Creating Purchase Orders is easy in [i] Merchant. There are two ways of creating them. One way is through the To Be Ordered screen, by selecting Cut PO. To read about that, click here. The other way is documented below...
Click on the File menu at the top of the [i] Merchant Desktop. A submenu appears.
From this submenu, select New--Purchase Order. The New Purchase Order box pops up, where you need to select the vendor that will receive this PO.
Or:
Click on the Modules menu at the top of the [i] Merchant Desktop. A submenu appears.
From this submenu, select Purchasing--Purchase Order Entry. The New Purchase Order box pops up, where you need to select the vendor that will receive this PO.
Or:
Click on the Purchase Order toolbar icon at the top of the [i] Merchant Main Menu. The Find Purchase Order screen appears, but you can create a new PO from here.
In the Find PO toolbar, click on the New icon. The New Purchase Order box pops up, where you need to select the vendor that will receive the PO.
When the New Purchase Order box appears:
In the Vendor field, select the vendor to which this PO will be sent. You can either select the vendor by clicking on the binoculars icon to the right of the vendor field and choosing the vendor at the Find Vendor screen, or you can simply key in the vendor's short name (which will be the vendor number) in the Vendor field and press Enter. After selecting the vendor, the chosen vendor will display in the Vendor field.
Key in the PO prefix and suffix in the appropriate fields, if you want. These fields are optional. Prefixes and suffixes can be a tool to distinguish certain types of Purchase Orders from others. The system will actually assign the PO number.
If you choose to key in a prefix, we suggest you follow it with a dash in order to offset it from the actual PO number.
Once you have set the parameters in the New Purchase Order box the way you want them:
Click on the Next button within the New Purchase Order box. The Purchase Order Properties screen appears. This is where you will select the products to put on the PO.
For a new PO, the Purchase Order Properties screen defaults to the Header tab. Notice, near the top left of the screen, there are three tabs: Header, Products, and Miscellaneous. (If you were accessing an existing PO, the screen would default to the Products tab.)
The Header tab allows you to set general parameters for the PO you are creating. There are two sections underneath the Header tab--Store Information and Vendor Information. There is a also a Custom Fields and Custom Codes section at the bottom of the screen. Let us look at the Store Information section first.
The Ordered field defaults to the current date. You can change this date to whatever you want. (You can either key in a new date or click on the arrow at the right of the field. Clicking on the arrow will bring up a minicalendar; from the calendar, simply select the desired date.)
Fill in the Buyer field if desired (it is optional). The Buyer can be a worker in your store or whatever you wish to make it. It is an option to put a little more specificity into the general PO parameters. If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.
The Ordering Store field defaults to the current store, but you can select another store if you want. Whatever store is chosen in this field, its address will print on the PO form. If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.
Beneath the Ordering Store, pertinent Electronic Ordering information displays, if applicable to this PO.
The following fields exist within the Vendor Information section . . .
In the Shipping Method field, select the Shipping Method code you want to use fot the PO. If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.
The Requested Ship Date and Cancel BackOrders After fields default to the current date. You can change these dates to whatever you want. (You can either key in a new date or click on the arrow at the right of the fields. Clicking on the arrow will bring up a minicalendar; from the calendar, simply select the desired date.)
If you want to cancel backorders on this PO, check the box to the left of the Cancel Backorders After field. If you do not want to cancel backorders, leave the box unchecked.
In the Vendor Offer Code field, key in the code provided to you by the vendor, if there is one.
At the bottom of the screen, there are three optional PO Custom Fields and three optional PO Custom Codes. You can fill any of these fields in with any additional or unique information you feel is pertinent to this PO. It is up to you whether or not you use these fields.
Once you have set the Header parameters the way you want them, click on the Products tab. The Products screen pops up. This is where you will select products to put on the PO.
The Products screen is broken up into two basic components: the work screen and the selection grid. The work screen is the upper portion, and this is where you select the products and quantity. The selection grid is where the products display once selected to be included on the PO. Let's take a look at the work screen first.
The cursor defaults to the Product Number field in the work screen. At this point, you can scan the product you want to add to the PO, you can key in the product number or the value on any of the product's barcodes and press Enter, or you can click on the binoculars icon to the right of the Product Number field, go to the Product Find screen, and select the product that way.
