1. Preparation
   1. Check Equipment
   2. Prep Areas
   3. Clean MF
   4. Setup Inventory Parameters
2. Close Doors
3. Initialize Inventory
4. Edit Cycle
   1. Scan
   2. Upload
   3. Create Worksheets
   4. Check for Errors
   5. Make Corrections
   6. Commit Worksheets
   7. Report Differences & Valuation
   8. Audit
5. Open Doors
6. Start Receiving
7. Reconcile
8. Post Worksheets to MF
9. Adjustments after Posting

Software Overview

Each inventoried module, GM, Text and Trade requires it’s own inventory initialization and worksheet(s). The main menu to perform all of the inventory steps is (module)-21-1.

The inventory steps include interlocks to prevent you from trying to take a step out of sequence.

• The steps in the preparation phase are used to prepare the store for inventory counting.
• The steps in the initialization phase are executed once to set everything up.
• The steps of the edit cycle are started with one Edit/Enter/Commit Worksheets step, after that any step can be repeated in any order as necessary.
• The posting phase only contains the posting step, the final step of the inventory process, normally done once.

Preparation

This phase involves all the steps prior to performing the physical count.

Check Equipment

It is very important to make sure that all of the equipment to be used in the inventory process is functioning properly.

• Be sure that all scanners can hold a charge and scan.
• Locate all of the connection cables and/or cradles to prevent last minute hold ups.

Prep Areas

• The system uses numbered inventory count sheets for manually entering and tracking the physical counts. We recommended that each fixture or shelf section should have a separate location number and that the location numbers should be used as your sheet numbers. All areas of the store should have a sheet/location, including the warehouse, all storage areas, register areas and offices.
• It is recommended that each sheet/location should have up to approximately 50 different ISBN/SKU’S. (You don’t want too many items if there was a problem uploading)
• Arrange all inventories in the sales floor and back office areas so that they are orderly, easy to access, and allow easy foot traffic through the area.
• All inventory items on location that have been received into the system need to be scanned.
• Clearly mark all items that have not been received to prevent them from being counted. These items include returns to vendors and items not yet received.
  • It’s a good practice to receive all items prior to counting.

Clean the Master File

Prior to inventory is a good time to clean up the Master File and purge old inventory items. There are tools located in TX-SU-1-27-5, TR-SU-1-22-5 and GM-SU-1-23-1 to help with cleaning the MF.

Test Upload

Scan some items and upload them to the server to familiarize yourself with the process. This will give you some time to iron out any problems before you count. You will want to clear the DC file of any test uploads by going to (module)-21-1-31

Setting up Inventory Parameters

Inventory parameters are set once and then left alone unless you are changing the way you are going to use worksheets. The main inventory control parameter, in (Module)-UU-22, sets how you enter your physical counts in the worksheets. You can use any of these methods:

Your Upload Folder Path will be different than the one shown. If you need assistance please call support for assistance.

1. Have the system create worksheets for all master file items for writing and keying in the counts.
2. Create worksheets from SKUs and counts recorded into a portable terminal and uploaded to the system (scanners).
3. Create worksheets by keying in each SKU and count from the keyboard.
4. Inventory Worksheets created from Tricoder Scanner.

The Physical Inventory menu screen options will vary depending upon the inventory method that you choose.

Initializing Inventory

Once the parameters have been set you can initialize your inventory. This will create a “Set ID” that consists of the store, inventory date, and location code you enter. This ID helps keep worksheets from the same module together and separate from other inventories.

Immediately afterwards, if not before inventory has been initialized, close the store to begin your inventory count.

Edit Cycle

The edit cycle consists of counting inventory, uploading the counts into the system, creating worksheets, checking for and fixing any errors and committing the worksheets.

The following steps should be completed by this point:

• Finish Receiving
• Separate or mark all items not to be counted i.e. items not received into the system
• Clean the MF
• Close the doors 2
• Initialize inventory

Scanning

When scanning your inventory there are a few guidelines to follow:

• Scan by sections (fixtures) top to bottom, left to right. If there are any errors, scanning in a uniform way will allow you to find the areas where these errors occurred.
• Upload data frequently. This will help in locating items with errors and keep worksheets to a manageable size.

o Refer to your scanner’s guide for the specific steps involved in uploading data.

Uploading

Please refer to any scanner specific guides on how to upload scanned data to the system.

Depending on which inventory method you choose please proceed to the correct portion of the manual to continue.

