Inventory service for
grocery & natural foods.
Perishable and non-perishable counts, catch-weight handling, and PLU/UPC reconciliation across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Every section, every category.
Grocery is the most diverse inventory in retail. Deli, bakery, produce, dairy, frozen, dry goods, beer and wine, prepared foods — each has its own units, its own pricing logic, its own shrink patterns. An inventory count that treats them all the same misses the picture entirely.
Apex tailors the count to fit. Produce gets PLU-level counting with bulk-vs-display methodology. Deli and seafood get catch-weight handling reconciled against your scale system. Frozen and refrigerated sections are counted in dedicated passes that protect cold chain. Every section gets its own variance report, so you can spot freezer burn in frozen, organic shrink in produce, or short-shipment in dry goods — without one blurry total hiding the real issue.
Industry context: grocery and supermarket shrink rates run higher than most retail categories, driven by perishability, theft, and process errors. FMI Food Industry Facts consistently identify inventory accuracy as a top operational priority for grocers — making section-level counting essential to identify where loss originates.
Grocery-specific capabilities.
Four things that make Apex different for grocery and natural foods.
Catch-weight item handling
Deli, seafood, prepared foods, partial cheese wheels. Counted by weight and reconciled against your scale system or POS catch-weight files.
PLU & UPC reconciliation
Produce counted at the PLU level. Organic separated from conventional. Bin-vs-display methodology for high-velocity items. Full reconciliation against your POS PLU file.
Cold-chain protocols
Frozen and refrigerated counted in dedicated passes. Crews trained on minimal door-open time and temperature-sensitive handling. Section variance reports surface freezer-burn loss.
Multi-section coordination
Deli, bakery, produce, frozen, dry — coordinated so each department’s prep schedule isn’t disrupted. Crews finish before bakery and produce teams arrive.
Integrates with grocery systems.
Apex exports cleanly into the POS and back-office systems grocery stores actually use.
Grocery inventory, answered.
How do you handle catch-weight items like deli meat or fresh seafood?
Catch-weight items are counted by weight rather than unit and reconciled against your scale system or POS catch-weight files. Apex teams know how to handle in-progress deli orders, partial wheels of cheese, and prepared foods that span multiple PLU codes.
Do you count produce by PLU?
Yes. Produce gets counted at the PLU level (bulk apples, organic bananas, loose herbs) and reconciled against your POS PLU file. We separate organic from conventional and handle bin-vs-display counting for high-velocity items.
How do you separate frozen and refrigerated sections during a count?
Frozen and refrigerated sections are counted in dedicated passes so cold-chain integrity isn’t compromised. Apex crews are trained on temperature-sensitive handling and minimize door-open time. Section variance reports are delivered separately so you can spot freezer-burn loss or refrigeration shrink by zone.
How long does a grocery store inventory take?
A neighborhood market takes 6 to 10 hours. A full supermarket can take 12 to 20 hours, often split across two crews. Apex schedules around your busiest hours and coordinates with deli, bakery, and produce teams so the count doesn’t disrupt fresh prep.
Can you count overnight to avoid disrupting customers?
Yes. Overnight counting is standard for grocery, and Apex crews are experienced with cold-chain protocols, fresh prep schedules, and overnight deliveries. The count finishes before your morning bakery and produce teams arrive. See our full service list for more.
Count every section, every SKU.
Tell us about your store size and section mix. We’ll come back within one business day with pricing and a count plan.