Drugstore inventory app: count OTC, health and beauty by scanning, with expiry dates

By mise · Updated October 15, 2026

Quick answer: a drugstore (chemist in the UK) controls front-store inventory with cycle counts: one aisle or category per shift, scanned by barcode, without closing. Expiry dates follow FEFO (first expired, first out) and are recorded on each item; minimum stock tells you what to reorder before it runs out; and comparing two counts shows shrink by item, in money.

Scan the barcode on the box or snap a photo: mise's AI finds the medicine or product and brings it back categorized, ready to count. In a drugstore that means counting one aisle per shift with your phone, recording the expiry date on each item and getting a reorder list for everything below minimum.

An independent drugstore carries 3,000 to 8,000 front-store SKUs, almost all barcoded, and two risks a grocery store does not have: expired medicine that cannot be sold, and shrink on small, expensive items within arm's reach of the door. This guide covers how to count without closing, how to handle expiry dates and what mise does.

What a drugstore counts in the front store

The same brand in three pack sizes is three items, each with its own barcode. Counting "ibuprofen" instead of each pack is the fastest way to lose control. The dispensary and prescription stock stay in your pharmacy system; this guide is about everything else on the shelves.

Expiry dates: FEFO and the date on every item

An expired product on the shelf is a total loss and a compliance problem. The rule is FEFO: first expired, first out. The soonest date goes to the front and sells first. For that to work, the expiry date has to live on the item record, not in a notebook.

1. When stock arrives, record the expiry date on the item.
2. Every week, review what expires in the next 90 days: return to the wholesaler if your terms allow, mark down, or move it to the store that sells it.
3. Write off expired stock as a stock-out with a reason (expired). That keeps expiry loss separate from theft.

More on the method in FIFO and FEFO and in pharmacy inventory management.

Cycle counts by aisle and by shift, without closing

A drugstore open twelve hours a day cannot shut for an annual count. The alternative is cycle counting: each shift counts one aisle or one category, and in two or three weeks the whole front store has been counted.

• Refrigerated and high-value OTC: weekly.
• Skincare, sun care, razors, cosmetics: weekly (this is where the shrink is).
• Baby, personal care, first aid: every two weeks.
• Stockroom: monthly, sealed cases multiplied by units.

Each person counts from their own phone with their own permissions: a clerk counts and sees quantities; the manager or owner sees values. Every count is stamped with date, time and who counted. Several stores sit in one account as separate locations. See cycle counting.

Shrink: small, pricey and pocketable

• Theft of small, expensive items in open display.
• Till errors: the 30-pack sold, the 10-pack rung up. Cash balances, inventory does not.
• Receiving not checked: the wholesaler invoices 24, delivers 20. Check deliveries by scanning each case against the invoice.
• Samples and staff use never recorded: stock-out with a reason.

Typical front-store shrink is 1 to 2 percent of sales; above that, look at health and beauty and at receiving. See inventory shrinkage.

Minimum stock and the reorder list

A stockout on a basic medicine is a lost sale and a customer who walks to the next drugstore. Set a minimum stock (par level) on what must never run out: pain relief, cold and flu, diapers, formula, rehydration. When the balance drops below it, the item turns red and goes onto the reorder list with the quantity short.

The list exports as PDF or Excel, or goes by WhatsApp or email, split by supplier when mise knows who sold it to you last (from the invoice). Supplier invoices import as XML, Excel or CSV and the items land in stock at the price paid. See par level and reorder point formula.

What mise does in a drugstore, and what it does not

In short, everything in the "Do it in mise" box above: scan or photo lookup, counts by aisle and shift with your team, expiry date per item, minimum stock with a reorder list, invoices in XML, Excel or CSV, and export to Excel and PDF, with no limit on items, counts or scans.

Count your front store by scanning

Point the camera at the box and the product comes up complete, with its expiry date; shrink for the month comes out in money. 7-day free trial, no card.

Start free

Frequently asked questions

How do I manage expiry dates in a drugstore?

Record the expiry date on each item when it arrives, shelve with FEFO (soonest date at the front) and review what expires within 90 days every week. Write off expired stock as a stock-out with a reason.

Can I count without closing the store?

Yes: cycle counting, one aisle or category per shift. The whole front store is counted in two or three weeks without closing for a day.

Does it tell pack sizes apart (10, 20, 30 tablets)?

Yes, because each pack size has its own barcode and the barcode is what mise reads. They show up as separate items with the right name.

Does it work for a chain of stores?

Yes: each store is a location in the same account, with its own team and counts, and the owner sees everything from the browser on a PC.

How much does mise cost?

7 days free, no card needed, to try it in your store.