1. Have the system create worksheets for all master file items for writing and keying in the counts.
2. Create worksheets from SKUs and counts recorded into a portable terminal and uploaded to the system (scanners).
3. Create worksheets by keying in each SKU and count from the keyboard.
4. Inventory Worksheets created from Tricoder Scanner.

Method A: Inventory Worksheets Created From the Master File

Make sure the inventory has been Initialized prior to proceeding with these steps.

Create Worksheets from MF Menu 21.1.2

This process will create worksheets for all items currently in your inventory, worksheets will be sorted according to the options selected here.

Enter ‘A’ for worksheets with all adopted ISBN’s for the specified term in academic dept, course, and section order – followed by worksheets containing any other ISBN’s that match the initialize limits.

Enter ‘B’ for worksheets containing all ISBN’s within the initialize limits, sorted by the ISBN’s first location code, author, and title.

At the sort prompt, enter ‘Y’ to begin a new worksheet each time the primary sort order value changes. Enter ‘N’ to fill each worksheet regardless of such changes. This only applies to worksheets that are automatically created. The sort order value in Text may be academic dept. (option A) or new or used location codes (option B). Trade and GM uses the value you select.

Print All Worksheets Menu 21.1.3

Once you have created you worksheets you will need to print them. The default wksht set and selected term will display. You will need to enter the beginning sheet number and the ending sheet number that you wish to print. The first sheet number and the last sheet number will be filled in for you. Leave these as they are to print all of the worksheets or you may change them to print out selected sheets.

Using the printed sheets, count the inventory in your store, be sure to count all the items in all locations in a logical process to avoid missing items.

Edit/Enter/Commit Worksheets Menu 21.1.4

When you have completed counting, the worksheet counts need to be entered in to the system.

Enter in the Sheet number; the system quantities will be entered as default. Modify these quantities as needed. You can save the sheet when you are finished making the changes. After you have spot checked the section/sheet you will need to commit the worksheet by entering the ‘C=Commit’ button, this will lock the worksheet from any future changes.

Post Inventory to Master File 21.1.10

Post is the final step in the inventory process. The following steps should be completed before you post the worksheet sets to inventory:

• All items are scanned
• All scanned data should be uploaded and added to worksheets
• All worksheets need to be committed
• Reconcile

Once you are ready to post the worksheets go to (module)-21.1.8 and post the worksheet set. Each post is module specific so be sure to post in every module where inventory was initialized. After posting inventory the process is complete.

Method B. Create worksheets from SKUs and counts recorded into a portable terminal and uploaded to the system (scanners).

Make sure the inventory has been Initialized prior to proceeding with these steps.

Create Worksheets

When using scanners, data is uploaded into the Data Collection file (DC). The system takes the counts uploaded into the DC file and creates worksheets which allow you to view and/or edit the counts. It will also check for any errors and notify you of problems.

Module-21-1-2

Check for Errors

After a worksheet has been created, you will see something similar to this screen. I included an invalid item so that you may recognize an error if one should appear.

Module-21-1-2

Make Corrections

If any errors occur, contact TCS for advice on how to handle the issue.

Modify and Commit Worksheets

After a worksheet is created you can view and edit items on that worksheet by going to (module)-21.1.3) and selecting „M‟ to modify. When a worksheet is ready to be committed enter a „C‟ to commit the worksheet. After a worksheet has been committed it is no longer possible to edit the worksheet.

Module-21-1-3

Report Differences & Valuation

The Difference & Valuation report located at (module) 21.1.6, lists any changes to the price and quantity.

Module-21-1-6

Once any issues in the Differences & Valuation report have been addressed you may:

• Open your doors
• Start Receiving as usual

Post Inventory to Master File 21-1-8

Post is the final step in the inventory process. The following steps should be completed before you post the worksheet sets to inventory:

• All items are scanned
• All scanned data should be uploaded and added to worksheets
• All worksheets need to be committed
• Reconcile

Once you are ready to post the worksheets go to (module)-21.1.8 and post the worksheet set. Each post is module specific so be sure to post in every module where inventory was initialized. After posting inventory the process is complete.

Method C: Create worksheets by keying in each SKU and count from the keyboard.

Make sure the inventory has been Initialized prior to proceeding with these steps.

This process is known as the Manual Entry Method. This method is best if you are using a mobile workstation such as a laptop or desktop computer on a mobile cart.

Enter/Edit/Commit Worksheets 21-1-2

The Wksht Set is a combination of the store number and the date inventory was initialized, DO NOT change the numbers. The Sheet is the worksheet that you are working on, you can see all the open sheets with the ‘??’ or you can enter in a new sheet number or you can enter a ‘.’ to let the system assign the next sequential number. It is recommended that the sheet and shelf number be the same.

