What Good Looks Like
- The retailer’s rules for handling stock are agreed and written down before reps act on them.
- Reps run 3 separate checks, and record each one separately:
- Condition: is the packaging damaged or compromised?
- Date: is the product near or past the date threshold your policy sets for that product type?
- Rotation: is stock displayed in the agreed order, often first expired, first out (FEFO)?
- Anything that could be a safety issue is escalated the same day.
- Routine findings go to a named contact under a clear rule.
- Managers review the records for patterns by store, product, route, and promotion.
When to Use It
Use this practice in any category with use-by, sell-by, or best-before dates, and wherever damage in transit or handling is common. Common failure patterns:- Generic date rules. Different date labels and product types carry different obligations. Use your policy, not a rule of thumb.
- Reps acting beyond their authority, such as removing or relabeling stock without the store’s agreement.
- Findings with no product or quantity, so nobody can trace the cause.
- Blaming the shelf team for structural waste. Repeat write-offs often come from ordering, forecasting, or delivery frequency.
Operating Procedure
1
Agree the Rules First
With each retailer, agree what reps may do, such as rotate stock, and what they must hand to store staff. Set the date threshold per product type, and who to notify.
2
Check Condition, Date, and Rotation
Check each priority product in that order. Record each finding separately.
3
Record Enough Detail to Act
Record the product, store, quantity (if you counted it reliably), the date or condition you saw, a photo where the retailer allows it, and what you did.
4
Escalate Safety Issues Now
If product safety may be affected, tell the store manager at once and follow the retailer’s procedure. Then record it.
5
Notify the Owner of Routine Findings
Tell the store contact, the retailer’s replenishment team, or your brand contact, following the rule you agreed.
6
Look for Patterns
Each month, review findings by store, product, route, and promotion, and fix the cause, such as over-ordering or slow rotation.
How to Implement It in FieldKo
Capturing short-dated stock with a dedicated action is customer-specific configuration. The Short Dated Stock pack-out action, with expiry dates and an optional Quantity (units), exists only where it has been set up for a company. Ask FieldKo if you want it. Without it, use a survey, as described below.
Fictional Example
Fictional example. At Pinecrest Grocer, a rep checks 5 lines of a made-up Brightwell yogurt. The store’s agreed threshold is 3 days before the use-by date.- Condition: 2 tubs have split lids. The rep tells the store manager, who removes them. The rep logs a High priority incident.
- Date: 6 tubs of 1 flavor are within 2 days of their use-by date. The rep records the product, date, and quantity, and notifies the store contact under the agreed rule.
- Rotation: newer stock is in front of older stock on 1 line. The store allows reps to rotate, so the rep rotates it and records the fix.
What to Measure
What to Do When It Goes Wrong
- Reps don’t see the Short Dated Stock action: it’s customer-specific configuration and may not be set up for your company. Use a survey, or ask FieldKo.
- Findings have no quantity: make the Number question required, or add the quantity to your procedure.
- The same product keeps going short-dated: check order quantities, delivery frequency, and promotion forecasts before you change field routines.
- A safety issue was found but not escalated: review the procedure with the rep, and make the escalation rule part of every visit.
Checklist
- Retailer handling rules are agreed and written down.
- Date thresholds are set per product type.
- Condition, date, and rotation are recorded as separate answers.
- Safety issues are escalated the same day.
- Each finding includes product, store, quantity, and date.
- Repeat findings are reviewed monthly for their cause.