Describe a situation where you had to manage inventory or prevent stock issues, such as stockouts or spoilage. What steps did you take?

Situation

While working in a convenience store, I noticed that our best-selling rice packs were down to only five units two days before a long holiday weekend. Normally, we sold at least twenty packs a day.

Task

I had to ensure we did not run out of a high-demand item and also prevent spoilage of the fresh produce that would sit unsold if we over-ordered.

Action

I manually counted all rice stock and cross-checked past sales records. I called our supplier to request an emergency partial delivery, and I rearranged the shelf to put similar, slower-moving items at eye level as alternatives. I also implemented a stricter first-expiry-first-out rotation for dairy items and placed near-expiry products on a marked-down quick-sale cart.

Result

We avoided a stockout of the rice packs throughout the weekend and sold through 80% of the near-expiry dairy items with zero waste. The store manager later asked me to help revise the ordering checklist for holidays.