Home › Blog › Shops

Medical Store Software: How to Track Expiry Dates

By the SundarVahi team · 25 October 2026

Expired medicine is lost money for a medical store. Once a medicine passes its expiry date, it cannot be sold. It must be removed from sale and kept separate. The loss is worse because the store already paid for that stock. This guide shows a simple way to track expiry dates, so fewer medicines reach expiry on your shelf.

Why expiry costs money

A medical store buys stock in advance. That stock sits on the shelf until a customer needs it. If a slow item stays too long, its expiry date arrives before it is sold.

The cost is not only the price of the expired packs. It is also the shelf space they used, the cash tied up in them, and the time spent sorting them out later. A few expired packs every month can add up to a large loss over a year.

Expiry also creates risk. An expired pack mixed with good stock can be sold by mistake in a busy shop. A clear expiry system protects customers, and it protects the store from that mistake.

Record batches and expiry dates at purchase

A batch is one delivery lot of the same medicine from the same company. Each batch can have a different expiry date, even if the medicine name is the same. That is why you must record the batch, not just the medicine name.

At purchase, record these facts for each batch:

1. The medicine name and pack size.
2. The batch number from the box.
3. The expiry date from the box.
4. The quantity received.
5. The supplier name, so you know who to contact for a return.

Check the expiry date on the box, not only on the supplier bill. If the box date and the bill date do not match, use the box date and ask the supplier about the difference. A wrong date in the record makes every later check wrong.

Put new stock behind old stock on the shelf, so the oldest batch is picked first. A good record plus a good shelf order work together.

Sell the oldest batch first

The rule is simple: sell the oldest batch first. In stock terms this is called FIFO (first in, first out); for medicines the better rule is FEFO: first expiry, first out. The batch that arrived first, and has the nearest expiry date, should be sold before a newer batch.

This rule needs care when two batches have different expiry dates. Always check the expiry date, not only the arrival date. If a newer batch expires sooner, sell that batch first. The goal is to sell the batch that will expire first, before its date arrives.

Train all staff on this rule. If one person picks the newest box because it is at the front of the shelf, the oldest batch stays behind and may expire. A short daily habit, picking from the front after old stock is placed there, keeps the rule working.

Check a near-expiry list every week

A near-expiry list shows medicines that will expire soon. Check it once every week, on the same day, so it becomes a habit. Do not wait until the end of the month, when there is less time to act.

The list should show the medicine name, batch number, expiry date, quantity left, and cost value. With those facts, you can decide what to do: sell it first, move it to the front, or start a return claim.

Here is an example with example figures.

Check the total: 10,000 plus 10,000 plus 9,000 is 29,000. In this example, Rs 29,000 of stock needs action before expiry. Without a weekly list, that amount could be found only after it was too late.

After the weekly check, move near-expiry stock to a clear place at the front of its shelf. Tell staff to sell that stock first. A list that no one acts on does not help.

Returns and claims to the company

Many suppliers and companies accept returns of near-expiry stock, if the claim is made in time and with the right record. Each company has its own time limit and its own form, so check the rule for each supplier when you buy.

To make a claim, you usually need the medicine name, batch number, expiry date, quantity, and the original purchase record. Keep the stock separate and do not sell it after you start the claim. A clean record makes the claim faster, and a missing batch number can delay it or cause it to be refused.

Start claims early, not in the last week before expiry. If a company needs time to approve a return, a late claim may miss the limit. A weekly list gives you that early warning.

If a claim is refused, or if the medicine has already expired, remove it from sale at once. Keep expired stock separate from good stock, and follow the supplier or company rule for disposal. Never sell expired medicine, even if only a few days have passed.

How SundarVahi does it

SundarVahi records the batch and expiry date when stock comes in, and the bill takes the batch with the earliest expiry first by itself. An expiry list shows what will expire soon, and returns and claims to the company are recorded by batch.

Questions