Inventory Management Self Guided

Inventory Management is a sixteen-session course designed to teach owners and/or store buyers to create buying strategies and routines that get the best discounts, maintain cash flow, work within budgets, and integrate with the store’s marketing and merchandising. The skills students learn will help them analyze and improve their buying process. 

This is the self-study version of the course. The classes and handouts will mention homework, which you may choose to use to develop and practice your skills. You'll have six months to watch the 16 class recordings.

This course has been designed for those who are employed by or who own a retail bookstore (this includes a mobile or pop-up shop) that has been in existence for at least 1 year and has 25%+ new book inventory, as the skills and strategies taught in the course are designed for the new book trade. The course does not address the special needs of used-only stores or online-only stores. The course will teach owners and/or store buyers to create buying strategies and routines that get the best discounts, maintain cash flow, work within budgets, and integrate with the store’s marketing and merchandising.

This is an upper-level course, which presumes that booksellers have knowledge of the bookstore industry, familiarity with buyer terms such as COGs and Turns, and a bookstore that has established accounts with distributors and/or publishers, has some kind of POS system, and the ability to run reports and place orders. While prospective store owners will learn some skills and content from the classes, those lacking any experience in the industry may not be able to take full advantage of the lessons.

If you would like to earn a certification, please see Inventory Management for Certification. The cost of that version is $395, and you'll have one-on-one access to an instructor who will help you through all of the homework.

PBS courses are supported by the Indie bookstore industry, and are intended only for owners and staff members at Independent Bookstores that are members of their regional trade associations and/or of the American Booksellers Association.