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- Nested inventory + bundles
Nested inventory + bundles
Nested inventory + bundles
First of all, I did see another post on bundles. I liked it, but could not find a way to reply to it to add my use case. Here's what I (and many other retailers) need.
Clarification: I list this request as nested inventory + bundles because they are both very similar, but I will list each separately.
>>>Nested Inventory<<<
Among the products we sell, we have products that may be purchased in one of three quantities: piece, box, or case. The ratios of pieces-to-boxes and boxes-to-cases varies from product to product, and are not constant. We have different prices for these items, depending on the quantity purchase, whether they purchase a single item, a full box, or a full case. These products comprise more than 60% of our revenue. Here are two examples:
TCG Product A
• 1 booster pack sells for $4.99
•36 booster packs come in a booster display box.
•One (1) booster display box (36 packs) sells for $164.99
•Six (6) booster display boxes come in a case.
•One (1) case (6 boxes or 216 packs) sells for $749.99
TCG Product B
•1 booster pack sells for $6.49
•30 booster packs come in a booster display box.
•One (1) booster display box (30 packs) sells for $179.99
•Four (4) booster display boxes come in a case.
•One (1) case (4 boxes or 120 packs) sells for $599.99
In each instance, we want to be able to define the relationship of packs: boxes:case for each product, so we can manage one singular inventory item (total number of pieces/packs) but sell using the different quantity breakdowns (piece/box/case).
As things are now, we have to predetermine quantities of each unit (piece/box/case) that we want to sell and place them as separate items in inventory. When we sell through a single packs, we have to open another box. That means we have to make two inventory entries. First, we have to reduce the number of boxes on hand by one, then we must increase the number of packs on hand by 36 (using TCG Product A from the example). If we had to open another case to get the box that we opened for packs, we have to make three entries (continuing with the TCG product A example): -1 case, +5 boxes, +36 packs.
What we want to do is enter the total number of pieces (packs) we received, and have Square reduce inventory by the quantity of pieces that correlates to the item type (1 for "pack", 36 for "box", 216 for "case"). Thus, if we receive two cases plus two boxes of product, we would add (2 x 216) + (2 x 36) = 512 + 72 = 584 packs received to inventory. Or, ideally, We would add two (2) cases and two (2) boxes to inventory and Square would record it as 584 pieces/packs.
When we sell the product, square would charge the price appropriate to the product and and reduce inventory by the amount appropriate to the product type (piece/box/case).
>>>Bundles<<<
Bundles would allow sellers to create one single register item that is comprised of multiple items that could otherwise be rung up individually. For example, I have three products I often sell together: Products A, B, and C. Individually, they each sell for $4, but when purchased together I want to offer all three for $10.
Now, this could be handled by creating a special discount for $2 and applying it to the sale of the three items. However, this would require creating different discounts for different bundles and would require employees to remember to apply the bundle discounts at the time of the sale.
Ideally, I want to be able to define a bundle either as an array of items that can be selected from a list of options (example A), or be an item to which I can add other items (example B).
Bundle Example A (borrowing from food service) named "Sandwich Combo" includes:
• Sandwich
• Side choice from list
• Drink choice from list
In Square/Square for Retail, when I select the Sandwich Combo item, I would be prompted to select a side and a drink from a list of available options.
Bundle Example B named "Generic Bundle"
This option would allow the creation of a bundle as items are entered, rather than predefining each bundle.
The "Generic Bundle" item could have a set price, or could be variable (just like any other item). The settings for the bundle should allow sellers to specify how many items are included, and should allow them to limit the items to specific parameters (like category or cost).
In Square/Square for Retail, when I select the "Generic Bundle" item, a pop-up screen would ask me to input bundle items. Those could be entered from the item library by typing, or by scanning a barcode or QR code. After entering each item, I would have the option of adding another bundle item. When the maximum number of bundle items is reached a summary/review screen is displayed showing the components and the price (or, prompting for the price if the bundle is set to variable).
For both Examples A (Sandwich Combo) and B (Generic Bundle), when the bundle item is completed and added to the ticket/receipt, Square will reduce inventory for every item in the bundle by the appropriate amount, and will calculate and allocate the discount amount among the bundle items.
NOTE: It would be possible to use bundles to take care of the nested inventory request, but it would be not as ideal as the nested inventory feature itself. For example, a booster box of 36 packs could be sold as a bundle, allowing the per-box price to be the bundle price for 36 packs. Rather than setting up a relationship between packs, boxes, and cases, however, that would require the creation of different bundles for each product that uses the same item types (e.g., pack, box, case) but in different quantities.
I hope these descriptions make sense. If not, please feel free to reach out and ask for clarifications.
Square Community