diff --git a/src/stores/bcl.js b/src/stores/bcl.js
index 09dc6ce..92fc840 100644
--- a/src/stores/bcl.js
+++ b/src/stores/bcl.js
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ async function scanCategoryBCLAjax(ctx, prevDb, report) {
     ctx.logger.warn(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | BCL browse fetch failed: ${e?.message || e}`);
 
     const discovered = new Map();
-    const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+    const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
     const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
     writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
 
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ async function scanCategoryBCLAjax(ctx, prevDb, report) {
 
   ctx.logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products (this run): ${discovered.size}${dups ? ` (${dups} dups)` : ""}`);
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/stores/bsw.js b/src/stores/bsw.js
index deedaa2..3c3936f 100644
--- a/src/stores/bsw.js
+++ b/src/stores/bsw.js
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ async function scanCategoryBSWAlgolia(ctx, prevDb, report) {
     ctx.logger.warn(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | BSW missing collectionId; defaulting to 1 page with 0 items.`);
 
     const discovered = new Map();
-    const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+    const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
     const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
     writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
 
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ async function scanCategoryBSWAlgolia(ctx, prevDb, report) {
 
   ctx.logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products (this run): ${discovered.size}${dups ? ` (${dups} dups)` : ""}`);
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/stores/coop.js b/src/stores/coop.js
index 226a231..fb6f6e0 100644
--- a/src/stores/coop.js
+++ b/src/stores/coop.js
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ async function scanCategoryCoop(ctx, prevDb, report) {
   ctx.logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products: ${discovered.size}`);
 
   const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } =
-    mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+    mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/stores/craftcellars.js b/src/stores/craftcellars.js
index 70c4cac..98e0a28 100644
--- a/src/stores/craftcellars.js
+++ b/src/stores/craftcellars.js
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ async function scanCategoryCraftCellars(ctx, prevDb, report) {
 
   ctx.logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products (this run): ${discovered.size}`);
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/stores/legacyliquor.js b/src/stores/legacyliquor.js
index c914ce3..db57a89 100644
--- a/src/stores/legacyliquor.js
+++ b/src/stores/legacyliquor.js
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ async function scanCategoryLegacyLiquor(ctx, prevDb, report) {
     cursor = next;
   }
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
 
diff --git a/src/stores/strath.js b/src/stores/strath.js
index 8530d11..1fe6c32 100644
--- a/src/stores/strath.js
+++ b/src/stores/strath.js
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ async function scanCategoryStrath(ctx, prevDb, report) {
 
   ctx.logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products (this run): ${discovered.size}`);
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/tracker/category_scan.js b/src/tracker/category_scan.js
index cbcdaef..73b5872 100644
--- a/src/tracker/category_scan.js
+++ b/src/tracker/category_scan.js
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ async function discoverAndScanCategory(ctx, prevDb, report) {
 
   logger.ok(`${ctx.catPrefixOut} | Unique products (this run): ${discovered.size}${dups ? ` (${dups} dups)` : ""}`);
 
-  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered);
+  const { merged, newItems, updatedItems, removedItems, restoredItems } = mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel: ctx.store.name });
 
   const dbObj = buildDbObject(ctx, merged);
   writeJsonAtomic(ctx.dbFile, dbObj);
diff --git a/src/tracker/merge.js b/src/tracker/merge.js
index 018ef27..22fbf2e 100644
--- a/src/tracker/merge.js
+++ b/src/tracker/merge.js
@@ -11,27 +11,27 @@ function normImg(v) {
   return s;
 }
 
+function dbStoreLabel(prevDb) {
+  return String(prevDb?.storeLabel || prevDb?.store || "").trim();
+}
+  
 function isRealSku(v) {
   return Boolean(normalizeCspc(v));
 }
 
-function dbStoreLabel(prevDb) {
-  return String(prevDb?.storeLabel || prevDb?.store || "").trim();
-}
 
-function itemStoreLabel(prevDb, it) {
-  return String(it?.storeLabel || it?.store || dbStoreLabel(prevDb)).trim();
-}
+  
+function mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered, { storeLabel } = {}) {
+  const effectiveStoreLabel = String(storeLabel || dbStoreLabel(prevDb)).trim();
+  if (!effectiveStoreLabel) {
+    throw new Error(
+      "mergeDiscoveredIntoDb: missing storeLabel; refusing to generate synthetic SKUs with fallback 'store'"
+    );
+  }
+  function normalizeSkuForDb(raw, url) {
+    return normalizeSkuKey(raw, { storeLabel: effectiveStoreLabel, url });
+  }
 
-function normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, raw, { storeLabel, url } = {}) {
-  const lab = String(storeLabel || dbStoreLabel(prevDb)).trim();
-  // IMPORTANT: if we still don't have a label, don't accidentally use "store"
-  // (but in practice dbStoreLabel(prevDb) should always exist)
-  return normalizeSkuKey(raw, { storeLabel: lab, url });
-}
-
-
-function mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered) {
   const merged = new Map(prevDb.byUrl);
 
   const newItems = [];
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ function mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered) {
     if (!prev) {
       const now = {
         ...nowRaw,
-        sku: normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, nowRaw.sku, { storeLabel: itemStoreLabel(prevDb, nowRaw), url }),
+        sku: normalizeSkuForDb(nowRaw.sku, url),
         img: normImg(nowRaw.img),
         removed: false,
       };
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ function mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered) {
       const now = {
         ...nowRaw,
         sku:
-          normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, nowRaw.sku, { storeLabel: itemStoreLabel(prevDb, nowRaw), url }) ||
-          normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, prev.sku, { storeLabel: itemStoreLabel(prevDb, prev), url: prev.url }),
+          normalizeSkuForDb(nowRaw.sku, url) ||
+          normalizeSkuForDb(prev.sku, prev.url),
         img: normImg(nowRaw.img) || normImg(prev.img),
         removed: false,
       };
@@ -150,9 +150,9 @@ function mergeDiscoveredIntoDb(prevDb, discovered) {
     const prevPrice = normPrice(prev.price);
     const nowPrice = normPrice(nowRaw.price);
 
-    const prevSku = normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, prev.sku, { storeLabel: itemStoreLabel(prevDb, prev), url: prev.url });
-    const nowSku = normalizeSkuForDb(prevDb, nowRaw.sku, { storeLabel: itemStoreLabel(prevDb, nowRaw), url }) || prevSku;
-            
+    const prevSku = normalizeSkuForDb(prev.sku, prev.url);
+    const nowSku = normalizeSkuForDb(nowRaw.sku, url) || prevSku;
+                
     const prevImg = normImg(prev.img);
     let nowImg = normImg(nowRaw.img);
     if (!nowImg) nowImg = prevImg;