What is a start date?
A start date is the date an item is listed for sale in your store. It marks the official beginning of that item's time on the floor, and it's the reference point your store uses to calculate things like discount schedules and days on shelf.
For most stores, the start date defaults to the date the item was created in the system. If you receive and process items the same day they hit the floor, that default works fine. But if there's a lag — items come in Monday, get priced and put out Wednesday — you may want to set the start date manually so your timing stays accurate.
Why does start date matter?
Every time-based calculation in your store runs off this number.
If your discount schedule is set to mark items down at 30 days, the system counts from the start date. If you're tracking days on shelf to understand how long items take to sell — by category, by season, by consignor — that metric is only as reliable as your start dates.
Common start date mistakes
Using intake date when items don't go out immediately — If you hold items before putting them on the floor, logging the intake date as the start date means your discount clock starts running before the item has had a fair chance to sell at full price.
Inconsistent entry across staff — If one employee logs today's date and another logs the date the item was dropped off, your data becomes unreliable. Set a clear policy and make sure everyone follows it.
Backdating without a reason — Occasionally backdating is legitimate (correcting a genuine error). But backdating as a workaround — to delay a markdown, or to make days on shelf look better — corrupts your reporting.