Each sheet should have only one section, even if that section or shelf location only has a single item.

Enter or Scan the first item and then enter the quantity for that item, Textbooks will have New and Used quantities while General Merchandise will only have the New quantity.

Once the quantity has been entered scan or enter in the ID of the next item, continue until all items in the section have been entered. Once that is done select ‘=Save’ or hit enter to save the worksheet. ‘X=Cancel’ will cancel any entries or changes that you made. ‘M=Modify’ will take you back to the items so that you can modify them. ‘C=Commit’ will lock the sheet so that no further changes can be made, Do Not commit the sheets until after they have been spot checked and verified.

Print Non-Committed Worksheets 21-1-3

Enter in the beginning and ending sheets numbers and then select ‘R’ to run and print the report to see all of the sheets that have NOT been committed.

Post Inventory to Master File 21-1-8

Post is the final step in the inventory process. The following steps should be completed before you post the worksheet sets to inventory:

• All items are scanned
• All scanned data should be uploaded and added to worksheets
• All worksheets need to be committed
• Reconcile

Once you are ready to post the worksheets go to (module)-21.1.8 and post the worksheet set. Each post is module specific so be sure to post in every module where inventory was initialized. After posting inventory the process is complete.

Method D: Inventory Worksheets created from Tricoder Scanner.

After inventory has been initialized from option 1 (see page 7), you may begin to upload your inventory

Tricoder Input Menu-21.1.2

If there are any errors in the upload you will get a message to let you know how many. Under the validation row an item with ‘Valid’ is a good item, and item with ‘Not found’ is an item that caused the error in the upload.

You may select the ‘M=Modify’ option to edit the SKU/ISBN number or enter ‘space’ to delete the record.

Once all of the errors have been corrected select ‘P=Post’ to save to the DC (Data Collection) file.

Create Worksheets from DC Menu-21.1.3

Next choose Create Worksheets from DC (module-21-3). You can wait until all worksheets have been uploaded or you may create the worksheets after each upload. (We recommend creating the worksheets after each upload so that you can make sure everything is correct. You may also have someone start spot checking the worksheets if they have been created.)

Answer ‘N’ to both prompts.

You should get a message indicating the worksheets that were created and the number of items that were uploaded to the worksheets.

Edit/Enter/Commit Worksheets Menu 21.1.4

Now you can go in to (menu-21-4) Edit/Enter/Commit Worksheets and edit or modify the worksheet as needed. Once all editing is completed you may commit the worksheet. Committing the worksheet will lock it and prevent any further editing. The ‘Status’ will remain ‘O’ open until it has been committed.

Repeat menu options 2 – 4 for each location until you have finished inventory for the store.

Post Inventory to Master File 21-1-8

Post is the final step in the inventory process. The following steps should be completed before you post the worksheet sets to inventory:

• All items are scanned
• All scanned data should be uploaded and added to worksheets
• All worksheets need to be committed
• Reconcile

Once you are ready to post the worksheets go to (module)-21.1.8 and post the worksheet set. Each post is module specific so be sure to post in every module where inventory was initialized. After posting inventory the process is complete.

Printing Reports

Once all of the locations have been uploaded and the worksheets have been created, you need to run each of the report options. Check the information for each report and look for discrepancies from your inventory that is not acceptable.

We strongly advise all users to run all report after entering your counts and before you run the process to post your inventory.

The following are examples of a few of the reports

Print Non-Committed Worksheets

This report will print all of the worksheets that have not been committed.

Master File Status Report

You may run a report checking the Master File inventory status. The report will list the SKUs/ISBNs and their worksheet IDs and status in separate Non-worksheet, Uncommitted, Unposted and Posted reports.

Enter in the beginning and ending SKU/ISBN to include on the report, leave blank for all.

Enter in the beginning and ending Classes to include on the report, leave bland for all.

Non-Worksheet SKUS – Enter ‘Y’ for a list of SKU/ISBNs not included in any worksheet.

Uncommitted SKUs – Enter ‘Y’ for a list of SKUs/ISBNs from ‘O’pen worksheets.

Committed/Unposted SKUs – Enter ‘Y’ to include SKUs that have been Consolidated, but haven’t yet been Posted.

Posted SKUs – Enter ‘Y’ to include the SKUs that have been Posted.

Enter an ‘A’ to sort by Author or ‘W’ to sort by Worksheet.

