draft supplier question includes the order, note and counted quantities for A102 and B205.

The next step: The owner decides whether to recount, completes the outstanding count and chooses how to raise the discrepancy.

## Put ordered, documented and counted quantities side by side

For SKU A102 in black, the purchase order and delivery note each show 12 units; staff counted 10. For SKU B205 in white, both documents show six and staff counted seven. SKU C310 shows four on each document, but it has not been counted.

The physical count matters alongside the paperwork. The C310 line cannot be called correct just because the two documents agree.


## Make the differences easy to check

A prepared comparison can show A102 as two fewer than ordered and B205 as one more than ordered. C310 remains unverified until someone counts it. The delivery note has not established that all three quantities physically arrived.

The supplied example says nothing about damage or substitutions. Those details remain open.


## Give the owner a useful supplier question

After reviewing the count, the owner could use a draft such as: “Our order and delivery note show 12 black A102 units and six white B205 units. We counted 10 and seven respectively. Could you help us check the difference?”

The owner may recount first, check C310 and choose how to contact the supplier. The draft is ready to review.


## Keep the count with the supporting records

Once the shop has checked the physical delivery, the person responsible can decide how to record the receipt under the shop's process. A later correction should identify the new count and its source so the original discrepancy remains understandable.


## Questions you may have

### What if the delivery note matches the order?

That shows what was documented, but it does not replace a physical count. C310 remains unverified in this example.

### When should the owner contact the supplier?

The owner can first review or repeat the count, then decide whether to use the prepared question and which supporting records to include.

### Does the comparison change stock levels?

The shop decides how to record the delivery after checking the quantities. No inventory update is part of this example.

## Sources and further reading

- [View, receive, and adjust inventory](https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/6110-manage-inventory-with-the-retail-pos-app): Square explains receiving and adjusting retail inventory in its own product, including adjustment reasons.

## Related reading

- [AI for retail shops: keep deliveries, stock and prices connected](https://areinum.com/ai-for-retail-shops/)
- [Find the information behind an answer](https://areinum.com/product/data-checks/)
- [How to check work prepared by AI](https://areinum.com/guides/check-work-prepared-by-ai/)

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