Superseded SKU Numbers

[carbonnb]

I use Square for sales out in the field as well as for some inventory management.

I have a part that has old superseded SKU numbers, but my service manuals still refer to these old SKUs.

What is the best way to keep track of these superseded SKUs, so they refer back to the new SKU as well as keep track of how many of each I have in stock and notify me when stock is low

For example, I have a part ELE-015-011 (1 in stock) that superseded part ELE-014-010 (2 in stock) that superseded ELE-014-005 (0 in stock)

I need to keep 2 in stock (combined total).

I tried to use variations, but it notifies me that because I only have 1 or the newest part (ELE-015-011) I am low on stock, even though I have 3 total in stock.

I hope this all make sense and someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

[MonicasAttic]

You have two options.

1. Use variations as you mentioned. This is what I do and I set the notification to tell me when there are zero in stock. This flags me when one of the SKUs sells out and then I turn off that notification if the other SKUs are still in stock. If you're just looking on-screen (dashboard) you can see you have three in stock total or expand to see that you have one of each SKU. It's not perfect, but if the items are interchangeable, might be the best way to have all details in one spot.
2. Set each SKU up as a separate item. In the description field make a note like "interchangeable with item#..." Again, you can set up a stock alert to advise you when you are running low but you would then have to check each part separately to see if you have anything else that can be used.

Neither option is perfect so you have to decide which work flow is best for your situation.

If you find a better way to do this, please comment so I can learn it too. 🙂