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For a product not yet on your [i] Merchant system, key in the product number in the Product field and press Enter, or simply scan the product. This automatically calls up the New Product message box, where you begin the process of adding the product to your system's database. From there, you are taken to Product Properties, where you can fill out the pertinent fields for the product you are adding to your system. (Or you can ignore these fields for now and fill them in later, after completing the PO.) Once you are finished filling in the information in Product Properties, Save it, and then the system automatically takes you to the PO screen, where, having just added the product to your system, you can proceed as you normally would. |
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Please take note of the Options menu at the top of the screen. There are three options listed under this menu--"Always Select Products From the Finder" and "Use Product Finder as needed." The second option--"Use Product Finder as needed," will call up the Product Find screen only when you tell it to by clicking on the binoculars, or when otherwise needed. The "Always Select Products From the Finder" option will automatically call up the Product Find screen as soon as you key in a product number, or as soon as you scan a product--as long as the product already exists in your [i] Merchant system. And the search criteria will already be filled out, automatically. The "Always Check for Subscriptions" option sets up the default for the "Generate Customer Orders for Qualifying Subscriptions" option in the work screen. If you check this field, then the "Generate Customer Orders for Qualifying Subscriptions" field will default to being checked. |
As soon as the product has been selected (regardless of the manner in which it was selected), the number in the Product Number field is underlined, becoming a link to the selected product's Product Properties page, and the other fields on the work screen become active.
At this point, the cursor defaults to the Quantity field. Simply key in the quantity you want to order on this PO.
The Unit Cost and PO Retail Price fields fill in automatically based on the information within the system for the just-selected product. (The PO Retail Price field will display either the product's retail price, buying price, or MSRP value, depending on what you selected as a default under the Purchasing tab in Tools-Options.) You can change either of these values if needed.
Fill in the appropriate discount percentage in the Discount % field. (If you have arrived at the PO Properties screen directly from Bulk Receiving, whatever discount % you entered at that screen will carry over to here. It can be changed here if you wish.)
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The Unit Cost and PO Retail Price fields will both initially come in as the item's Buying price IF the item's Product Properties page is set to "Net" in the List or Net field. Additionally, if set to "Net," the Discount % will always come in as zero. Once the item is added to the PO, however, these values can be changed as needed. For information on the List or Net field, please click here. |
The Status field is optional. You can set up and maintain as many Status codes as you want. This is optional and up to you. (If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.)
The Expected Arrival field defaults to the current date. Key in the appropriate date or click on the arrow to the right of the field and select the date from the minicalendar that pops up.
Notice, once you have selected a product and are defining the remaining fields on the work screen (Quantity, Status, etc.), the selected product is displayed in the selection grid at the bottom of the screen. However, the product has not been applied to the PO yet.
The "Generate Customer Orders for Qualifying Subscriptions" checkbox applies to the Customer Order Subscriptions program. If you leave this box unchecked, no Customer Orders will be created automatically for any customers, even if this product has been subscribed to them via Customer Order Subscriptions. So, to make sure that that program can be applied to the products on the PO, simply check this box, and if any Customer Orders are scheduled to be created via the Customer Order Subscriptions program, they will be. (Of course, if you choose not to utilize the Customer Order Subscriptions program, then you would always simply leave this box unchecked.)
To apply the product to the PO:
Click on the Apply to PO button at the right of the work screen, or simply press Enter. The product remains listed in the selection grid but no longer displays on the work screen. The cursor defaults back to the Product Number field, and you can select the next product to put on the PO. From this point, simply repeat the process until you have included all of the products to include on the PO.
Note:
If you arrived at the PO screen directly from Receiving, via the "Add to This PO" option, you will be returned directly to the Receiving screen after selecting this option.
During this process of adding products to the PO, the products will continually be added to the selection grid. For example, if you have applied eleven products to the PO, all eleven will display in the selection grid at the bottom of the screen.
