Walmart Inc.
Apparatus and method of maintaining accurate perpetual inventory information

Abstract:

Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in managing product inventory, comprising: a control circuit; a memory storing instructions to cause the control circuit to perform: obtain a reference on-hand quantity value; determine an estimated on-hand adjustment value corresponding to a predicted error between the reference on-hand quantity value and a predicted actual on-hand value; receive a retail store supplied on-hand adjustment value; set an on-hand adjustment value to the retail store supplied on-hand adjustment value when the retail store supplied on-hand adjustment value is within an on-hand variation threshold; modify the estimated on-hand adjustment value as a function of a difference between the retail store supplied on-hand adjustment value and the estimated on-hand adjustment value when the retail store supplied on-hand adjustment value is not within the on-hand variation threshold, and set the on-hand adjustment value to the modified estimated on-hand adjustment value.