How is a stock mismatch found during picking handled (substitute, partial, reassign, refund)?

If a stock mismatch is discovered during picking (the system says it's there but it isn't), the situation is flagged and the operator is offered options: substitute an equivalent item, partially fulfil what's available, reassign the order/portion to a branch that has the stock, or refund. Rather than a hard stop, the picker has a menu of realistic resolutions. This…

If a stock mismatch is discovered during picking (the system says it's there but it isn't), the situation is flagged and the operator is offered options: substitute an equivalent item, partially fulfil what's available, reassign the order/portion to a branch that has the stock, or refund. Rather than a hard stop, the picker has a menu of realistic resolutions. This handles the common warehouse reality of physical counts differing from system counts, keeping the order moving toward the best achievable outcome.