The problem starts before the first customer

A drugstore assortment looks durable, yet a large part of it carries a date: baby food, dietary supplements, natural cosmetics, sun care, pet food and snacks. During an opening, pallets are unpacked under time pressure, and nobody records which batch with which date went onto which shelf. Months later the first products expire in places no one is checking, because the checking routine was never set up.

The cost is not only the write-off. Expired goods found by a customer damage trust in a new location, and stock that is physically removed but still in the system distorts replenishment.

Capture the date where the goods enter

The practical answer is to treat the date as part of goods receipt. When a delivery is scanned at the back door, the expiry date is recorded with the item. From that moment the store knows which products will need attention and when, without walking every aisle with a clipboard.

Date checks then become scheduled tasks. Staff receive a list for a defined area, scan the items, confirm quantities and decide according to a rule: leave, mark down, or remove. The result is documented at once, and head office can see which stores have completed their checks.

How COSYS supports the process

COSYS Retail Management Software is a modular platform for store, warehouse and head-office processes. Its expiry date control module runs in the same mobile app as goods receipt, stock correction, price markdown and label printing, so a date check can lead directly to a markdown label or a write-off. Tasks can be distributed to stores and followed up centrally. The software is used in more than 40 languages, which matters for chains operating across several countries.

COSYS does not replace the retailer’s ERP. It connects to existing systems through interfaces or customer-specific import and export mechanisms and covers the mobile steps on the shop floor. A chain can start with one module in a few stores and add further modules, users or locations later.

What to settle before the next opening

Three decisions should be made centrally: which product groups require date capture at receipt, at what remaining shelf life a product is marked down or removed, and who in the store owns the check. With these rules in place, expiry control becomes part of the opening checklist rather than a problem discovered in the first summer.

Next step

Retailers planning new stores in Romania or neighbouring markets can discuss their process with COSYS. To arrange an appointment, contact vertrieb@cosys.de or call +49 5062 900 0. Alternatively, you can test the free COSYS Retail Demo App for Android and iOS.