Stock - Stock Price Drift
Updated Wed 28 Oct 2026
Running the report
Report options
Maximum price drift percent
How far a store's cost may differ from the brand's model cost before the item is listed. A difference in either direction counts, so an item that is 6 percent dearer or 6 percent cheaper both show when the limit is 5 percent. Only items that go beyond the limit are shown. The default is 5 percent.
Choose your preferred layout
How the same list is grouped. The default is By store and then by item, which suits a head office person visiting each store. By item and then by store suits a buyer comparing one item across the brand.
Only show food cost items
Ticked by default. Ticked, only stock items that count towards food cost are checked. Untick it to check every stock item, including stock that is not food.
The report at a glance
The limit you chose is shown under Selected parameters, not in the title. The page footer shows the brand, the report version, the page number and when and by whom the report was run, for example Run on 28 Oct 2026 at 14:05 by Sam.
- Selected parameters: what you chose, plus the brand's stock costing method.
- By store and then by item or By item and then by store: the items that drifted.
- Stock items missing model costs: items that could not be checked.
If nothing has drifted further than your limit, the report shows a no data picture instead of a list.
Selected parameters
A panel at the top of the report that repeats your choices, so a printed copy always says how it was run.
| LAYOUT | MAX PRICE DRIFT | FOOD COST ITEMS | BRAND STOCK COSTING METHOD |
|---|---|---|---|
| By store and then by item | 5% | Food cost items only | FIFO - First in First Out1 |
1 Brand stock costing method
The method your brand uses to work out what stock costs: FIFO - First in First Out, WAC - Weighted Average Cost or LC - Last Cost. It is a brand setting, so every store in this report is compared under the same method, even if a store's own setting is different. If your brand has not chosen a method yet, the report assumes FIFO.
By store and then by item
One section per store, with that store's drifted items underneath. Stores are in alphabetical order, and items are in order of category and then item name. The store name is followed by its store number in brackets.
| Category | Stock item (Code) - UoM | Model bulk cost | Store's bulk cost | Drift % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob's Burgers Times Square (1001) | ||||
| Bakery | Burger buns (BUN01) - each 1 | 3.20 | 3.62 | 13.1% |
| Dairy | Cheddar slices (CHE02) - kg | 120.00 | 112.00 | -6.7% |
| Meat | Beef mince (BEEF01) - kg | 89.00 | 96.50 | 8.4% |
| Bob's Burgers Wharf (1002) | ||||
| Bakery | Burger buns (BUN01) - each | 3.20 | 3.45 | 7.8% |
| Meat | Beef mince (BEEF01) - kg | 89.00 | 84.00 | -5.6% |
1 One line per drifted item
The line shows the item's category, its name with its code in brackets (when it has one), and the unit it is counted in.
- Model bulk cost
- The brand's own cost for the item. This is the figure every store is compared against.
- Store's bulk cost
- What the item costs that store, under the brand's stock costing method.
- Drift %
- How far the store's cost is from the model cost, as a percentage of the model cost. Red means the store pays more than the model, green means it pays less. The value is shown to one decimal place.
A figure that is empty or zero is shown as a grey dash.
By item and then by store
One section per category and, inside it, one block per item listing every store whose cost drifted. Categories and items are in alphabetical order, and the stores under an item are in alphabetical order.
| Store Id | Store name | Model bulk cost | Store's bulk cost | Drift % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery | ||||
| Burger buns (BUN01) - each 1 | ||||
| 1001 | Bob's Burgers Times Square | 3.20 | 3.62 | 13.1% |
| 1002 | Bob's Burgers Wharf | 3.20 | 3.45 | 7.8% |
| Meat | ||||
| Beef mince (BEEF01) - kg | ||||
| 1001 | Bob's Burgers Times Square | 89.00 | 96.50 | 8.4% |
| 1002 | Bob's Burgers Wharf | 89.00 | 84.00 | -5.6% |
1 One block per item
The shaded line names the item. Under it, every store that drifted beyond your limit is listed with its store number, the model bulk cost, the store's bulk cost and the drift. This layout makes it easy to see whether one store is the odd one out or the whole brand has moved.
Stock items missing model costs
At the end of the report, items that have no model cost (or a model cost of zero) are listed, because nothing can be compared against them. They are not checked for drift until a model cost is entered for them.
| Stock items missing model costs | |
|---|---|
| The following items are missing brand level model costs and are therefore excluded from this report. | |
| Category | Item |
| Food 1 | |
| Dairy | Mozzarella (MOZ01) - kg |
| Sauces | Special sauce - litre |
1 Grouped by stock type
The items are grouped under their stock type, then listed by category and item name. This section only appears when there is something to list, and it follows your Only show food cost items choice.
Frequently asked questions
An item I expected to see is not listed. Why?
The item is not listed when its drift is within your limit (a drift exactly equal to the limit does not count), when the store has no cost for it, when the item is archived, or when Only show food cost items is ticked and the item does not count towards food cost. If the brand has no model cost for the item, it is in Stock items missing model costs instead. Stores that are switched off are not checked at all.
What does a negative drift mean?
The store pays less than the model cost. It is shown in green with a minus sign. It is not always good news: a cost that is far too low can mean a missing price or a wrong unit of measure, so it is worth a look.
Can I choose the stock costing method for this report?
No. The report always uses the brand's default stock costing method, shown under Selected parameters, so every store is compared in the same way. To change the method, change the brand setting in the portal. A store that has its own costing method is still compared under the brand's method here.
Why does the drift show 5.0% when I chose a 5 percent limit?
The drift is shown to one decimal place but the check uses the exact figure. A drift of 5.04 percent is over a 5 percent limit but is shown as 5.0%.
Why is an item under Stock items missing model costs?
The brand has no model cost for it, or the model cost is zero. Enter the model cost for the item at brand level and it will be checked the next time you run the report.
Does the report show the cost of items a store makes itself (prepped items)?
The report compares bulk costs only, which are the columns you see: Model bulk cost and Store's bulk cost. A drift in a prepped cost on its own does not list the item.
A whole store is missing from the report. Why?
Either none of its items drifted beyond your limit, or the store is switched off. Only enabled stores are checked.
Glossary
- Bulk cost
- The cost of one unit of a stock item as it is bought, for example the cost of one kilogram of beef mince.
- Brand stock costing method
- The way your brand works out what stock costs: FIFO, WAC or Last Cost. It is a brand setting in the portal.
- Drift %
- The store's bulk cost minus the model bulk cost, divided by the model bulk cost, shown as a percentage.
- FIFO (First in First Out)
- Stock is costed as if the oldest stock is used first, so costs follow your purchases in the order you made them.
- Food cost item
- A stock item that counts towards your food cost, as opposed to other kinds of stock.
- LC (Last Cost)
- Stock is costed at the price of the most recent purchase.
- Model cost
- The brand's own cost for a stock item, used as the benchmark for every store.
- Stock type
- The kind of stock an item is, used to group the items that are missing model costs.
- UoM (unit of measure)
- The unit an item is counted in, such as kg, litre or each.
- WAC (Weighted Average Cost)
- Stock is costed at the average price paid across the stock you hold, weighted by quantity.