The selection grid lists information for each product on the PO. This information is system-generated, and informational--you cannot change it here. Notice, for example, the Receive Status column. This tells you whether a product on the PO has been received in full yet or if it is still pending. When adding products to a new PO, the Receiving Status will of course come in automatically as Pending. Later, when received in full (i.e., the ordered quantity equals the received quantity) in Receiving, the status will automatically update to Complete. For how the Receive Status column flag interacts with Problem Codes, click here.
If you highlight a product in the selection grid and right-click on it, a menu appears. This is a Links menu, and it will take you to whichever program you select. For example, if you want to go to the product's Product Properties page, simply select Product Properties from this menu. This is a convenience tool that helps you navigate fluidly through various applicable programs in the system.
To select a product already applied to the PO:
Scan the product's barcode.
Or . . .
Locate the product in the selection grid at the bottom of the screen.
Highlight the product by clicking on it. The product's information is immediately displayed on the work screen. From this point, you can alter any information you need to (such as Quantity), and the apply it to the PO again by clicking on the Apply to PO button or pressing Enter.
If you have selected a product in the selection grid and are making changes to it in the work screen, you can cancel the changes and have the product's PO information default back to the way you had set it originally. To do this, simply click on the Cancel button at the right of the work screen. The product is immediately taken off of the work screen. None of the information has been changed.
You can also immediately receive a product as well. Notice the "Receive" button to the right of the work screen. As soon as you have established the desired values on the work screen, if you wish to receive the product immediately:
Simply click on "Receive." The product will automatically be applied to the PO, and you will be taken directly to the Receiving Detail screen for the selected product. For information on general Receiving, click here. For specific information on the Receiving Detail screen, click here.
Note:
If you arrived at the PO screen directly from Receiving, via the "Add to This PO" option, you will be returned directly to the Bulk Receiving screen after selecting this option.
To delete a product already applied to the PO:
Locate the product in the selection grid at the bottom of the screen.
Highlight the product by clicking on it. The product's information is immediately displayed on the work screen. From this point, select Edit from the menu at the top of the screen. A submenu appears.
From the submenu, select Delete Product. The product is immediately removed from the PO. (If the product has already been received, the system will not allow it to be deleted from the PO.)
To view the Product Properties screen for a product in the work screen:
Click on the product number in the Product Number field. It is underlined and is a link; it will take you directly to that product's Product Properties screen.
To view the Vendor Properties screen for the vendor you are sending the PO to:
In the upper portion of the screen, click on the vendor's name in the Vendor field. It is underlined and is a link; it will take you directly to that vendor's Vendor Properties screen.
Notice the top of the Purchase Order Properties screen (above the work screen). This portion of the screen is strictly informational. In the upper left corner, the PO number and vendor to which this PO will go are displayed.
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You can design the product detail area here the way you want, if you choose, via the Screen Designer. The option for the Purchase Order Product screen in the Screen Designer also has a toggle option between the standard system design and the user-defined design. Please click here for more information. |
In the upper right corner, the number of products on the PO, total cost of the PO, total retail of the PO, total units on the PO, and number of miscellaneous items are displayed. These are running totals and are automatically updated as you add products to the PO.
The last tab is the Miscellaneous tab. This takes you to the Miscellaneous section of the Purchase Order Properties screen. It is an optional screen that allows you to attach miscellaneous items to the PO. Miscellaneous items are items you will be charged for but are not inventory items (such as service charges, display racks, and so on).
If you have a miscellaneous item to attach to the PO, key in a description of it in the Description field. Then click on the Add to PO button at the right of the screen.
Now you can fill in the remaining fields.
Fill in the Unit Cost and Retail Price fields. The Reason field is optional, something you can define that makes sense to you. (If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.)
Once you have set the parameters the way you want them, click on the Apply to PO button at the right of the screen. The miscellaneous item is now attached to the PO and displays in the selection grid at the bottom of the screen.
Repeat this procedure to add as many miscellaneous items as you need.
Notice the Notes toolbar icon at the top of the Purchase Order Properties screen. You can access this from any of the three tab screens (Header, Products, and Miscellaneous). There are three types of Notes for POs: PO Notes, PO Product Notes, and PO Miscellaneous Notes. If you simply click on the Notes icon, you will get the type of Note that is appropriate to the screen you are in. For example, if you are in the Miscellaneous screen, you will get a PO Miscellaneous Note; if you are in the Header screen, you will get a general PO Note; if you are in the Products screen and have a product highlighted, you will get a PO Product Note.
