Whichever way you look at it, any items in your warehouse that are deeply unpopular are slowing you down and affecting your efficiency. They often say that buying stock is a lot like buying eggs – have too many on hand and it is inevitable that some will go rotten.

Still, it’s inevitable that the vast majority of retailers and other businesses will end up with stock on hand that just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The idea of grabbing it and throwing it away won’t sit well with most, but at the same time it’s important to acknowledge that it really isn’t of any use just sitting on your stockroom shelf gathering dust.

So for those who’d prefer to be proactive about things while minimising potential loss, here is a quick look at a few creative ways of getting rid of old stock:

1. First of all, you might be surprised just how big of a difference it can make to in some way alter its packaging. This is of course an example that applies only to a very restricted school of inventory, but if it is possible to change the packaging, you might immediately change the appeal of the product. Why not try marketing it to a different target audience?
2. One of the most effective ways of getting rid of old stock is to put together special packages and bundles. What this basically means is you take a product that isn’t selling well, bundle it with something extremely popular and jack the price up slightly to cover at least some of the cost of the poor-selling item. It works a treat and keeps losses to an absolute minimum.
3. Of course there’s always the option of taking on popular items and making them the primary focus points of your promotional displays. Could it be that the items in question simply haven’t been given enough focus of attention? Quite possibly – it’s always worth finding out!
4. One of the most obvious approaches when it comes to getting rid of all stock is to have something of a flash sale. Even if this means letting the stock go for 50% of its previous price, it’s still better than it sitting around and getting 0% of its original price.
5. Also worth trying is the classic giveaway – a special offer whereby your customers are given specific items of stock 100% free of charge, if they a) buy certain designated items or b) spend more than a certain amount in one transaction. In this instance, it’s a case of using unpopular items to encourage customers to spend more on other items.
6. Never forget that there are plenty of online retail sites and auction sites these days where it is quite possible to sell literally anything and everything on the face of the earth. If it isn’t selling in your store, chances are it will sell online.
7. Last but not least, if you really cannot bring yourself to throw any given items away, why not do your conscience a favour and instead consider giving them to charity? This way, not only are you ensuring that nothing goes to waste, but you are also helping a good cause and optimising your warehouse at the same time.