Inventory - Correct method to setup

[QMcKay]

@Barchie

As far as warehouses in SambaPOS are concerned we could define them as “Areas where items are sourced from or moved to”. Generally speaking, this would include internal and external warehouses. What other warehouse types could there be?

Correct.

My setup has only 2 Warehouse Types

• Local Warehouses
• Supplier Warehouses

For finer control over Suppliers, I could have created Warehouse Types for Grocery Suppliers, Alcohol Suppliers, Paper Product Suppliers, Cleaning Product Suppliers, etc. But it isn’t really necessary; it is a matter of choice.

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@Barchie

Warehouses section would then go on to define each warehouse, this would include all suppliers as well as local warehouses? Possibly additional venue’s warehouses. These ultimately define sourcepoints and endpoint for inventory items?

Correct.

My setup has 2 Local Warehouses & 39 Supplier Warehouses:

Local Warehouses:

• SHOP : all my product shipments land here
• BODEGA : I transfer excess stock to here for longer-term storage, and when I need something, I transfer items back to the SHOP Warehouse

Supplier Warehouses:

• 39 different suppliers; each has its own Warehouse defined

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@Barchie

Transaction types. This would define stock movement between warehouses, whether they are suppliers or internal movements?

Correct.

My setup has 3 Transaction Types:

• Purchase Tx : when product arrives from a supplier, this Transaction Type moves stock from a Supplier Warehouse to my SHOP Warehouse
• Transfer Tx (SHOP > BODEGA) : this Transaction Type is used to transfer excess stock from SHOP Warehouse to BODEGA Warehouse
• Transfer Tx (BODEGA > SHOP) : this Transaction Type is used to transfer depleted items in my Shop from BODEGA Warehouse to SHOP Warehouse

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@Barchie

where does the document type come into play?

For now, you can think of the Document Type as a container, or a folder with pieces of paper inside it. The pieces of paper are Transactions.

Bread Supplier delivers some items with Invoice #2222. You create a Purchase Doc named “2222” and add the following Transactions:

Purchase Tx for 1 Case of Everything Bagels
Purchase Tx for 1 Case of Plain Bagels
Purchase Tx for 1 Case of Croissants
Purchase Tx for 1 Case of Ciabattas

In the future, the Document Type can be used to define buttons in the same way as can currently be done in the Accounts section. It is also tied to the Account Transactions mechanisms, so that you can make Payouts to Supplier Entity Accounts effectively.

This is where the Entity comes in. Since Entities can have an Account, and they can also have a Warehouse, you would set up your suppliers as Entities, each with their own Account and Warehouse (my setup works this way). The Document Type controls which Account Transaction Type is used, decides which Entity to use, thus deciding which Warehouse and which Accounts will be affected by an Inventory Purchase.

When transferring stock “internally”, it makes less sense. That is, unless you perceive transfers as a type of purchase. Then you can track Costs of stock items sitting in your Local Warehouses.

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Let’s go back to that first sentence:

In the future, the Document Type can be used to define buttons in the same way as can currently be done in the Accounts section.

Here is a look at the future - this is the Warehouses Screen, and the buttons you see on the right are Inventory Transaction Document Types…

The “Drawer Cash”, “Wallet”, and “Bank” buttons can be used to create a Document Type for the selected Warehouse, which I would then add Transactions for items to. Then, when the Document is saved, an Account Transaction takes place, which moves actual funds from one Account to another.

Now, if I click that “Drawer Cash” button, I am creating a Document, where I can select my Supplier Warehouse, and add Inventory Transactions to it. When I save this Document, Inventory Items move from Supplier Warehouse to SHOP Warehouse, and an Account Transaction is fired, moving money from my Cash (Drawer) Account to the Supplier Account.