a system for facilitating the monitoring and managing of the inventory of vending machines utilizing a handheld inventory checker capable of communicating with the vending machines to communicate therebetween data corresponding to the remaining inventory of each checked vending machine . the handheld inventory checker includes software to monitor the inventory and based upon the data received from the communications from the vending machine , calculate and display the type and number of required items to be restocked in each particular vending machine .