There are two types of Inventory Counts:
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Full count: This is (usually) completed at the end of the financial year in order to provide your accountant with the exact value of the inventory. This type of count includes every item in the store, including the storeroom.
During a full count, you should close the store to ensure you get an accurate representation of the inventory levels. This generally means counts are done outside of normal business hours.
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Periodic count: This type of count is normally done on a small section of the inventory, usually a particular brand, type, or supplier's items. Many retailers complete these counts during regular business hours to help keep the store's inventory accurate during the year. It is possible to run multiple partial counts simultaneously (just make sure not to have the same product in more than one count).
Completing a regular periodic inventory count helps you keep a good overview of the inventory and ensures that the end-of-year inventory count will run smoothly.