How do I do a bulk inventory update without it creating multiple prices for every item?

[Bellandwhistle]

Every time I try to do a bulk inventory adjustment (every time I buy supplies) it creates multiple prices for each item.  I then have to go in and manually delete the extras.  I know I’m missing a step because there’s no way this should be this hard.

Also, can I update inventory on my desktop while my POS is running at my shop?

Thanks for any help!

[EJ_]

Hi @Bellandwhistle

Welcome to the Seller Community 🙌🏼

Were you using the basic inventory features or were you using Square for Retail? 

[Bellandwhistle]

Basic 

[EJ_ · Accepted solution]

Thanks for clarifying @Bellandwhistle

When you were making these adjustments, were you using the bulk import spreadsheet? Or were you making these changes one by one? 

The spreadsheet template should allow you to specify prices and variations, or remove them individually. 

You can do this while your Point of Sale app is running, as everything is done on the backend through your Square Dashboard. 

[Bellandwhistle]

I was using the square template. Should I be selecting update or replace current items?

[EJ_]

@Bellandwhistle You should use the "Modify" option, as it allows you to alter existing items and add new ones. 

[NV_Rue_Cler]

If I wanted to replace all the items in an entire category, here is the process I'm planning:

1. I would download the catalog,
2. I would delete all the items I no longer want 
3. I would enter all the new items in that category
4. I want to add quantity, do I will enter that in New Quantity Rue Cler (not Current Quantity Rue Cler)
   I do not want to change any other category , so I will leave them the same 
5. I would import that catalog using "replace"

That would net me all the items I want to keep along with my entire category replaced.

How does this process sound?

[JJ_]

Yes, this process looks accurate @NV_Rue_Cler. If you encounter any trouble, you can reach out to our support team so they can take a look at your file and confirm all looks good. 

[NV_Rue_Cler]

@JJ_ 

If I wanted to perform a combination of Updating and creating new items, here is the process I would follow:

1. I would download the catalog,
2. I would delete all the items I no longer want 
3. I would keep the items I did still want
4. I would enter all the new items in that category (leaving token blank)
5. I want to add quantity, do I will enter that in New Quantity Rue Cler (not Current Quantity Rue Cler)
   I do not want to change any other category , so I will leave them the same 
6. I would import that catalog using "modify"

What I'm looking for is keeping all of the items that still are in stock and at the same time removing items that are out of stock and replacing them with new items.

The biggest question is about Tokens and whether the OOS items will remain in the item catalog. This seems important because I'm assuming that the Tokens are what link the items to the menus that servers use to interact with the POS.

The goal would be to keep some things the same and remove/replace others.

If I'm just modifying, will it leave the old items in there if I don't replace their 

[JJ_]

At this time the Square Inventory Bulk action is able to add and/or remove items. However, if you are looking to replace items you may encounter problems when importing a file if you are "reusing" an existing line item. As I mentioned before our support team should be able to receive your import file to confirm if you have properly formatted the document. 

Also, the token column indicates a unique ID for that item and it's not related to Menus but how Square Inventory is organized.

I hope this information is helpful!