Print Non-Consolidated Counts

Consolidate & Print Valuation

Select the sheets to include, leave blank for all

Select your preferred sort order. ‘D’ for department, ‘C’ for class or ‘S’ for SKU.

Select if you wish ‘N’ew, ‘U’sed or ‘B’oth.

Enter a ‘Y’ to include counts that are zero.

Consolidated Worksheet Detail

This report uses the data created when you ran the Consolidated Report. It includes the worksheets and the individual counts per worksheet.

If you want to limit the report to just those items that have adjustments enter a ‘Y’.

It is possible to manually add or remove an ebook, but there are some points of information you’ll need from Redshelf in order to add it. Once you have that information you can update your ISBN MF record to have the ebook data.

Removing an ebook is as simple as going to the ISBN MF record, E for Ebook, then replace the Store field value with an empty space and press enter. This removes that line of data, repeat for any additional lines and then save your way out. If you only want to remove specific prices, navigate to the line with that price and remove that line.

1. Information you need from Redshelf:
   1. The internal Redshelf UPC/SKU for that title
      • Each title at Redshelf has a unique SKU for the duration and price point of a specific title. (similar to a GM matrix item with different sizes at different price points)
      • If a title is available for 60,90,120,180 days and a lifetime purchase, then there would be five different SKUs for that title
   2. The usage period and price for each SKU
2. Adding that information to the print ISBN screen
   1. First, make sure that you know your class code for Ebooks
      1. This can be found in TX-SU-1-6-22. Click on the ?? button for the Class Number field and find the class that has ebooks in the description.
   2. Go to TX-MF and bring up the ISBN for the title you want to add the ebook options to
   3. Enter E or select the E – Ebook button
   4. Enter your ebook class code
   5. Enter 1 for the Store (store) field
   6. R for Vendor
   7. Enter the UPC/SKU number that Redshelf gives you
   8. Enter the usage period for that UPC/SKU
   9. Enter the Price
   10. Enter the Cost
       1. Repeat steps 2.4 – 2.9 for each UPC/SKU that Redshelf provided for that ISBN
       2. It should look something like this when you’re done.
          1. 
3. Save your way out of the record and you’re done.

 

Some menus have been changed, please read carefully.

While the steps on how to change a user’s password are straight forward, there are a few points that need to be kept in mind.

1. When you set a user’s password in User Maintenance (UU-5-1) or User-Cashier Maintenance (POS-22-1) the system automatically sets their password to reset when they first log in.
   1. This means that the password set in User Maintenance is temporary. Do not set the password to what the user would like to use long term.
2. It is necessary to set the user’s password from the Host Connection. While these steps can be followed on an individual register, passwords that are changed on the cash register ARE NOT sent to the host or to all of the other registers.
   1. By setting the password on the host all registers will get the updated password.
   2. Check POS-6-2 to view which registers are communicating. Those who have a “To Be Xfered” amount of zero in the right hand column will immediately have the updated password.
      1. Steps to restart the register communications can be found in the Smartlane Communications video here.

To quickly reset the password for the logged in user

1. Type PASSWORD into any menu prompt and press Enter
2. A dialogue will appear prompting for the users password along with a Enter New Password and Confirm Password prompt
   1. Enter your current password into the “Enter Your Password” prompt
      1. This is to confirm the identity of the logged in user
   2. Enter a new password into the “Enter New Password” field.
      1. Passwords must be 8 characters long and include at least one letter and one number
         • g. 1234567A or ABCDEFG1 the password is NOT case sensitive, this means that ABCDEFG1 and abcdefg1 are both treated the same.
      2. Re-enter the new password into the “Confirm Password” field and press enter.
   3. The password has now been set for the logged in user and will update to all of the registers.

 

To reset the password for another user

1. From any module, go to UU-5-1 or POS-22-1
2. Enter the user ID of the user who’s password is going to be reset
3. Navigate to the Password field and type in the new password
   1. Note that this new password is temporary. The user will be forced to set their own password after the log in with this temporary password.
   2. Passwords must be 8 characters long and include at least one letter and one number
      • g. 1234567A or ABCDEFG1. They can also include special characters. The password is NOT case sensitive, this means that ABCDEFG1 and abcdefg1 are both treated the same.
4. Enter the temporary password again into the Confirm Password field
   1. Press Continue on the notification box. This is a notification that the password entered is temporary and the user will need to reset their password when they log in.
5. Press ESC after reaching the Expires field
6. Enter to save the password change.
7. Have the user log in with their new temporary password.
   1. You can type in ID at the menu and press enter to display the login prompt or have them log into another connection.
8. They will immediately get a prompt to reset their password
   1. They need to enter their new, permanent password into the Enter New Password and Confirm Password fields
   2. Passwords must be 8 characters long and include at least one letter and one number
      • g. 1234567A or ABCDEFG1. They can also include special characters. The password is NOT case sensitive, this means that ABCDEFG1 and abcdefg1 are both treated the same.
9. After that is complete their password will update to all of the registers.

