02/06/2025
This morning, I had to step out early to receive a package from a relative. We agreed to meet at a BRT terminal since she planned to board BRT after handing over the items to me
As expected, it was the usual Monday hustle and bustle in Lagos. The queues were unbelievably long. so long they had sub queues, One line was for passengers willing to stand, the other for those waiting to sit. I decided to join the queue to help ease things for this relative of mine
Before I knew it, Lagosians had started pushing and shoving. At one point, I got trapped under a woman’s armpit, no be small thing o! she was on the big side (we have been asked not to use the word fat) I eventually started feeling lightheaded, hunger had been pushed right out of my system.
So I stepped aside and walked over to a small provision kiosk nearby to get something to eat. The shop was well positioned and stocked with various edibles. I asked for a sausage roll, the kind we call Gala
But the woman I presumed to be the shop owner was visibly upset. She left other customers unattended and began complaining bitterly. She asked her daughter why she didn’t check the production date on the Gala packs. Apparently, all the cartons they had bought yesterday hoping to sell from today till Wednesday had already expired
Her daughter, with tears in her eyes, responded that she thought her mother had checked them last night.
That right there is a typical inventory management problem. Many small business owners face this same issue regularly. expired or obsolete stock, wasted investment and lost profit.
And this is exactly where SMEs Assist NG comes in to support business owners in managing their inventory better, reducing losses, running smarter and more efficient businesses.