Final answer:
Stocktaking is the process of counting and recording every piece of merchandise in a store.
Step-by-step explanation:
The count of every piece of merchandise in the store is known as stocktaking. It involves physically counting and recording the inventory levels of all items in the store.
Stocktaking is typically conducted periodically to ensure accurate inventory records and detect any discrepancies between the recorded stock levels and the actual stock on hand.
Other terms such as physical inventory and shelf audit may refer to similar processes of conducting a comprehensive count and assessment of the goods in a store, but stocktaking is the most commonly used term.