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loss in retail

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  • Over-purchase to ensure well-stocked shelves

Bulk purchasing by supermarkets not only lowers the net cost of supermarkets, but also fulfils their desire to portray a vision of plentitude. The assumption that consumers are more likely to buy an apple from over a towering pile often results in the cost of negligence of dates of expiry. The continuance of purchasing new stocks by retailers piles upon the existing stock that causes damages to the bottom pile and also drives food products nearer to their dates of expiry. The preference by consumers to choose a longer expiry date adds onto the issue of expiry dates.

  • Availability of fresh food until closing

With the option to produce ready made food with marginally damaged or near expiry food, supermarkets also face the challenge to sell them before closing time. Yet, there seems to be a large portion of ready made items disposed off at the end of the day due to low sales it generates.

  • Expired “sell by” dates

In their quest to maintain their image of carrying fresh and top quality products, products nearing their “sell by” dates are discarded, when most of them are still consumable. This act is not mandated by law. Different from “use by” and “best by” dates, “sell by” dates is mostly a criterion that many supermarkets adopt to ensure top quality items. It is estimated that $2300 worth of food is thrown out per day by each store, and that is an alarming figure for food that have little or no damage to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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