You find it during the stock count: a box of strips that expired months ago, pushed to the back behind newer stock. Every strip that expires on your shelf is profit you paid for and never earned. For many chemists and medical stores, expiry losses are one of the biggest costs they could have avoided.
These eight steps help you see expiry coming and act while there is still time.
Key takeaways
- Buy to your real sales, not to the scheme.
- Sell first-expiry-first, every time.
- Check near-expiry stock every month and act early: return it, transfer it or promote it.
1. Know what actually sells
Order from your sales history. Memory and a distributor’s scheme will both push you to overbuy. Slow movers bought in bulk are the most common source of expired stock.
2. First expiry, first out
Keep the earliest expiry at the front of the shelf. Make it a habit for everyone at the counter, when billing and when restocking, including whoever joined last week.
3. Check expiry when stock arrives
Look at the dates before you sign for a delivery, and refuse or flag short-dated stock. Sending it back at the door is far easier than six months later.
4. Review near-expiry stock every month
Every month, pull a list of medicines expiring in the next three to six months. That gives you time to act, instead of finding them at the year-end count.
5. Use your return window
Know each distributor’s expiry return policy and its deadlines, and send eligible stock back before the window closes.
6. Move stock between branches or partner pharmacies
An item that sits in one shop may sell well in another. Transfers, where the law permits them, turn dead stock back into sales.
7. Work with nearby clinics
When nearby clinics send their prescriptions to your pharmacy, you learn what the local doctors actually prescribe. Stock that, and it moves faster.
8. Let software do the watching
Pharmacy inventory software that tracks batches and expiry dates tells you what is close to expiry while you can still act, and helps you reorder to real demand.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a pharmacy check for expired medicines?
Check near-expiry stock at least once a month, and check the dates on every delivery. A daily first-expiry-first habit at the counter prevents most losses.
Can pharmacies return expired medicines to distributors?
Many distributors accept expiry returns within a set window and under their own policy. Agree the terms when you start buying from them, and keep track of the return deadlines.
Stop writing off stock
My Pharmacy shows you what is close to expiry while there is still time to act, and brings you prescriptions from partner clinics.
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