Crate loss: how dairy and beverage distributors can track crates shop by shop

Short answer: crate loss happens because nobody counts crates at the shop door and nobody keeps a running crate balance for each shop. Fix it by recording crates given and taken back at every stop, keeping a balance per shop, counting the van when it returns, and following up weekly with the shops holding the most crates.

Key takeaways

• Crates go missing at the door, in the morning rush, when nobody writes the count down.
• A running crate balance per shop turns an argument into a record.
• Counting the van out and in on the same day explains most differences.
• In Bagdor, the driver records crates in and out at every stop in the Driver App, even without network.

Why do crates go missing?

For dairy, bakery and beverage distributors, crates are working capital on wheels. They are also easy to lose, because nobody owns the count.

• The morning rush. The driver has many stops and little time. Waiting for a shopkeeper to empty and return crates feels like a delay, so he leaves full ones and promises to collect the empties “tomorrow”.
• Shops find other uses. A sturdy crate becomes a stool, a display stand or storage for another supplier’s goods.
• Crates look alike. If your crates are not clearly marked, a shop can return another supplier’s crate, or give yours to someone else.
• Counts live on paper, if anywhere. A driver may jot crates on the back of a challan. The note rarely reaches the office, and never becomes a running balance.
• Drivers change. A new driver has no idea which shop is holding how many, and the shop has every reason to say “sab de diye”.
• Breakage goes unrecorded. A cracked crate thrown away at the shop looks the same as a lost one.

What does crate loss cost a distributor?

• Buying crates you already own. New crates are bought to replace ones sitting in shops.
• Short loading. When crates run short, vans leave with less than they could carry, or products travel badly packed and get damaged.
• Disputes without proof. When a shop says its count is wrong, there is nothing to show.
• Blame on the driver. Without a record, every shortage looks like the driver’s fault. Good drivers do not stay long under that cloud.

How to stop crate loss, even without software

The routine in seven steps:

1. Mark every crate with your name or a code.
2. Keep a crate card for every shop: given, taken back, balance.
3. Set one simple rule for empties at the door.
4. Count the van out in the morning and in after the run.
5. Make a weekly list of the shops holding the most crates.
6. Record broken crates with the shopkeeper’s initials.
7. Consider a refundable deposit for new or doubtful shops.

1. Mark every crate

Paint, stencil or emboss your firm’s name or a short code on every crate. Marked crates are harder to mix up and easier to claim back.

2. A crate card for every shop

Keep one line per delivery for each shop: date, crates given, crates taken back, balance. Ask the shopkeeper to sign or initial the line. The balance is what the shop is holding today.

3. A simple door rule

Pick one rule and tell every shop. For example: empties are handed over before full crates are unloaded, or the shop returns as many crates as it receives. Whatever you choose, the driver must be able to point to it.

4. Count the van out and in

At the end of each run, the driver and someone from the godown count together:

A difference found the same evening has a reason. A difference found at the end of the month does not.

5. A weekly “top holders” list

Once a week, list the shops holding the most crates against what they normally use. Send the driver to collect from those shops first, or call them.

6. Record breakage

Broken crates are brought back, or noted on the crate card with the shopkeeper’s initials. Then a broken crate is a cost, not a mystery.

7. Consider a deposit for new or doubtful shops

Some distributors take a refundable crate deposit from new shops, or from shops that keep holding too many. It is your call; a clear crate record makes the conversation easier either way.

How does Bagdor track crates shop by shop?

Bagdor is distributor management software (DMS) from Lucknow, India, for distributors of dairy, FMCG, bakery, beverages and more. It comes as four apps included in one price: the Distributor Panel (web), the Retailer App with WhatsApp ordering, the Driver App and Bagdor Sales. For crates, it keeps the crate card for you, filled in at the door:

• A balance for every shop. Crates given, returned and pending for each retailer, updated with every delivery.
• Counted at the door. The driver records crates in and out at each stop in the Driver App, together with the delivery and the receiver’s name and signature.
• Works without network. Counts are saved on the phone where there is no signal and sync when the phone is back online.
• Shops see their own count. Retailers see crates given, returned and pending in the Retailer App, and can ask for a crate pickup.
• The crate ledger. The office sees the crate ledger in the Distributor Panel and matches crates out at the end of each run.
• Vehicles with crate capacity. Each vehicle is recorded with how many crates it carries.

To be honest about the limits: Bagdor keeps counts per shop, so marking your crates is still worth doing, and it does not track delivery vans by GPS. The Driver App is included in the same price as the other three apps.

See crate counts recorded at the door: book a free demo, or read more on crate tracking in Bagdor and Bagdor for dairy distributors. Related in this series: why your driver’s cash never matches at night.