 

 

Selling a Gift Card

• Start a transaction as usual, normally this will be a SA transaction.
• Press the ‘Sell Gift Card’ button on the keyboard, usually in the middle on the top row.
• In the price field, enter in the selling price for the Gift Card and hit enter.
• Select the option to ‘Add’ if you are selling a new gift card.
• In the new window, scan or swipe the gift card in the “Voucher Number” field and then select ‘Add’, fill out as much of the rest of the information as you want to track and then hit enter to save.

• Complete the transaction as normal.

Add money to Gift Card

To add money to a gift card you will follow the same process as selling the gift card, the difference will be when you scan the Gift Card it will not prompt you to Add, Copy or Delete, instead it will display the current card information. You can just enter through everything to add the amount that you entered on the previous screen.

Redeeming a Gift Card

• Process transaction as normal.
• When finished select the ‘TOTAL’ option from either the keyboard or the touch screen.
• Select the Gift Card option from either the keyboard or the touch screen.
• When the pop-up window displays, scan, swipe, or enter the gift card number. The window will now display the remaining balance of the GC, hit the ‘Continue’ button or hit enter on the keyboard.

 

Before you can add any inventory items for Fee codes you must have the Department and Classed setup that the items will be a part of. Depending on the module that you are in navigate to the appropriate place to create the department or class code; GM – GM.SU.1.4 and 2, TX-TX.SU.4.6.21 and 22, POS-POS.22.3.1 and 2, AR-AR.SU.5

It does not matter which module you use to create the department or class code since they are universal and available in all modules once they have been created.

Department Setup

The department needs to be setup first, in GM go to SU.1.4. Some examples of Departments would be Textbooks, Clothing, Food.

• Enter a ‘.’ to create the next sequential number or enter the number that you want to use. If you create a new department you will be prompted to Add/Copy/Cancel, select Add to create from scratch or select Copy to copy a from an existing department.
• Enter the description as you would like it to display on reports
• Non-Merchandise – Enter ‘N’ if this is a normal ‘inventoried’ department or ‘Y’ if this department is for NON merchandise classes, such as fee codes.
• Enter ‘Y’ to exclude this department’s sales for the flash report which is a special sales report that does daily/weekly/monthly/yearly sales comparison to same time for previous year.
• Enter any additional descriptions that you would like to use to help explain this department.
• GL & DSR Dist Code: – If you have created some General Ledger distribution codes then you can select them here. These are used in the reporting for general ledger.
• Transfer Out Disc %: – This is the discount that will be used when transferring inventory from one store to another, the items in this department at cost * (1-discount). Leave the field blank for no discount.

Class Setup

Once the department has been created, you can now create the classes that are part of that department, some examples would be (Textbooks – New Books, Used Books, E-books, Rentals: Clothing – Men’s Shirts, Women’s Shirts, Children’s shirts or just Shirts, Pants, Shorts: Food – Packaged food, Prepared Food, Snacks, Sodas, Candy Bars, Chips)

