Next in importance to the location of the storerooms is the question of the storage of the material itself. The storerooms should be equipped with such bins, racks, shelves, boxes, and drawers as may be required for the proper care of the material. In storing the material the question of its size and weight, and the frequency with which it will be needed, should be considered. Extremely heavy articles should not be stored on the floor, but should be raised to about the height of a truck, thus saving labor both in unloading and loading. Material which is constantly being called for should be kept on shelves that are within easy reach. The top shelves and inaccessible corners can be reserved for articles seldom called for. As far as possible, all articles of the same class should be kept in the same section of the storeroom. Above all, a given article should always be kept in the same place. In some storerooms it is not uncommon to find, hidden away in some dark corner, articles which are not supposed to be in stock, all because no definite storage place has been provided. The record system can be of little value unless the articles are to be found in the sections allotted to them.
All of this but emphasizes the importance of having the storeroom and stores system under the exclusive control of one man. No one should be allowed to interfere with the work of the chief stores clerk. If there is any cause for criticism it should be taken to his superior. Suggestions from foremen and others who are obliged to make use of the storeroom, should, and probably will, be welcomed by the average stores clerk, but no foreman should instruct one of his men to place material in the storeroom except as instructed by its head.
Aside from the storeroom proper, the stores clerk will have charge of material stored outside of the plant. Lumber, fuel, and heavy castings are examples of material coming under this head. Nevertheless, his records should include all of this material, and he should have general supervision over its storage in order that he may more readily determine, or more closely estimate, quantities in stock.
21. Receiving. In the organization of the stores department, it is necessary to provide for a record of the receipt of all material and supplies. The system must be so constructed that it will not only insure a record of all goods coming into the establishment, but prevent the acceptance of goods which should not be received.
All receiving should, therefore, be in charge of one man. In the larger industrial enterprises, a receiving clerk is employed, whose duty is to receive and receipt for all goods coming into the establishment, and to deliver them to the storeroom or the department in which they are to be used. The stores clerk may, in a small concern, perform all of the functions of the receiving clerk.
When goods come in, the receiving clerk will refer to his file of purchase order copies to find if the goods have been ordered. It will be remembered that an alphabetical file has been recommended for these orders, which are to be filed under the name of the shipper. The reason for this is that the package does not always show the nature of its contents, while the name of the shipper is almost invariably shown somewhere on the package or on the shipping tag.
Goods should not be accepted by the receiving clerk unless he has an order. To do so is liable to cause trouble. As an illustration, we will suppose that the concern has made a contract for material on which deliveries are to be made at stated intervals. The first shipment received shows that the material is not up to specifications and the contract is cancelled. Pending an adjustment, the receiving clerk is instructed to accept no more material on the contract. If he does so, the concern will very likely be obliged to pay for it, and it may even have a bearing on the entire contract.
Another class of shipments which must be carefully watched is the return of goods by customers of the concern. In some businesses, this question is not important; in others, great care must be exercised to insure proper credit. In a manufacturing or a trading business other than retail, the customer will usually notify the house that he is returning goods. When such a notice is received, instructions should be given to the receiving clerk whether to accept or refuse them.