Name: Wink You
Author: Wink You

The problem: dates live on the pack, not in the system

Cream, labneh, fresh meat and juices have short lives, and in Gulf summers a cold room is working hard. The date that matters is printed on the pack, so the only way to know what expires first is to walk into the fridge and read every label. When the team is busy, older stock sits at the back, new stock is used first, and money ends up in the bin. Tracking batch numbers and use by dates in your stock system brings those dates onto one screen.

Dates also matter when a food safety inspector visits or when a supplier delivers stock that is already close to its date. If the date is on record from the moment the goods arrive, you can show what you hold, refuse what is too short, and plan menus or specials around stock that needs using soon instead of finding it in the bin a week later. A date on record is also what lets the morning notice below warn you in time.

Record dates when goods arrive

The best moment to capture a date is at the door. When you receive a purchase order in Purchasing, then Purchase Orders, click Receive and open the damaged and use by section on a line. Enter the use by date and the batch number from the pack. On the same line you can refuse goods that arrived damaged, expired or short dated: refused goods never enter stock, and they stay on the order so you can claim them from the supplier. Click Confirm delivery when every line is checked.

Record dates on stock already on the shelf

Open Inventory, then Stock items, and click the item, for example Cream Cheese.
Under Stock at each branch, click the add use by button on your branch.
Type the batch or lot number printed on the pack and the use by date, then click Save.
Back on Stock items, click Columns and turn on the Use by column. It is added at the end of the table, so you see at a glance what needs using first.

A morning notice before things expire

Each morning, in your business's own time zone, Wink You looks at your stock and can post a short notice to the bell in Business Admin, such as 3 items expiring within 3 days, with a link to the stock list. It is one of a small number of daily notices ranked by importance, so on a day with bigger issues it may not be the first one you see. When something does expire, log it under Wastage with the Expired reason so the loss is counted.

What is and is not included

Be clear on how dates are stored. Wink You keeps one use by date and batch number per item per branch, not a separate quantity for each delivery. When a new delivery arrives while older stock is still on the shelf, the item keeps the earlier date, so the list always warns about the oldest stock. When the old stock has run out or its date has passed, the new date takes over. Each delivery line also keeps its own date and batch number on the delivery record. Wink You does not split stock into separate quantities per batch, does not pick the oldest batch automatically at sale time, and does not produce a recall report by lot number.

Tips for getting it right

Capture dates at receiving for the short life items first: dairy, fresh meat, juices and bakery.
Receive deliveries through purchase orders, so each delivery line keeps its own date and batch number on record.
Turn on the Use by column on Stock items and check it before you place the next order.
Set up storage areas so the walk in fridge can be checked and counted on its own.
When something expires, log it as Expired waste. Over a month that number tells you which items you overbuy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I record an expiry date when goods arrive?

Receive the purchase order, open the damaged and use by section on the line, enter the date and batch number, and confirm the delivery.

How do I see which stock expires first?

On Stock items, open Columns and turn on Use by. The dates show in the list for the branch you picked at the top.

Can I refuse short dated goods from a supplier?

Yes. While receiving, type the quantity under damaged or refused and choose the reason. It never enters stock and stays on the order for your claim.

Can I track each batch of the same item separately?

Not as separate stock. The shelf keeps one date per item per branch, the earliest one, while each delivery record keeps its own batch number and date.

Where do I see the use by date at another branch?

Open the stock item. Stock at each branch lists every branch with its own date and batch number, and the Use by column follows the branch picked at the top of Stock items.

What happens to the date when the old stock runs out?

The next delivery received with a date takes over. While old stock is still there, the item keeps the earlier of the two dates, so the warning always follows the oldest stock.