• Enter a ‘.’ to create the next sequential number or enter the number that you want to use. If you create a new class you will be prompted to Add/Copy/Cancel, select Add to create from scratch or select Copy to copy a from an existing class.
• Enter the description as you would like it to display on reports.
• Enter the Module that the class is part of (POS, GM, TX).
• Enter the Department that the Class is part of.
• ERP Method is a custom field for Datatel – call TCS if you need this.
• Category Description – this is the Class Category fields that are maintained in GM.SU.1.1, these are used with the financial aid module to group classes together for the purpose of adding them to the financial aid customer type setup.
• Status – ‘A’ is the normal status, you can also set the department to ‘I’ for Inactive.
• Taxable – Blank and ‘Y’ have the same meaning, if a department is NOT taxable then enter a ‘N’.
• Tax Table – You can enter a tax table that is different than what would be considered the Normal tax table used for the store. If a tax table is entered here it will be used for this item regardless of what is entered at the store or register level.
• Allow Discounts – Blank and ‘Y’ have the same meaning. Enter a ‘N’ if items assigned to this department should not be allowed to be discounted at the register.
• Maximum and Minimum Price- You can enter a Max and Min price to these fields, this will prevent you from entering a price that is too high or too low and prevent you from doing a price override at the cash register that is outside of the range set here.
• Target Margin – Enter what you would like your margin to be for this class of item, if an item is sold without a cost associated then the system will use the margin set here to calculate the cost for reporting.
• Default Tag type – Enter in the tag type that you would like all items in this class to use as a default, you can change this for any individual item.
• Distribution Code – Enter a ‘N’ here if you have a preferred customer system but you do not allow rebates for purchases of items in this class. If this field is left blank, then rebates will be allowed for purchases in the class.
• Report Group – You can enter grouping numbers here so that certain classes will report together.
• Sub-Class is setup to be used with the NACS Universal Hierarchy for reporting to NACS.
• Sub-Category is setup to be used with the NACS Universal Hierarchy for reporting to NACS.
• Sub-Other is setup to be used with the NACS Universal Hierarchy for reporting to NACS.
• NACS-Survey is setup to be used with the NACS Universal Hierarchy for reporting to NACS.
• Modifier – You can enter any modifier that has been setup in POS2.2, this modifier will automatically get used on all transactions that sell an item in this class.

Overview

Special Orders are used for items not in stock. Three major processes are involved: Placing the Special Order, Receiving the Special Order, and Picking up the Special Order by the customer. The following document shows how Special Orders work with the TCS Retail software.

Placing Special Orders

1. In Cash Register Screen in POS, enter a regular Sale transaction type.
2. Hit the Special Orders function key you have set up (To set this up read Special Order Entry POS Modifiers on page 4).
3. Enter the information to go on the Special Order. If a deposit is entered, this amount will be added to the Balance Due.
4. Optional Step: For GM or TRADE create a Pending Order. For Text items, add them to a Manual PO.
5. Finish the Sales transaction.
6. Print off a copy of the receipt for the customer and a copy for ordering personnel.
7. Log to the module where the item exists (GM, TRADE or TEXT).
8. Place the Order. (Cancel if you discover an order is not necessary).
9. Optional: Print special order tags to tag items with person’s information.

Receiving Special Orders

1. Enter a receiving log as normal.
2. If there are any outstanding Special Orders in the master file, a comment will be automatically added to each line item with special order quantities.
3. Optional Step: For GM or TRADE name, phone, address, title, author, special order number, date. You must have a Special Order tag code setup (SPO tag type).
4. Optional: Place special order tags on items.
5. Notify customer that item has arrived.

Picking Up Special Orders

1. Customer picks up special order items.
2. Customer takes items to the cashier.
3. Do a regular Sale transaction.
4. For the line items enter the Special Order Pickup Modifier. (To set this up go to Special Order Pickup Modifier on page 6).
5. This will take you into Special Order maintenance. Put in the quantity being picked up. The program will automatically add these items to the current transaction.
6. Total the transaction.
7. At the tender code entry, if a deposit was made on the special order, enter the amount of the deposit. For the tender type use the Special Order tender. (To set this up go to Special Order Tender Key on page 7).
8. You will be prompted once more for the special order ID–enter it.
9. Use any other tender type to pay for the remaining portion of the sales transaction.
10. When all items are picked up, the special order will be flagged with a “P” status as “picked up”.

Setup Issues

In order for Special Orders to work, the following items need to be configured:

Special Order Entry POS Modifier

This needs to be configured in the POS system and setup on the POS function keys. First configure the modifier. A sample SPO modifier would be similar to the following screen:

(POS-2-2)

 

In summary, the Subroutine Call is the most important part of this modifier. This is what executes the Special Order Maintenance program. The Subroutine Call should be set to POS.SPECIAL.ORDER.

Special Order Entry Function Key

Because of accounting issues involved, if the customer puts a deposit down on Special Order items, this deposit must be accounted for much in the same way as vouchers. A fee code must be used to account for the money received from the customer. Because no merchandise is exchanged at this time, the fee code must be associated with a non-merchandise class and department.

Setting up a Fee Code

A sample Special Order fee code is shown in the screen below:

(Menu Path: POS 22—23)

Setting up a Function Key

Now that the Special Order modifier and fee code are set up, they just need to be added to the keyboard or touch screen layout. Special Orders may be entered without a function key code. However, because of the data needed to start a Special Order, it is much easier to set a function key with the data needed. For example, if my modifier to start Special Orders was SPO and the fee code was 9199, then in the Sales Entry screen, for a line item I would need to key in the following: 9199|SPO. This is much easier done with a function key set to 9199|SPO.

