Expiry dates: the quiet profit killer in pharmacies

For a pharmacy, stock is not just a quantity. Two cartons of the same medicine can have very different futures: one expires next year, the other in six weeks. If your records only say "40 packs", you cannot see the problem coming.

Track stock by batch

Record each delivery as a batch with its batch number, expiry date and cost. Your total stock is still one number at the counter, but underneath you know exactly how many packs expire when.

Sell the oldest batch first

First-expiry-first-out (FEFO) means every sale takes from the batch that expires soonest. inkeep does this automatically when you sell, so your staff don't have to think about it.

Put a naira value on what is about to expire

"Some stock is expiring" is easy to ignore. "₦240,000 of stock expires in the next 30 days" is not. inkeep shows the value of stock expiring within 30, 60 and 90 days, at cost, so you can act:

• move it to the front and sell it first,
• offer it to regular customers or other outlets,
• ask the supplier about returns before the window closes,
• and buy less of that line next time.

Record expired stock honestly

When something does expire, take it off the shelf and record it as expired. Your stock and your profit report stay correct, and your purchase decisions improve because you can see which lines expire most often.

Count without closing

A stock count shouldn't mean locking the doors. Count one section at a time while you keep serving customers; the system records the differences as you go.

A note on regulated medicines

Software can keep records and remind your team, but it does not replace the pharmacist. Prescription-only medicines should only be supplied according to the rules that apply to your pharmacy. On your inkeep online store, you can mark such items so customers can only send an enquiry, not check out.