How to set up barcode scanning for retail inventory counts

Barcode scanning sounds like a simple upgrade until the first count goes wrong. I have worked with stores where the scanner was fine, the inventory app was fine, and the count was still messy because the item file was not clean. The scanner only reads what the system thinks the barcode means. Before I let a team start a cycle count, I like to clean up the basics: duplicate UPCs, old SKUs still…