diff --git a/src/monitor_utils/database.py b/src/monitor_utils/database.py
index 5224fa3..4f8ca5f 100644
--- a/src/monitor_utils/database.py
+++ b/src/monitor_utils/database.py
@@ -94,10 +94,12 @@ async def add_products_to_database(
 ):
     """Upsert products, tracking deduplicated price history and emitting alerts.
 
-    Rewrites current fields on each upsert. Prices are recorded in a
-    pastPrices array of price/date entries; a price already present in the
-    array is never recorded again, so each distinct price keeps only its
-    first-seen timestamp. New products and never-before-recorded prices
+    Rewrites current fields on each upsert. priceBeforeDrop is derived here,
+    not by monitors: it is set to the previous stored currentPrice when the new
+    price is lower (a drop) and cleared otherwise, so any price_before_drop on
+    the incoming product is ignored. Prices are recorded in a pastPrices array
+    of price/date entries; a price already present in the array is never
+    recorded again, so each distinct price keeps only its first-seen timestamp. New products and never-before-recorded prices
     upsert an alert referencing the product; a price returning to a value
     already in pastPrices emits nothing, so per-source price oscillation
     (member vs non-member quotes for the same SKU) alerts once per distinct
@@ -133,6 +135,11 @@ async def add_products_to_database(
         document["_id"] = doc_id
         existing_doc = existing.get(doc_id)
         new_price = document.get("currentPrice")
+        previous_price = existing_doc.get("currentPrice") if existing_doc else None
+        document["priceBeforeDrop"] = resolve_price_before_drop(
+            previous_price, new_price
+        )
+
         recorded_prices = extract_recorded_prices(existing_doc)
         never_seen_price = new_price is not None and new_price not in recorded_prices
         set_on_insert = {"discoveredDate": now}
@@ -193,6 +200,29 @@ async def write_alert_ops(
             raise
 
 
+def resolve_price_before_drop(
+    previous_price: float | None, new_price: float | None
+) -> float | None:
+    """Return the pre-drop price when new_price is a drop from previous_price.
+
+    Owns price-drop detection so monitors do not: a drop is a new price strictly
+    below the previously stored one, and its priceBeforeDrop is that prior price.
+    Any other case (no prior price, unchanged, or a rise) is not a drop.
+
+    Args:
+        previous_price: The product's last stored currentPrice, or None when new.
+        new_price: The incoming currentPrice.
+
+    Returns:
+        previous_price on a drop, otherwise None.
+    """
+
+    if previous_price is not None and new_price is not None and new_price < previous_price:
+        return previous_price
+
+    return None
+
+
 def extract_recorded_prices(existing_doc: dict | None) -> set[float]:
     """Return the set of prices already recorded in a document's pastPrices.
 
diff --git a/src/monitor_utils/runner.py b/src/monitor_utils/runner.py
index e9b3d5a..d28412b 100644
--- a/src/monitor_utils/runner.py
+++ b/src/monitor_utils/runner.py
@@ -28,34 +28,19 @@ from monitor_utils.sessions import get_base_session, get_tls_session
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-async def init_monitor(
-    monitor_name: str,
-    development_mode: DevelopmentMode,
-    production_proxy_path: str = "proxies.txt",
-    testing_proxy_path: str = "configs/proxies.txt",
-    logging_level=LOGGING_LEVEL,
-) -> tuple[list[str] | dict[str, str], AsyncIOMotorCollection, AioProxies]:
-    """Run shared monitor startup and return categories, collection, and proxies.
+def setup_monitor_logging(monitor_name: str, logging_level=LOGGING_LEVEL):
+    """Configure JSON logging for a monitor and quiet noisy libraries.
 
-    Configures JSON logging under the monitor's name, applies logger levels,
-    loads the monitor config and Mongo collection, and loads proxies from the
-    production or testing path based on development_mode. Async because the
-    config now lives in Mongo; call it from inside the monitor's event loop
-    (in main), not at module import.
+    Call once at module import, at global scope, before creating module loggers,
+    so logging is configured synchronously at startup rather than inside the
+    async init_monitor. Logs go to logs/latest.log with rotated history keyed by
+    monitor_name.
 
     Args:
-        monitor_name: Monitor identifier used for logging and config lookup.
-        development_mode: Selects production or testing config, collection,
-            and proxy path.
-        production_proxy_path: Proxy file path used in production mode.
-        testing_proxy_path: Proxy file path used in testing mode.
-        logging_level: Level passed to setup_logging.
-
-    Returns:
-        Tuple of category names, Mongo collection, and loaded proxies.
+        monitor_name: Monitor name used as the rotated-history base.
+        logging_level: Root logging level.
     """
 
-    use_production = is_production(development_mode)
     setup_logging(
         name="logs/latest.log",
         history_name=monitor_name,
@@ -63,6 +48,32 @@ async def init_monitor(
         output="json",
     )
     set_logger_levels()
+
+
+async def init_monitor(
+    monitor_name: str,
+    development_mode: DevelopmentMode,
+    production_proxy_path: str = "proxies.txt",
+    testing_proxy_path: str = "configs/proxies.txt",
+) -> tuple[list[str] | dict[str, str], AsyncIOMotorCollection, AioProxies]:
+    """Load a monitor's config, collection, and proxies for the mode.
+
+    Async because config now lives in Mongo; call it from inside the monitor's
+    event loop (in main), not at module import. Logging is configured separately
+    by setup_monitor_logging at module scope and is not touched here.
+
+    Args:
+        monitor_name: Monitor identifier used for config and collection lookup.
+        development_mode: Selects production or testing config, collection,
+            and proxy path.
+        production_proxy_path: Proxy file path used in production mode.
+        testing_proxy_path: Proxy file path used in testing mode.
+
+    Returns:
+        Tuple of category names, Mongo collection, and loaded proxies.
+    """
+
+    use_production = is_production(development_mode)
     category_names, _, collection = await setup_config(
         monitor_name=monitor_name, development_mode=development_mode
     )
diff --git a/tests/test_price_before_drop.py b/tests/test_price_before_drop.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58af89d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_price_before_drop.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"""unit test: resolve_price_before_drop detects a drop from the prior stored price
+
+run from the repo root:
+    uv run python tests/test_price_before_drop.py
+
+pure and offline — no Mongo, no product construction; just the drop rule
+add_products_to_database relies on
+"""
+
+from monitor_utils.database import resolve_price_before_drop
+
+
+def test_drop_returns_previous_price():
+    """a strictly lower new price is a drop; the prior price is returned"""
+
+    assert resolve_price_before_drop(200.0, 150.0) == 200.0
+
+
+def test_non_drops_return_none():
+    """no prior price, an unchanged price, or a rise are not drops"""
+
+    assert resolve_price_before_drop(None, 150.0) is None  # new product
+    assert resolve_price_before_drop(150.0, 150.0) is None  # unchanged
+    assert resolve_price_before_drop(150.0, 200.0) is None  # price rose
+    assert resolve_price_before_drop(200.0, None) is None  # missing new price
+
+
+test_drop_returns_previous_price()
+test_non_drops_return_none()
+print("price before drop test passed")