Doing inventory at a retail store?  

I would wear flats or sneakers if at all possible. be sure to get a good nights rest before going in. Take a snack in case you don't get a break. if you can buy something called no doze. I worked overnight as well. I was getting my baby ready for the next day when I went to work. I was tired and needed rest. I often feel asleep in the woman's rest room. They will give you all the directions you need to do the job.

I had a temp job once where I was part of a team which audited Woolworths stores in our City.
I think we were quite accurate, but one guy took it just a bit to far.
You know the Pick and Mix candy thing, where you can put an assortment of sweeties, or candies as you would call them, and pay for them by how much the bag weighs
Well the guy who was on that section counted every individual sweetie, and they had to be thrown out because he counted them all by hand
It was so funny, he was supposed to weigh them, oh my god, oh how I laughed, lol

I also had a temp job before doing inventory work. We would come into big stores and count all the stuff. I'm surprised that Macy's does their inventory with their staff. Don't they hire a professional inventory service company? Anyway, we had hand held scanners where we punch in our counts into barcoded tags which another team sets up. It was a fun job because we got to go to different places and stores.
One problem I remember was that at the end of the day, the value of our counts were also totalled and went into our evaluations. I hated one store we went where I was assigned to count socks, while others were assigned to count electronic systems. Of course their values shot up, while mine crawled at a snail's pace. Note that the value of your count was related to the increase in salary you got after a certain period.
Just one tip for you then: If you can get assigned to count the more expensive stuff. They are usually bigger and more easy to count!

I second the comfortable shoes suggestion, as you will probably be on your feet a lot and doing some lifting. I did a LOT of inventories but usually in factories rather than apparel shops or merchandisers. My first one was at Sears, though. Mostly, I think, it is about taxes. When the fiscal year ends, the company needs to be able to compare the value of the merchandise they have now with the value of what they started out, so as tedious as it is for the workers, it is really important. You may find that some of the workers do not care and do not have a clue what they are doing and one person with a bad attitude can complicate everybody else's job. But the way it is supposed to be done is in pairs so that you are verifying each other's work. If you get a good partner it is fun. If not, it can seem like the longest day ever worked.

You shouldn't have to worry about being reprimanded because it is the job of management to set up the control mechanisms to ensure that mistakes get canceled out. Just do not be afraid to ask for clarification if you are not clear about how they want it done. And above all, try to make if fun if possible.

Aha, stocktaking time. It's just a fancy word for counting.

hi maezee,
Doing inventory are mostly checking and calculating of store's items and totaling it up.Its just to comparison of the total amount of items to its system if they are tally.Some items might be write off as damaged,expired ,etc...if the numbers are not tally.Just get more sleep/rest for the night shift though. Take care & HAPPY 2010.

You need to have a stratedgy in doing the inventory, like listing all the items, how many items were originally there. a notepad and a pen is your bestfriend here, or a notebook, if you are bringing one..

Hi maezee: I have done one but it was for a little ntreprise so I am not sure if it's the same. An inventory is made to llok for the benefits during a period, how are the sales now, the quality of the products and to make an strategy for the next period. What you need is to be more or less prepared to give the information relative to your department. In general this is easier if everything you have done it's well organized. Good luck with that girl. Thanks for asking us this question. Hope you are having a nice day. Happy New Year and Keep Mylotting. Take Care.

-Alvaro.

...Hi maezee, Happy 2010. I agree, comfortable shoes for sure. Once you get your assignment, I would not be adverse to taking notes on how the particular task is to be done. Especially with changing product count, if it is one size fits all, then it would be easier. So a trusty tablet with your notes, categorized could help. Take your time at first, I think correct is better than fast. As you get the gist of it, your speed will follow. Don't be afraid to ask questions, not good to assume things in the beginning. Good luck with your new position, lifesavers or hard candy could help keep you awake. Take care.

I don't have an experience, but I would wear comfy shoes and easy cloths to work. Inventory is very easy job, but you can be tired of doing it.
Good luck.