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Picking and Dispatch

Switching a store from FIFO to FEFO picking

FIFO ships the oldest stock first; FEFO ships the soonest to expire first. If you handle perishables, food or pharma, FEFO is the rule you need — here's how to switch a store over and make it stick.

4 min read Updated July 2026

By default Fast WMS allocates pallets to a pick list FIFO by creation date — the oldest received pallet is picked first — while applying expiry and batch as hard eligibility filters. For expiry-sensitive stock you want FEFO instead, so the pallet that expires soonest always goes out first, even if it arrived later. The switch is really about one thing: making sure every pallet carries an expiry date to sort on.

Switching a store to FEFO

  1. Decide per store. FEFO makes sense for perishable, food and pharma stores. Non-dated goods can stay on FIFO.
  2. Capture expiry at GRN. Make expiry-date entry part of goods receipt for the relevant items, so every pallet has a date. See capturing lot and expiry at GRN.
  3. Set the allocation order to FEFO for the store, so pick-confirm orders eligible pallets by earliest expiry.
  4. Verify on a pick list. Build a pick list and check the suggested pallet is the earliest-expiring one, not just the oldest received.
  5. Watch the expiry dashboard. Use the lot expiry dashboard to keep an eye on near-expiry buckets and catch anything at risk.
The most common FEFO mistake

FEFO needs an expiry date on every pallet to order by. If expiry was not captured at receipt, there is nothing to sort on and allocation effectively falls back to FIFO. Before you rely on FEFO, confirm your receiving flow always records an expiry date for dated items.

Related articles
FIFO & FEFO picking feature Capturing lot and expiry at GRN Lot expiry dashboard feature Cold storage WMS

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between FIFO and FEFO?

FIFO dispatches the oldest received stock first. FEFO dispatches the stock with the earliest expiry first, regardless of arrival date — essential for perishables, food and pharma.

Why is FEFO still picking by receipt date?

FEFO needs an expiry date on every pallet. If expiry wasn't captured at GRN, there's nothing to sort on and Fast WMS falls back to FIFO. Capture expiry at receipt.

Enforcing FEFO across a cold store?

We'll set up expiry capture, FEFO allocation and near-expiry alerts on your own stock in a live session.

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