The FEE|SPO function can be added to a touch screen menu in POS-3-22 or to a keyboard layout in POS-3-21. Simply find an empty position in the touch screen or keyboad layout and set the Value field to be the “feecode”|SPO.

Special Order Pickup Modifier

Once items have been placed on Special Order, received, and the customer is ready to pick them up, you will need to do another sale transaction so the customer can pay the remaining due on the items ordered. Instead of manually scanning all the items to be picked up and manually setting the picked up quantities, this can all be done through the cash register.

The key to doing this is by setting up another modifier for Special Order Pickups. The following is a sample modifier with the necessary routines to do this:

(Menu Path: POS 2—2)

 

The most important for this modifier is the Subroutine Call to POS.PICKUP.SPO. This program is what handles picking up Special Orders.

Special Order Pickup Function Key

Because this modifier can be used alone, it is not as difficult to use as the Special Order Entry modifier. Therefore, you may choose not to set it up as a function key. In order to use this modifier in POS Sales Entry, simply key in |SPOP. If you do choose to set it up as a function key, then you will need to add it to a touch screen code in POS-3-22 or a keyboard layout in POS-3-21.

Special Order Tender Key

If a deposit was made at the time the Special Order was placed, then that deposit needs to be credited to the customer. This is done in the form of a tender. In order to do this, a Special Order Credit tender code must be setup. The following screen shows a sample tender code:

(Menu Path: POS 2—4)

 

Once again, for details on Tender Code Maintenance, see your POS documentation. The important part of this tender code is the Inline Processing Subroutine, POS.REDEEM.SPO.

Screen and Field Definitions

The following is the Special Order Maintenance/Entry screen. This is the screen that will be used when special orders are placed and when they are picked up.

(Menu Path: POS 24—1)

Field Definitions

Customer Name: Enter the name of the customer that is making the order. This name will appear on the Special Order Tag when the book is received.

Organization: Enter the company or organization if applicable. Only for reference in this screen.

Primary Phone: Enter the primary phone number where the customer may be reached. This phone number will appear on the Special Order Tag for quick reference when receiving and notifying customers.

Alternate Phone: Enter an alternate phone number where the customer may be reached if not able to be reached at the primary number.

Address Lines: Enter the address of the customer. This may be if notifying customers by mail instead of by phone. Also may be used for delivery of items.

Status: Display field only. This shows the status of the order. This is usually ‘O’= Open, ‘C’ = Customer Cancelled, ‘S’ = Store Cancelled, ‘P’ = Customer has picked up item.

Date of Request: Date information was first entered into this screen, or the date the customer made the request. This does not mean a PO has been made.

Deposit: Enter the amount of any deposits made. You may set up a default deposit required in POS General Parameters. If this is set, you are required to enter a certain percent of the total.

Call Notes: Enter any special instructions to be displayed and used when calling the customer to pick up the item.

Item Information: Enter the SKU/ISBN for the item to be placed on order. All standard cross-references work here, by entering author/title, title, etc. The item information is displayed and you are prompted to enter the quantity to be placed on order. The other fields show quantities already on order, on hand, and on pending order.

Qty Received: This number is entered through receiving. When an item is received, the number of items received are added here.

Qty Picked Up: This may be automatically updated to be the same number as items received by choosing the ‘P’ option at the ‘Options’ prompt. You may also manually enter here the number of items picked up by the customer if different than the items received.

Date Picked Up: This is automatically added in by choosing the ‘P’ option at the ‘Options’ prompt, or by adding a ‘Qty Picked Up’ amount. Default is the current date.

Enter any special instructions for each item on the second line of each item.

Update Options

<>=Save: Saves the item out to disk. You will then be prompted to place the item on Pending Order.

<X>=Cancel: Cancels any changes made to the order. If it is a new order, it will not be saved to disk.

<M>=Modify: Modify the current order. Make changes to items, names, etc.

<C>=Customer Cancelled: Cancels the order and sets the status to ‘C’.

<S>=Store Cancelled: Cancels the order and sets the status to ‘S’.

<P>=Picked Up All: Automatically update Qty picked up, Picked up Date and the status will be set to ‘P’.

Master File Special Order Links

In Master File inquiry, we will show the following numbers:

SPO On Order: Number of items currently on pending order or on a purchase order somewhere.

SPO Rcvd: Number of items received through the receiving log. Decrements the SPO On Order number.

