DIRECT ANSWER
Inventory somewhere in the network does not establish availability at a particular Walmart shelf. Identify the item, store and observation time, then separate supplier stock, relevant DC inventory, store-allocated pipeline and recorded store on-hand. Confirm physical availability before deciding what needs to change.
Your warehouse has stock. Walmart’s inventory report also shows units. Yet someone has sent another photo of an empty shelf. Those observations can all be true. They describe different locations, different times and potentially different item configurations.
For Walmart US suppliers whose merchandise moves through Walmart’s warehouse network to stores, the immediate job is to find the last supported inventory position and the next missing piece of evidence. This is a store-replenishment investigation. Walmart Fulfillment Services, Marketplace seller inventory and direct-to-customer shipments follow different flows.
For an optional first-five-minutes start, use the short inventory-to-shelf note to capture one item, one store and the next evidence request. Fill in what you know and mark missing evidence as unknown. The detailed log below keeps the supplier, DC and store records together.
First, define the out-of-stock observation
Write down the Walmart item number, store number, observation time and source. Was it a shelf photo, a store visit, an online availability message, a picking result or an inventory metric? Do not treat these as interchangeable observations.
Check that the evidence concerns the same item configuration and selling location. Ask whether the observer checked the expected shelf, another display or only one location. Preserve the answer, including “not checked.” A photo can establish what was visible in that location at that time; it cannot count an entire store’s inventory.
Locate the inventory before deciding what to change
| Where the stock is recorded | What still needs to be established |
|---|---|
| Your warehouse | Is there an issued PO, and what has actually shipped against it? |
| A Walmart DC | Is it the relevant node for the affected store and item? What quantity is available or allocated? |
| The store’s pipeline | Is it on order, allocated in the DC, or in transit? What is the next documented movement? |
| Store on-hand | Does the recorded position match a current physical check of sellable stock and its location? |
Walmart distinguishes store-allocated inventory at the DC from inventory moving to the store. The official PSP data glossary describes those as separate measures. Total DC inventory is therefore not a substitute for the particular store’s pipeline. Use the definitions in your own report, since products and period aggregations differ.
If the first break is “no issued PO,” continue with why Walmart stopped ordering an item. A forecast is a planning signal, not evidence that an order was issued. If stock is already moving downstream, preserve that evidence and investigate the affected stage.
Use the Scintilla path your plan actually supports
Basic starting point: use Report Builder’s Store Sales & Inventory dataset for your own items. The field availability reference dated June 2, 2026 identifies Store On Hand Quantity, Store On Order Quantity, Store In Transit Quantity, Store In Warehouse Quantity, Instock % and Replen Instock % as Basic-visible. Confirm current field labels and access in your account using the Scintilla Data Dictionary, which requires sign-in.
Begin with item, store and a daily inventory observation. Save the business date, report generation time, exact field name and unit of measure. Compare quantities in eaches or another consistent unit. Do not add seven daily stock positions and call the result weekly inventory. A weekly average and an end-of-period value answer different questions.
Use the available in-stock percentages as signals to investigate. They do not replace the quantity trail or a shelf check. The calculated Basic percentages also do not imply access to their raw numerator and denominator fields.
Charter additions: the End-to-End Inventory Board can help locate a pattern before a detailed report. Walmart’s July 22 Boards announcement describes a network inventory view for investigating possible causes of out-of-stocks. Its Inventory View announcement describes separate pipeline and store-availability investigations.
Those dashboard paths are Charter additions in our dated access checks. Do not build the Basic workflow around Boards, Channel Insights, OPD picking measures or Scintilla OTIF metrics. Basic versus Charter explains the access distinction.
A fictional three-store investigation
Assume one item, quantities in eaches and the same daily reporting cutoff. The supplier also has 1,200 eaches at its own warehouse. That supplier balance does not explain these three stores by itself.
| Store | Recorded on-hand | Store in transit | Store in warehouse | Physical evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0 | 24 | 0 | No current store check |
| B | 12 | 0 | 0 | Empty primary shelf observed later that day |
| C | 0 | 0 | 24 | No current store check |
For A, request the shipment and receipt timing behind the in-transit quantity. Twenty-four units in transit do not establish that a delivery is late.
For B, reconcile the observation times, then request an authorized store check of other locations, sellability and recorded on-hand. The evidence shows a discrepancy worth investigating. It does not prove phantom inventory, backroom stock or a specific store error.
For C, ask the replenishment contact to confirm the allocation and expected dispatch. The store-allocated DC position is useful evidence, but it does not establish why those units have not moved.
Each store needs a different next check. Sending more product from the supplier without understanding the issued orders and downstream position could leave the same questions unanswered.
Make the next request specific enough to answer
Download the detailed inventory-to-shelf log. Use one row per item-store observation. Import item numbers, supplier IDs and GTINs as text to preserve leading zeros. Record supplier and DC balances with their own node and timestamp; repeated upstream balances across store rows must not be added together. Leave unavailable quantities blank rather than entering zero.
Attach the report and physical evidence to a narrow request: “For item X at store C, this dated report shows 24 units allocated in the DC and zero on-hand. Please confirm the allocation and next dispatch or receipt milestone.” Let the contact identify the responsible operating team if the next step sits elsewhere.
For ongoing supplier support, Startup Success Lab connects weekly sales, inventory and replenishment reviews with account follow-through. Its merchant-decision guide helps when the evidence leads to a broader assortment or commercial request. Keep the immediate inventory check attached to its actual operational owner.
What was checked, and what needs a current check?
Public Walmart inventory and Boards announcements were reviewed September 13, 2026; glossary definitions were checked through indexed official text. The field availability reference is dated June 2, with module access references from May and July. Current account access was not checked during this review. Confirm your available fields and their definitions before running the report. The sequence, worksheet and example are diagnostic aids, not Walmart’s replenishment formula.