To have a choice to select one of the three types of Notes, click on the arrow to the right of the Notes icon. A menu appears, displaying the types of Notes available. Click on the type you want. If a Note exists for the Note types displayed, a checkmark will appear to the left of it. If there is no checkmark, no Note currently exists.
Once the Note window opens up, you can create a Note, update a Note, or delete a Note.
The Undo toolbar icon deletes all changes made to the PO since the last Save. If you have not saved the PO, Undo will delete the entire PO.
The Sales toolbar icon open up the Sales window for whichever product you have highlighted.
Next and Prior navigate you to the next (or prior) PO in the system--helping you to navigate through POs easily. Please note, you can also use the Alt-Page Up (Next) or Page Down (Prior) keys on your keyboard to navigate through POs.
When you are finished creating the PO, save it by clicking on the Close toolbar icon.
To print the PO, click on the Reports menu at the top of the screen. Click on Print PO (number). The PO will print. The printed copy will automatically be sorted by product description and number.
Click on the Purchase Order icon in the [i] Merchant toolbar. The Find Purchase Order screen appears. Find the PO by its number, and then click on the Properties button. You will be taken to the Products tab screen portion of that PO and can, at this point, make any changes to the PO you want.
or . . .
Click on the File menu at the top of the [i] Merchant Desktop. A submenu appears.
From this submenu, select Open--Purchase Order. The Find Purchase Order screen appears. Find the PO by its number, and then click on the Properties button. You will be taken to the Products tab screen portion of that PO and can, at this point, make any changes to the PO you want.
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When you access a PO's Properties page from a list on the Find Purchase Orders screen, toolbar selections Next and Prior will exist at the top of the PO Properties portion of the screen. If you click on Next, you will be automatically taken to the next PO back on the list on the Find PO screen. If you click on Prior, you will be taken to the previous PO from the list. These navigational toolbar buttons are a convenience tool that allow you to scroll through the POs on the Find list without having to close out of PO Properties. |
To delete an existing PO:
Once you have accessed the PO you want to delete, on the PO Properties page, select Edit-Delete PO from the menu at the top of the screen. A prompt box asks if you want to delete the PO. If no, choose "No". The PO is not deleted. If yes, click "Yes". The PO is deleted. (Only users with security access to delete POs will be able to do this.)
Once a PO has been deleted, you are automatically returned to the Find PO screen. The just-deleted PO appears in the grid at the bottom of the screen, with a strikethrough line running through it. You can reactivate the PO, if you wish.
To reactivate a deleted PO, select it from the grid. A message prompt appears, asking if you would like to restore the PO. If you select "Cancel," nothing happens, and you are returned to the PO Find screen, with the deleted PO still having a strikethrough line running through it. But if you select ""Yes," you are taken to the PO Properties page for the PO. When you close out of PO Properties (assuming you don't delete it again), the PO will now be active, and will no longer have a strikethrough line running through it in the grid.
You can also reactivate a previously deleted PO at a later point.
Run a search for existing POs. But before running the search, be sure that the View-Show Deleted Items selection (from the menu at the top of the screen) is checked. If it's not checked, deleted POs will not display after the search is run. If it is checked, any POs that have been deleted at a prior point will display, along with the active POs, in the grid at the bottom of the screen. The deleted POs will have a strikethrough line running through them.
To reactivate a deleted PO:
Select it. A message prompt appears, asking if you would like to restore the PO. If you select "Cancel," nothing happens, and you are returned to the PO Find screen, with the deleted PO still having a strikethrough line running through it. But if you select ""Yes," you are taken to the PO Properties page for the PO. When you close out of PO Properties (assuming you don't delete it again), the PO will now be active, and will no longer have a strikethrough line running through it in the grid.
To change the vendor on an existing PO:
If you have cut a PO but later need to change the vendor, select Edit-Change Vendor from the menu at the top of the screen for the selected PO. The Vendor Find screen appears. Select the vendor you want. You will be brought back to the PO Properties page, and the vendor you just selected will now be in the Vendor field near the top of the screen. (Only users with security access to delete POs will be able to do this.)