# Inventory items

Items are what you count, order and cost, like a carton of oat milk or a pound of espresso. Each has a count unit, other units such as a case, and vendor prices.

For: Admins, Managers · On: Web · [Help Center](https://www.mays.app/help) › [Inventory](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory) · Last updated October 4, 2026 · Mays Team

Items are what you count, order and cost: a carton of oat milk, a pound of espresso, a sleeve of cups. Each has a count unit, other units such as a case, and vendor prices.

**Where:** **Inventory → Items** on the web. The list shows each item's **Category**, **Count unit**, other **Units** and **Scope**, with a search box and category filters.

![The Items page for the South location: nine items including 16 oz hot cups and lids marked corporate, and Avocados, Croissants, Espresso beans, Oat milk with its barcode, Sourdough loaf, Vanilla syrup and Whole milk marked branch, each with its count unit and other units](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__inventory-items__01-items-list.a0c6133493.png)

## Add an item

1. Click **New item**.
2. Under **Details**, fill in:
   - **Name**, **Category** (pick one or type a new one) and **Subcategory**.
   - **Home shelf**: the shelf it lives on, for counting shelf by shelf in the app.
   - **GL code**, if your accountant uses them, and **Barcode**, the code printed on the item itself.
   - **Count unit (size)**: the unit you count it in on the shelf, such as *carton*, *lb* or *sleeve*.
   - **Measures**: **count**, **weight** or **volume**.
3. **Admins only:** tick **Corporate item (shared to all locations)** to make it available everywhere. Otherwise the item belongs to the location you're on.
4. Add other units under **Alternate units** (see below).
5. Click **Save item**. The **Vendors** section appears once the item is saved.

![Editing Oat milk: Dairy & alternatives, home shelf Walk-in · Top shelf, a barcode, count unit carton, alternate units case = 6 cartons for purchasing and fl oz = 0.01562 carton for recipes, and three vendor prices: Sunrise Dairy Co. for this location at $23.40 a case, Metro Restaurant Supply at $24.60 and Sunrise Dairy Co. for all locations at $22.50](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__inventory-items__02-item-form.649e879447.png)

## Count units and other units

Everything Mays stores for an item is in its **count unit**: what's on hand, counts, par levels, orders and what recipes use. Other units are converted to it.

Under **Alternate units (→ count units)**, click **+ Add unit** and enter:

- **Unit**: its name, such as *case*.
- **Factor**: how many count units one of it equals. A case of six cartons is **6**.
- **Role**: **purchase** (how you buy it), **recipe** (how recipes measure it) or **other**.

| Item | Count unit | Alternate units |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oat milk | carton (64 fl oz) | case = 6 · fl oz = 0.015625 |
| 16 oz hot cups | sleeve of 50 | case = 20 · each = 0.02 |
| Sourdough loaf | loaf | case = 6 · slice = 0.05 |

Standard measures convert on their own: **g**, **kg**, **oz**, **lb**, **ml**, **l**, **fl oz**, **gal**, **qt**, **pt**, **cup**, **tbsp**, **tsp** and **each**. An item counted in **lb** can go into a recipe in **g** or **oz** with no extra unit. To go between weight and volume, fill in **Density (g/ml)**.

**Case size.** The app's count buttons (**+ 1 case**) use a **purchase** unit called *case*. With no such unit, Mays uses the largest purchase unit, then the largest vendor pack.

## Add vendor prices

In the saved item's **Vendors** section:

1. Choose the **Vendor**.
2. Fill in the **Vendor SKU**, the **Vendor's product name** and the **Barcode (this pack)** if the case has its own barcode.
3. Enter the **Pack** (such as *case*), its **Size** in count units and the **$ / pack**.
4. Tick **Price only for this location** if this location pays a different price.
5. Click **Add vendor**.

Edit a price in place and click away to save it, or click **×** to remove it.

**Which price Mays uses:** the cheapest price per count unit. For each vendor, a price for this location beats the price for all locations. Posting an invoice saves the invoice price as this location's price for that vendor. See [Vendor invoices](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/vendor-invoices).

**Importing from Craftable:** a corporate item's vendor prices are imported for all locations, so every location can order it. A location-only item's prices are imported for the location the import is set up for.

## Set par levels

A par level is the amount you want on hand before the next delivery. Orders are built from it. See [Placing purchase orders](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/purchase-orders).

1. Go to **Inventory → Stock** (under **Analysis**).
2. Type a number in the item's **Par (reorder point)** box and press Enter. Leave it blank for no par.

Rows below par are shaded, and **Below par only** filters to them.

![The Stock on hand page: each item's on-hand count in its count unit, a Par box, the last counted date, and rows below par shaded](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__inventory-items__03-stock-par.4378f07b8c.png)

An item appears on **Stock** once something has set its stock: a count, a delivery, waste or a sale.

## Good to know

- **Managers** can add and edit items for their locations, and set prices with **Price only for this location** ticked. Corporate items show *view only* for them. Prices for all locations are admin-only: without the tick, a manager's price isn't saved.
- **Changing an item's count unit doesn't convert its numbers.** If you switch from *case* to *each*, recount the item.
- **Deleting an item** removes it from lists, pickers and counts. Its history stays, but it can't be brought back on the web.
- **Two barcodes:** scanning the item's **Barcode** in the app adds one count unit; scanning a vendor pack barcode adds a whole pack (not in Guided mode on iPhone). See [Counting inventory in the app](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/count-inventory-on-mobile).

## Related articles

- Inventory: [Inventory at a glance](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/inventory-overview) — Inventory tracks what you stock, what it costs and what you use, from items and vendors to counts, orders, invoices and waste. It's part of the Pro plan.
- Inventory: [Vendors and vendor catalogs](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/vendors-and-vendor-catalogs) — Vendors are the suppliers you buy from. Set how each one takes orders, which locations use it, and each location's delivery days, cutoff and minimum order.
- Inventory: [Recipes and plate costing](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/recipes-and-costing) — A recipe lists what goes into one menu item. Mays prices each ingredient from your vendor prices and shows the plate's cost, cost % and margin.
- Inventory: [Running stock counts](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/stock-counts) — A count records what's on your shelves. Submitting it sets each counted item's stock on hand and shows how far it was from what Mays expected.
- Inventory: [Placing purchase orders](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/purchase-orders) — Build orders from your par levels, send each vendor a PDF purchase order by email, and check what arrived against what you ordered.
- Inventory: [Counting inventory in the app](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/count-inventory-on-mobile) — Managers and admins can count stock in the Mays app, shelf by shelf or from one list, by tapping, typing, scanning barcodes or saying the count out loud.

## Still need help?

Send us a support request and a real person on the Mays team will get back to you.

[Contact support](https://www.mays.app/contact?topic=support) · [Call +1 (561) 286-3939](tel:+15612863939)

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/inventory-items