Quick answer: Upload a POS stock and sales export to ChatGPT (the no-cost plan works) and ask for slow movers to clear, markdowns that stay above your margin floor, and easy bundles. In 20 minutes, warehouse cash becomes a sale plan.
What it does
Black Friday is November 27 this year. Many stores pick sale items by gut feel, so best sellers get discounted (margin you didn't need to give away) while the aged sofa, floor-model fridge or discontinued plank sits another year. ChatGPT can read your spreadsheet, sort it and do the math.
Use case: a furniture and mattress store uploads its SKU list. ChatGPT flags items with no sale in 180+ days, ranks them by dollars tied up, suggests prices at least 15% over cost, and pairs slow accessories (pillows, protectors) with steady sellers.
Price
ChatGPT's Free plan accepts spreadsheet uploads (XLSX, CSV), up to 3 files a day, enough for this.
Try it in 20 minutes
Export SKU, description, on hand, unit cost, regular price, last sale date and 12-month units sold. No customer names.
Optional: in ChatGPT, Settings > Data controls, turn off "Improve the model for everyone" so your numbers aren't used for training.
Upload the file and paste the prompt below.
Check 5 rows against your POS.
Measure: dollars tied up in flagged items today, and how much sells by December 31.
Copy-paste prompt
I own an independent [STORE TYPE] store. The attached file is my stock and 12-month sales. 1) List items with no sale in 180+ days, ranked by on-hand units x unit cost. 2) For the top 20, suggest a Black Friday price that stays at least [15]% above unit cost, and show the math. 3) Suggest 5 bundles pairing a slow item with a steady seller. 4) Leave my 20 best sellers off the sale list. Use a table and flag rows with missing or odd data.
FAQ
Can I trust the math? Spot-check it; AI misreads columns sometimes.
Can it write the promo? Yes, ask for a post and sign wording. If you text or email customers, only contact people who agreed to hear from you (CASL in Canada, TCPA in the U.S.). Not legal advice.
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Updated Oct 2026. Sources: OpenAI: Uploading files to ChatGPT, OpenAI: ChatGPT Free tier FAQ, OpenAI: Data controls.