For grocery stores and supermarkets
Expiry date tracking for grocery stores and supermarkets
In a busy store, products expire behind newer stock, at the back of the fridge or on a high shelf. SimSim helps grocery stores, minimarkets and supermarkets see what expires next and act while products can still be sold.
Use the SimSim app on a phone or a tablet. Use it alone or with your team—everyone sees the same up-to-date inventory. Get started for free—no credit card required.
How grocery stores keep track of expiration dates
They record dates when deliveries arrive, rotate shelves with FEFO, check short-dated products every day, and mark down or move stock before it expires.
- Record dates at receiving
- Rotate shelves with FEFO
- Check short-dated products every day
- Mark down, move or donate in time
Where expired stock hides in a store
Most losses come from the same few places.
Behind newer stock
When shelves are refilled from the front, older products end up at the back.
Fridges and freezers
Dairy, meat and other chilled products have short dates, and items at the back of a fridge or freezer are easy to miss.
High shelves and the back room
Overstock that nobody sees is easy to forget until it has expired.
Busy shifts
When several people refill shelves, it is easy to lose track of who checked which aisle.
Record expiry dates when deliveries arrive
Check the date on new stock before it goes on the shelf. It is the easiest moment, because the products are already in your hands.
- Check dates on every delivery, especially chilled products.
- Refuse or report deliveries that are already short-dated, if your supplier allows it.
- Record each batch with its own date and quantity.
How SimSim helps: Scan the barcode with your phone camera or a Bluetooth scanner and take a photo of the date: the AI enters it for you. SimSim remembers each product for the next delivery.
Rotate shelves with FEFO
FEFO (First Expired, First Out) means the product that expires first goes to the front, even if it arrived later.
- Put new stock behind older stock, unless the new stock expires sooner.
- Move short-dated products to eye level or the front of the fridge.
- Keep different dates of the same product apart.
How SimSim helps: Give each batch a location (aisle, fridge, freezer, back room), then search by location and expiry status to see what is close to its date in each spot.
Check short-dated products every day
A short daily check of the products that expire soon is more effective than a full count once a month.
- Every morning, review what expires in the next few days.
- Every week, check one aisle or category in full.
- Every month, look at what expired anyway and adjust your orders.
How SimSim helps: Smart alerts and the priority view show what expires today and this week, so the daily check takes a few minutes.
Mark down, move or donate before the date
Near-expiry products can still be sold or put to good use if you act in time.
- Discount or bundle products before the date: a few days ahead for fresh food, weeks ahead for packaged goods.
- Move stock to a branch where it sells faster.
- Return products to the supplier, if your agreement allows it.
- Donate food that is still safe to eat to a food bank or charity: never past a use-by date, and past a best-before date only where local rules allow it.
How SimSim helps: Set alerts days, weeks or months ahead, depending on how fast each product sells. Remove items from the list when they are sold, moved or thrown away.
What grocery stores use SimSim for
Fast barcode scanning
Phone camera or Bluetooth scanner, with a database of 500M+ products.
AI reads the date
Take a photo of the printed date instead of typing it.
Smart alerts
Days, weeks or months before each date.
Locations and categories
Aisles, fridges, freezers and the back room.
Team access
Share one list with every shift.
Excel and CSV
Import your products and export your data.
Frequently asked questions
How do grocery stores keep track of expiration dates?
Most stores record expiration dates when deliveries arrive, rotate shelves with FEFO, check short-dated products every day and mark items down before they expire. Many now use a barcode scanning app with alerts instead of paper lists.
What is the best way to check expiry dates in a supermarket?
Check the products that expire soonest every day, one aisle or category in full every week, and chilled products more often than dry goods. Alerts tell you where to look, so you don't have to check every shelf.
How early should I discount products before they expire?
It depends on how fast they sell. Fresh and chilled products are often marked down a few days before the date, while packaged goods can be promoted weeks ahead.
What is the difference between use-by and best-before dates?
A use-by date is about safety: do not sell or eat the food after it. A best-before date is about quality: food may still be safe after it, but whether it can be sold or donated depends on local rules. Always follow the printed date and storage instructions.
Can my staff use it on their own phones?
Yes. Add team members and choose whether each person can add, edit or only view products. Everyone sees the same up-to-date list.
Is there a free expiry date app for small shops?
Yes. SimSim has a free plan for Android, iPhone and iPad with no credit card required. Paid plans add more users, more products and AI features.
Stop losing stock to expiry dates
Scan products, let AI read the dates and get alerts before anything expires.