Expiry dates you can act on
SeroPOS records an expiry date on each batch you receive and warns you before it passes. You can stop the till selling an item a set number of days before it expires, then write off expired stock with a stock adjustment.
Expiry tracking in SeroPOS
Expiry per lot
Enter the expiry date, or a manufacturing date and expiry period, as goods arrive.
Dashboard warning
The Stock Expiry Alert on the dashboard lists stock expiring within your chosen window.
Stop selling early
Choose to stop selling a product a set number of days before it expires.
Stock Expiry Report
See stock left per lot with its manufacturing and expiry dates, and edit a date.
Write off expired stock
Write off expired units with a stock adjustment, so the loss is on record.
Dates on labels
Print expiry and packing dates on barcode labels for the shelf.
Set up expiry tracking
Turn on Enable Product Expiry in Business Settings › Product. You choose how dates are entered: either add the item's expiry date directly, or add a manufacturing date and let SeroPOS work out expiry from the product's expiry period. A bakery might use the period, while a pharmacy usually types the date printed on the box.
Then decide what happens at expiry. Keep selling leaves the till alone. Stop selling, with a number of days, blocks a product from sale that many days before its date. Stop selling suits medicines, baby food and anything where selling close to the date is a risk. Keep selling suits goods that are fine to sell until the day itself, with a discount if you choose.
Dates arrive with the stock
Expiry dates are entered with the stock. Each line on a purchase takes manufacturing and expiry dates, alongside the lot number if you use lots. Opening stock can carry expiry dates too. Because dates belong to the batch, two deliveries of the same yogurt with different dates are tracked separately.
The expiry period on the product form, in days or months, fills in the expiry from the manufacturing date when you use that method. That saves typing a date on every line for products made or packed in-house, where the shelf life is always the same and only the production date changes.
- Business Settings › Product › Enable Product Expiry
- Choose expiry date or manufacturing date plus period
- Choose Keep selling or Stop selling n days before
- Business Settings › Dashboard: alert window in days
See what is about to expire
The back office dashboard has a Stock Expiry Alert table. In Business Settings › Dashboard you set how many days ahead it looks, such as 14, and everything expiring in that window shows up when you sign in. That gives you time to discount, move it to another location or return it to the supplier.
Reports › Stock Expiry Report lists stock left per lot with manufacturing and expiry dates. If a date was typed wrong, edit it from the report. Use the report for a weekly walk of the shelves: work through the list, pull what is close to its date, and decide whether to discount it, move it or return it.
Clear expired stock properly
Expired goods should leave your count when they leave the shelf. Use the Stock Expiry Report to find what has passed its date, then record a stock adjustment for those units under Stock Adjustment › Add, with the lot and a reason. Stock drops, the loss shows in the Stock Adjustment Report and Profit / Loss, and the product's stock history explains why. Nothing is left to memory.
For the shelf itself, Print Labels can add expiry and packing dates to barcode labels, and invoice layouts can show expiry on product lines. Staff and customers can then see the date without opening the system, and wholesale buyers get the expiry printed on their paperwork alongside the lot number when your layout includes both.
Frequently asked questions
How do I track expiry dates in SeroPOS?
Turn on Enable Product Expiry in Business Settings › Product. Then enter expiry dates, or manufacturing dates with an expiry period, on each purchase line and on opening stock. The dashboard and Stock Expiry Report use those dates. Set them up before your first delivery.
Can SeroPOS stop selling expired products?
Yes. In Business Settings › Product, set On product expiry to Stop selling and choose how many days before expiry to stop. The product can no longer be sold from that point. Choose a number of days that suits the product, such as a week for chilled goods.
How far ahead does the expiry alert look?
You choose. Business Settings › Dashboard has a stock expiry alert setting in days. Products expiring within that many days appear in the Stock Expiry Alert table on the back office dashboard. Pick a window long enough to act, such as 14 or 30 days.
How do I remove expired stock?
Set the Stock Expiry Report to Expired to see what has passed its date, then add a stock adjustment for those units with the lot and a reason. The loss is then counted in reports. The adjustment appears in the Stock Adjustment Report and Profit / Loss, and the shelf is clear.
Can each batch have its own expiry date?
Yes. Expiry dates are recorded per purchase line, and with lot numbers turned on, per lot. Two deliveries of the same product with different dates are tracked separately. The Stock Expiry Report lists each batch with its own date, so the oldest stock is always easy to find.