> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.fieldko.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Short-Dated Stock, Damage, and Waste

> Check date, condition, and rotation on every visit, escalate safety issues fast, and record short-dated stock in FieldKo so repeat waste gets fixed.

Products have to be fit to sell, not only on the shelf. This page is for reps and merchandisers who check stock in date-sensitive categories, and for managers who act on what they find. The outcome is a consistent check, a fast route for anything unsafe, and records that show why the same waste keeps happening.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Field observations don't give anyone permission to move, relabel, or dispose of stock. Follow the retailer's procedures and the food-safety rules that apply to you. This page isn't legal or food-safety advice.

## 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

> [!NOTE]
>
> 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.

**Availability:** surveys, incidents, notes, and **Next Visit To Do's** are built in. The **Short Dated Stock** action is customer-specific configuration. Alerts need a flow your admin builds. Write-off and waste values come from external data.

| Practice | In FieldKo | Learn How |
| - | - | - |
| Record a short-dated finding | If your company has the **Short Dated Stock** action, scan each product, and enter its expiry date and quantity. | [Record Pack-Outs and Short-Dated Stock](https://support.fieldko.com/field-work/pack-outs.md) |
| Record the 3 checks in a survey | Use a barcode question for the product, a date question for the date, a **Number** question for the quantity, picklists for condition and rotation, and a photo where allowed. | [Choose the Right Question Type](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/customize/design-surveys-for-reporting.md#choose-the-right-question-type) |
| Report a safety issue | On a visit that's in progress, **Log an Incident** records the issue against the account and visit, typically with a subject, a description, a priority (**High**, **Medium**, or **Low**), and 1 photo. An incident has no owner, due date, or resolution status, so agree who follows it up. | [Log an Incident](https://support.fieldko.com/field-work/log-incident.md) |
| Recheck at the next visit | **Next Visit To Do's** adds a check task and a note to the account's next visit. | [Next Visit To Do's](https://support.fieldko.com/visits/notes-and-follow-ups.md#next-visit-to-do’s) |
| Alert a manager | A flow can notify a manager when a check fails. | [Alert a Manager When a Compliance Check Fails](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/automate/flow-recipes.md#alert-a-manager-when-a-compliance-check-fails) |

## 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.

Over the month, the same flavor is short-dated at 4 of the rep's 12 stores. The manager reviews ordering for that flavor rather than coaching the rep.

## What to Measure

| Measure | Definition | Population and Exclusions | Owner |
| - | - | - | - |
| Short-dated findings rate | Visits with at least 1 short-dated finding / visits that included the check | Completed visits with the check task | Field manager |
| Repeat findings | Products short-dated at the same store on 2 or more visits in a month | Date-sensitive products | Retail operations analyst |
| Safety escalation | Safety incidents logged the same day / safety issues found | All incidents tagged as safety | Field manager |
| Waste value | Value of stock written off | Needs retailer or finance data | Commercial lead |

## 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.

## Industry Best-Practice Context

FieldKo's guide [Short-Dated Stock, Damaged Goods and Waste: A Field Execution Guide](https://fieldko.com/best-practices/short-dated-stock-waste-returns/) covers the retailer-approved workflow and finding structural causes.

## See Also

* [Orders, Stock Rotation, and Short-Dated Stock](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/orders-and-stock.md)
* [Keep Products on the Shelf](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/availability.md)
* [Record Pack-Outs and Short-Dated Stock](https://support.fieldko.com/field-work/pack-outs.md)
* [Log an Incident](https://support.fieldko.com/field-work/log-incident.md)
* [Close the Loop on Store Exceptions](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/close-the-loop.md)


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