Supplement store inventory: count protein, creatine and vitamins by barcode, with expiry dates

By mise · Updated October 15, 2026

Quick answer: a supplement store (sports nutrition shop in the UK) controls inventory by exact variant: the 2 lb and 5 lb tubs of the same protein, and each flavor, are separate items with their own barcode. Scan each tub, record the expiry date, count the stockroom in sealed cases and compare two counts to see shrink in money and which flavors are not moving.

Scan the barcode on the tub or snap a photo of the label: mise's AI finds the supplement and brings it back categorized, with the right size and flavor. In a supplement store that means counting three hundred variants in an hour and seeing which flavors are dying on the shelf and which tubs expire before they sell.

A supplement store carries 800 to 2,500 SKUs, where one product is twelve items: four flavors in three sizes, each with its own barcode. The stock is expensive per unit, it expires, and a customer switches brands the day the tub they wanted is missing. This guide covers what to count, where the money leaks and what mise does.

What a supplement store (sports nutrition shop) counts

Category	How to count	Watch for
Protein powders (whey, plant, casein)	Barcode of each size and flavor	Expiry; 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb tubs (1 kg, 2.5 kg in the UK)
Pre-workout, creatine, amino acids	Barcode	Many flavors, half of them slow movers
Vitamins, minerals, fat burners	Barcode	Expiry; small, high-value bottles; theft
Bars, ready-to-drink shakes	Unit barcode; boxes x units	Short dates
Samples and scoops	Own item, outside sellable stock	Given away and never recorded

The same protein in three sizes and four flavors is twelve items. Counting "whey" as one line hides that chocolate 5 lb is sold out and vanilla 2 lb expires next month. The barcode already does the splitting, and that is what mise reads.

Expiry dates: FEFO on every tub

A supplement past its date goes in the bin at full cost. The rule is FEFO, first expired, first out: soonest date at the front. For that to work, the date has to live on the item record, not on a sticky note.

Record the expiry date on each item when the delivery arrives.
Every week, review what expires in the next 90 days; bars and shakes first. Promotion, bundle or return to the distributor if your terms allow.
Write off expired stock as a stock-out with a reason (expired), so expiry loss stays separate from theft and samples.

Do it in mise

Scan the barcode on the tub or snap a photo: mise's AI finds the supplement and brings it back categorized (name, brand, photo, size, group and category).
Count by section with your team, each person on their own phone with their own permissions.
Expiry date on each item; samples, staff use and expired stock as stock-outs with a reason.
Minimum stock per item and a reorder list in PDF, Excel, WhatsApp or email, split by supplier.
Invoices in XML, Excel or CSV; shrink in money between two counts; export to Excel and PDF.

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Where a supplement store loses money

Samples and staff use. A tub opened for tasting is a tub you will not sell. Stock-out with a reason the moment it is opened.
Wrong flavor at the till (register). Chocolate sold, vanilla rung up. Cash balances, flavor stock does not.
Theft of small bottles. Fat burners and vitamins are small and expensive; count that shelf weekly.
Dead flavors. The fifth flavor of a pre-workout that sells two tubs a year ties up shelf and cash.

Example with numbers. A supplement store with 1,400 SKUs and $62,000 of stock at cost ran its first barcode count: 6 tubs of protein missing ($180 at cost), 14 boxes of bars within 30 days of expiry ($210), and 90 SKUs with zero sales in six months, $7,800 on the shelf. The bars went two-for-one, the dead flavors were not reordered, and the protein wall moved to a weekly count.

See dead stock and inventory shrinkage.

The counting routine

Section	Frequency	Why
Protein wall, vitamins, fat burners	Weekly	Value, theft, flavors that stop selling
Bars, shakes, chilled	Every two weeks	Short dates
Stockroom (sealed cases x units)	Monthly	Receiving errors
Whole store	Monthly	Shrink and stock value

Each person counts a section from their own phone with their own permissions: staff see quantities, the 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.

Minimum stock and the reorder list

A stockout on the bestselling whey is a customer who buys it elsewhere. Set a minimum stock (par level) on the twenty or thirty items that carry the store. Below it, the item turns red and goes onto the reorder list with the quantity short. The list exports as PDF or Excel, or opens in WhatsApp or email ready to send, split by supplier from the last invoice. Invoices import as XML, Excel or CSV. See par level and reorder point formula.

What mise does in a supplement store, and what it does not

In short, everything in the "Do it in mise" box above, with no limit on items, counts or scans.

What it does not do: it is not a point of sale or a loyalty program; sales stay in your existing system. It does not send expiry alerts on its own: the date is recorded on each item and you review it in the weekly count. It does not track batch (lot) numbers, and it does not check label claims or regulations.

Count every tub and flavor by scanning

Point the camera at the tub and it comes up with the right size and flavor; the month's shrink comes out in money. 7-day free trial, no card.

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Keep reading Pharmacy inventory management: counting the front store Best inventory apps for retail and pharmacy FIFO and FEFO: first in, first out Dead stock: how to find it and what to do Cycle counting: how to count without closing All guides

Frequently asked questions

Does the app tell sizes and flavors apart?

Yes: each size and each flavor has its own barcode, and the barcode is what mise reads. Chocolate 5 lb and vanilla 2 lb are different items.

How do I handle expiry dates on supplements?

Record the date on each item when it arrives, shelve with FEFO and review what expires within 90 days every week. Expired stock is written off with a reason.

How do I record samples and staff use?

As a stock-out with a reason the moment the tub is opened. The cost shows at month end and is not mistaken for theft.

How often should a supplement store count?

The protein wall and the small high-value bottles weekly; bars and shakes every two weeks; the whole store monthly.

How much does mise cost?

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