therefore,  he  or  she  has  accountability  for  the ship’s  store  operation. The term  responsibility  is  an  obligation  placed on  an  individual  to  exercise  custody,  care,  and protection in keeping property, records, or funds entrusted  to  him  or  her  or  under  his  or  her supervision.   This  obligation  is  placed  on  an individual  by  law,  lawful  order,  regulation,  or custom  of  service.  In  the  ship’s  store  operation, the sales outlet operator is obligated to exercise custody,  care,   and  protection  in  keeping  all property,  records,  or  funds  in  his  or  her  sales outlet and, therefore, he or she is responsible to the ship’s store officer who is accountable for that sales outlet. The ship’s store officer will hold you responsible  for  performing  your  duties  in  the  sales outlet properly. This is why it is very important that  you  fully  understand  your  responsibilities because  if  you  fail  to  carry  out  these  responsi- bilities properly you may be punished under the Uniform  Code  of  Military  Justice  (UCMJ). Assigning  Responsibilities Listed below are some of the responsibilities that may be assigned to you and are common to the  ship’s  store  operation: Custody,  care,  and  protection  of  monies and  property Proper documentation of receipt and issue of  materials  and  monies Custody  and  accurate  maintenance  of stock  and  financial  control  records Inventory  control  practice  to  ensure prescribed  stock  levels Completion  of  inventories  and  preparation of  ship’s  store  returns Preparation  of  required  reports Keep in mind, the term  monies  as  used  previously is  referring  to  cash  transactions  in  the  ship’s  store operation  and  does  not  include  monies  held  by the  disbursing  officer. Although you may be well trained in your area of   responsibility,   the   supply   officer   will   still exercise  certain  controls  to  maintain  his  or  her accountability.  First,  the  supply  officer  will prescribe the responsibilities assigned to you in the  supply  department  organizational  chart, manual,  or  other  written  directive  and  in  the letters  of  assignment  issued  by  the  ship’s  store officer.  Second,  the  supply  officer  will  conduct frequent inspections of spaces and operations to make sure responsibilities are being carried out properly.  Third,  the  supply  officer  will  conduct internal  reviews  to  make  sure  tasks  are  being completed  according  to  the  NAVSUP  P-487  and other  current  manuals,  publications,  or  directives. Fourth,   the   supply   officer   will   make   sure responsible personnel are being properly trained and supervised. Your assignment as sales outlet operator in no way relieves the supply officer or the  ship’s  store  officer  of  his  or  her  responsibilities to   the   commanding   officer   for   the   proper operation  of  the  sales  outlet. Letters of Assignment The  ship’s  store  officer  is  required  to  assign in writing all responsibilities to personnel. These letters  will  include  your  duties  and  limitations, effective date, and the person you relieve, if any. You   will   acknowledge   acceptance   of   these responsibilities required to perform your duties. These  letters  of  assignment  will  be  filed  and maintained in the Military Correspondence File, SSA-17,  for  a  period  of  2  years. Separate and Combined Responsibilities As  a  Ship’s  Serviceman,  you  will  often  hear the  terms  separate   responsibility   or combined responsibility.  You  should  be  familiar  with  and understand the difference between these two terms because   many   ship’s   store   tasks   will   differ procedurally  between  the  two. A separate responsibility operation is one in which  two  or  more  persons  are  responsible  for  the operation  of  a  sales  outlet  and  the  bulk  storeroom that supplies that sales outlet. On the other hand, a  combined  responsibility  operation  is  one  in which one person is responsible for both a sales outlet and the bulk storeroom that supplies that sales  outlet.  Most  ships  are  under  separate responsibility  operations;  however,  some  ships have  combined  responsibility  operations  and  some ships  have  a  mixture  of  both. Multiple Sales Outlet Operators When  circumstances  make  it  necessary,  the commanding  officer  may  request  to  have  more than one person operating a sales outlet. Once the 2-4