Separating customer orders from internal stock requests
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Check internal requests against the customer commitment record before releasing stock to staff or owners. A request from someone inside the business should have an identified decision-maker and evidence just like another stock movement.
This guide concerns allocation. It does not set discounts, tax treatment, legal priority or the process for a retail staff sale. Get appropriate advice where ownership, authority, connected parties or the business’s financial position create uncertainty.
Establish which quantity is actually free
Use the surplus allocation calculation to separate accepted orders, replacement promises, third-party goods and unresolved holds. A staff request should identify the actual product and quantity, not “whatever is left”.
Check informal promises through the customer commitments interview. A customer allocation may exist outside the order book, particularly where staff have held goods while a specification is checked.
Give management a clear allocation decision
Record the internal requester, goods reference, quantity, current allocation and required authority. Use outcomes such as:
| Current position | Management decision needed |
|---|---|
| Goods already allocated to a confirmed customer commitment | Preserve that allocation unless an appropriately authorised change is established |
| Goods subject to an unresolved reservation or ownership question | Keep the request pending while the question is resolved |
| Identified uncommitted goods with authority confirmed | Consider the internal request through the business’s approved process |
| Several internal requests for the same available quantity | Apply an authorised allocation decision and record it consistently |
These outcomes are operational controls, not a creditor-ranking rule. Do not use the table to approve a transaction that requires professional advice.
For a fictional example, three staff requests each ask for four units, but the approved available balance is ten. Recording every request as accepted would allocate twelve. Management needs to decide what can actually be approved and communicate the result before any stock leaves.
Preserve the reason behind a hold
Use the reservation review if a named customer hold is unclear. Do not delete it merely because an internal buyer can collect sooner.
Tell the requester whether the answer is approved, declined or still pending, and who can revisit it. Avoid informal promises by several managers who each believe the same stock is unallocated.
Where approval leads to a retail staff purchase, the shop purchase sequence covers the separate selection, authorisation and collection arrangements.
After an authorised release, update the quantity and evidence through the normal stock process. Keep an appropriate record of what happened without circulating unnecessary personal details. An approval to consider a request should not be mistaken for completed collection.
Give UK Auction Group the resulting current surplus position. Any internal allocation that changes an already discussed sale scope needs to reach the disposal contact through the authorised route. Keep customer commitments and unresolved ownership questions visible throughout that update.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.