Stock rotation and inventory tracking are essential for keeping a retail business running smoothly. Whether you’re managing a busy convenience store, a small independent shop, or a warehouse for wholesale goods, having the right labelling system in place makes a big difference. One of the simplest and most effective tools still used by businesses across the UK is the price gun and its accompanying labels.
While technology has introduced more advanced systems for large retailers, many small to mid-sized businesses still rely on price gun labels for accurate, visible, and quick product identification. In this blog, we’ll explain how price gun labels can improve stock rotation, help avoid product waste, and support easier inventory tracking—all without the need for expensive systems.
What Is Stock Rotation and Why Does It Matter?
Stock rotation is the process of managing how products are placed, sold, and replaced to ensure older stock is sold before newer stock. It’s especially important in businesses dealing with perishable or dated items like food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and seasonal goods.
Failing to rotate stock properly can lead to:
- Out-of-date products remaining on shelves
- Increased waste and financial loss
- Poor customer experience
- Compliance issues in regulated industries (e.g. food and health)
Using clear and consistent labelling makes stock rotation far easier for staff to carry out and monitor.
How Price Gun Labels Improve Stock Rotation
1. Date Coding for Perishable Goods
Many price guns can print more than just prices. With a two-line or three-line pricing gun, you can label items with production dates, expiry dates, or “best before” dates.
Labelling stock with dates at the point of arrival or packaging ensures that older items are placed in front and sold first, while newer stock is shelved behind. This helps staff follow the FIFO method (First In, First Out), which is essential for good stock rotation.
This simple method ensures that food, drink, or cosmetics are always fresh for customers and reduces the chance of throwing away unsold, expired stock.
2. Batch Tracking and Traceability
Price gun labels can also be used for batch codes or lot numbers, especially in environments where stock traceability is required—such as in food production, health shops, or wholesalers.
Being able to identify when a product was received or packaged allows staff to isolate and remove specific batches in the event of a product recall or issue. This is especially important for quality control and legal compliance.
With batch numbers printed directly on products using price gun labels, tracking becomes immediate, even without a computerised system.
3. Colour-Coded Labelling for Easy Identification
Some shops and warehouses use coloured price gun labels to visually mark stock age or category. For example:
- Red labels = items arriving on Monday
- Blue labels = items arriving on Tuesday
- Yellow labels = short-dated stock
This makes it easy for staff to identify stock priorities at a glance, helping ensure that products are rotated correctly without checking individual dates.
It also reduces staff training time, as colour-coded systems are intuitive and fast to learn.
Price Guns as a Stock Control Tool
While they’re often used for pricing, price guns are also a practical tool for managing stock movement throughout a store or supply chain.
1. Labelling Delivery Dates
When new stock arrives, it can be labelled with the delivery or unpacking date. This helps staff identify which products should be sold first and prevents newer stock from being mistakenly displayed before older stock.
Clear labelling reduces confusion, especially in environments with high staff turnover or where multiple team members are involved in stock handling.
2. Managing Short-Dated or Clearance Items
Retailers can use their price guns to apply promotional stickers or short-dated codes on products nearing expiry. Some guns even support labels that say “SALE” or “USE SOON”, helping to move older stock before it becomes unsellable.
This proactive approach reduces waste and recovers more value from stock that might otherwise have gone unsold.
Supporting Inventory Checks and Restocking
Regular stock checks are vital for keeping shelves organised and reducing over-ordering. When items are clearly labelled, it’s easier to conduct quick visual checks of expiry dates, batch numbers, and stock cycles.
Price gun labels can also support manual inventory logs by including tracking codes or department numbers on products. This provides useful reference points for stocktaking or restocking procedures.
Advantages of Using Price Gun Labels for Stock Management
- Low-cost and accessible – No need for expensive software or digital scanners
- Easy to train staff – No specialist skills required
- Reliable – Works without power or internet
- Adaptable – Can be used for pricing, batch coding, dating and promotions
- Quick to apply – Speeds up labelling during deliveries or repacking
These benefits make price guns ideal for small shops, independent retailers, local food outlets, pharmacies, and any business needing efficient stock control without added complexity.
Which Type of Price Gun Should You Use?
If you want to use labels for more than just pricing, you’ll need a two-line or three-line pricing gun. These models allow you to print combinations of:
- Price
- Date
- Batch number
- Stock code
- Promotional message
Be sure to choose a price gun that matches your label size and layout needs. It’s also helpful to buy from a supplier who can provide the right label rolls (including colour options) and ink rollers when needed.
Final Thoughts
Price gun labels remain one of the most effective tools for improving stock rotation and tracking in small to mid-sized retail settings. They’re simple, affordable, and highly adaptable—making them a smart choice for any business that needs clear labelling but doesn’t require a full barcode or scanning system.
By using your price gun for more than just pricing, you can improve shelf life management, traceability, and efficiency throughout your store or stockroom. With the right label setup, you’ll be able to reduce waste, avoid confusion, and keep your business organised without extra cost or complexity.
If you’re looking to upgrade your labelling system, look to Price Gun Land to find the right price gun for your needs.
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