SPO Picked Up: Number of items picked up by customer. Decrements the SPO Rcvd number. This number then is only a sum of active SPO’s where the total picked up does not equal the total put on special order. This is useful for accounting for an item in stock that is not out on a public shelf, because it is on reserve for special order.

Special Order Reporting

There is a report used to track special orders. The following is the screen and field definitions:

(Menu Path: POS 24—21)

Field Definitions

Include Status: Enter one or more special order statuses separated by commas or leave this field blank to display all statuses.

Exclude Status: Enter one or more statuses to be excluded from the report or leave it blank if there are no statuses to exclude.

Customer Name: Enter a customer name if you only want to display one customer. You may enter part of the customer’s name, but remember that this could result in a report including other customers who share the same letters.

Title: Enter a title or item description if you are interested in a specific item. You may enter part of the title or item, but remember that this could result in a report including other items which share the same letters.

SKU: Enter a SKU if you only want to report on a specific SKU.

Sort Criteria  or Rank,  Enter 1,2,3,4 in the fields to indicate the order that you would like to sort the results in. You can also leave these fields blank and the report will sort in the default order.

 

Below is an overview of the Class Detail by Date by Class report. General information on what fields are available, what they do and what data is presented in the report.

Path: POS-RP-1-3-3

Purpose: This report is used to display high level information of class dollar amounts per day.

Output: Store, Report Group (optional), Description, Sales, Returns, Markdowns, Discounts, Class Net, Cost Quantity.

Over a one day date range this report looks very similar to other class reports. Just like those reports though, the multiple days is what makes the report unique.

This screenshot shows a single day with the “Sort by Report Code” field set to a Y. The Y for this field triggers the optional Report Group column. If this field is a N then the column is removed.

 

In this example we have six days worth of data. The format of this report remains the same, the numbers simply include more days.

 

 

 

Unique Field Options

Sort by Report Code: Allows you to override the numerical listing of class codes into their class report group. This is essentially an override of the default numerical sorting of class codes.

Creating a class Report Category is found in POS-22-3-5. Once a category has been created you can assign it to the classes belonging to that report category in POS-22-3-2.

Note: the most common fields are covered in the Reports: Best Practices and Procedures article. Only special usage scenarios or options are covered in this article.

 

Below is an overview of the Detail by Transaction Number report. General information on what fields are available, what they do and what data is presented in the report.

Path: POS-RP-1-3-2

Purpose: This report is used to display high level class dollar amounts per class.

Output: Class, Class Description, Sales, Returns, Net Sales, Markdowns, Discounts, Class Net, Cost, Quantity and Margin.

At first glance the data is very similar to the Class Detail by Date by Class report if you only run it for one date.

 

However, the format changes when you run it for multiple dates. The focus is on the class data, then by date. So class 100 is all grouped together across the date range, totaled for the date range, and then class 101 is reported for the date range, etc.

This example is for a six day span.

 

 

 

 

Unique Field Options

There are no unique fields in this report.

Note: the most common fields are covered in the Reports: Best Practices and Procedures article. Only special usage scenarios or options are covered in this article.

Below is an overview of the Class Detail by Date by Class report. General information on what fields are available, what they do and what data is presented in the report.

Path: POS-RP-1-3-1

Purpose: This report is used to display high level information of class dollar amounts per day.

Output: Class, Class Description, Sales, Returns, Net Sales, Markdowns, Discounts, Class Net, Cost, Quantity and Margin.

 

 

 

 

What makes it unique from the other class reports is the formatting when it spans multiple days. The focus is on the date, then the class totals. So the report displays the first date with all class totals, then the next day with its class totals, etc.

The screenshot below shows data on two days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unique Field Options

There are no unique fields in this report.

Note: the most common fields are covered in the Reports: Best Practices and Procedures article. Only special usage scenarios or options are covered in this article.

 

Below is an overview of the Consolidated by Register report. General information on what fields are available, what they do and what data is presented in the report.

Path: POS-RP-1-2

Purpose: This report is used to display a high level summary of the transactions done on each register. The total amount of money done, total markdowns, cost of goods sold, gross margin of goods sold, etc. for the date range specified.

Output: Register, Quantity, Sell Price Extended, Item Discount Total, Item Markdown Total, Transaction Discount Markdowns, Net Sales, Tax Total, Trans Total, Tender Total, Net Cost Extended and Gross Margin.

 

 

 

 

 

Unique Field Options

A/R Invoice: Allows you to specify an AR Invoice number to view the other transaction details.

Note: the most common fields are covered in the Reports: Best Practices and Procedures article. Only special usage scenarios or options are covered in this article.