At Bob Evans Farms, having a consistent process for managing excess inventory has not only materially improved cost recovery, but also, they are now working and thinking strategically with buyers with long-term goals in mind. We talked with Dean Boegeman, the Senior Director of Sales Operations at Bob Evans Farms, to find out how – in just six months working with Spoiler Alert – we’ve helped them create a repeatable process for excess inventory that their customers can trust.
A Repeatable, Consistent Sale Process
Before working with Spoiler Alert, Dean said the process for excess inventory at Bob Evans Farms was “very manual.”
With Spoiler Alert, that’s no longer the case. With a bi-weekly process now in place, Bob Evans Farms publishes their excess product for sale on Mondays, awards it on Thursdays, and schedules pickups and deliveries for the next week.
“Beyond the benefit of the time and cost savings, we also have the ability to award it and ship it consistently,” says Dean. “We go in, we award it, and we see what we’ve awarded. We can send that information over to the customer services team, the orders get booked. It’s very streamlined and efficient. We all feel very comfortable with the process.”
More than just internally, Dean says Spoiler Alert has allowed them to improve their relationships with excess product customers.
“It's all about the process and whether it's repeatable. Spoiler Alert allows us to have a repeatable process that customers can value and trust. What we’re sending them is real, and we get them what we say we will, when we say we will,” says Dean.
Working Together Strategically
Spoiler Alert’s consistent process has also allowed Bob Evans Farms more visibility into their excess inventory sales, giving them valuable insights and information they’ve been able to share with buyers to help them work more strategically.
“We’ve started doing business reviews with our excess product customers about what they are looking for, what their customer base is interested in, and what products they like most,” says Dean.
Armed with Spoiler Alert’s reporting tools, which help them identify areas for improvement, Dean says they’ve been able to think and work more strategically. “We’ve gotten great feedback, and I’m hopeful it will help us improve even further in the next three to six months,” he says.
Six Months In: What Are the Results?
When Dean and Bob Evans Farms first considered working with Spoiler Alert, it was during a time when excess inventory was a challenge.
Immediately upon engaging with Spoiler Alert, Dean noticed Bob Evans Farms had visibility into more customers. “We had sold to some of them in the past, but it was purely by happenstance,” says Dean. “Now, we have more people competing for our inventory.”
At their six-month review, Dean reported that working with Spoiler Alert resulted in double-digit cost savings, in line with their cost recovery goals.
“I’m a big fan of Spoiler Alert, it’s made all our lives a lot simpler,” says Dean. “In just a short period of time, we’ve already extracted a lot of value.
About Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
For over 75 years, Bob Evans Farms has delivered delicious, quick-to-table, farm-inspired food that makes mealtime a little bit easier and a lot more delicious. We're proud to be the No. 1-selling refrigerated dinner sides*, including many varieties of wholesome, feel-good favorites such as mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese, sold in grocery stores across the country. We're also a leading producer and distributor of sausage and egg products, including liquid eggs. In addition to our flagship Bob Evans® brand, our product portfolio includes Simply Potatoes®, Egg Beaters®, and Owens® Sausage. Bob Evans Farms is based in Columbus, Ohio, and is owned by Post Holdings, Inc., a consumer-packaged goods holding company. For more information about Bob Evans Farms, Inc., visit www.bobevansgrocery.com.
*Source: Circana Total US MULO Latest 52 week ending March 30, 2025.
