Different Fulfillment Options at Different Locatio...

yesplasticfree

Hello! First-time poster here, at our wits' end. We are a bulk refillery/sustainable general store. We have been trying for ages to find a way to make it possible to deliver our bulk products to customers who can't get to us during normal business hours. We've got all the logistics of the *delivery* worked out, but it's been the POS part that has us stuck (ordering/fulfillment/inventory tracking).

We'd created some workarounds to combat Square's limitations (one of which was creating a separate website that sells only those bulk products we're delivering and pretty much none of the rest of our low-waste/sustainable stuff, which are all available in our store and on our main ecommerce website; to do this, we also had to create duplicate bulk product items -- not ideal for inventory tracking, but we developed a system that would allow us to stay on top of it). We were ready to move forward once we went in and confirmed the online fulfillment options (since these orders will be placed online).

Then we hit a wall. We had set up our main ecommerce site for shipping and pickup only, and we wanted to set up the bulk delivery ordering site for *delivery* only. Apparently, because both websites were tied to our one location, we couldn't do that -- apparently, the settings for both sites have to match.

We reached out to Square. Spoke to TWO separate agents who told us that the workaround for this would be to create a second location (for more money, of course).

The chat with the first agent got abruptly disconnected while we were asking a clarification question, so we had to re-connect with someone else. The second agent confirmed what the first agent told us about setting up a second location, and then also gave us a bunch of other (what we *thought* was super helpful and useful) information about settings that would make the whole process easier. Like, game-changer information. So we followed the steps this second agent suggested and ... NONE of it worked as she said it would.

We don't know if it's because we've missed a setting somewhere, if there's something wonky on Square's backend (there seems to ALWAYS be something wonky on Square's backend), if we can't do what this agent said we could because of our specific plan (we have Square Plus), or if the second agent was just making stuff up.

We are flummoxed. We have (of course) reached back out to Square, and had several more conversations with several more frontline support agents, none of whom will confirm or deny what this one agent said -- they all just keep opening new cases (despite us providing the existing first case number) and trying to give us different solutions (none of which address/solve our fundamental problem).

We're posting here for two reasons:

1) Curious if anybody who reads the exchange we had with this second agent thinks they were selling us a bill of goods or can confirm that what they told us to we could do is functionality that is entirely possible in Square

2) We're wondering if anybody else out there has experience with multiple locations where the fulfillment methods are different between the two. Namely, if you sell blue widgets from both your locations, does anybody have it set up where a person can buy your blue widgets from one location and either pick them up or have them shipped, but if they buy them from your *other* location, those blue widgets can only be delivered? In other words, if there's anybody out there trying to do what we're trying to do with fulfillment, how do YOU do it?

Here is a copy/paste of our support chat with the second agent (starting from after we asked her if the last agent we talked to was correct about us having to create a second location):

2nd agent: Yes. Your only option is to create another location and use one location for each website. Square can’t use the same location with different fulfillment methods across both sites. Here’s how it will work: once you create the new location, you can assign the original location to one website and use it for pickup and shipping only, and then use the new location for the other website, which will be fulfilled through delivery.

Us: Our main online shopping site is [website], where we sell most of the same things that are in our storefront at our physical location (which right now is our only location). We have also created a second website, which will sell primarily our bulk products. It's located at [website].

Even tho we do not have a second physical location, you are saying we should create a second location (and maybe we should name it Bulk Delivery so it matches the second website??) and we can connect that second website to that second location?

2nd agent: Yes, exactly -- that's the idea. Even though you don’t have a second physical space, you can still create a second “location” in Square just for organizing fulfillment. Naming it something like “Bulk Delivery” is a great idea so it clearly matches your second website. Then you can:

• Keep your current location connected to your main [website] for pickup and shipping.

• Connect the new “Bulk Delivery” location to your second [website] and set it to delivery only.

This setup lets each website show only the fulfillment options you want.

Us: And for any items that are sold at both locations, it should allow us to track inventory from ONE place?

2nd Agent: Yes, that’s right. You’ll still manage inventory at the item level, and you can assign that same item to both locations. Square will let you:

Track stock separately per location (e.g., 20 units at “Main Store,” 10 units at “Bulk Delivery”), or
Use “Stock received at” one location and adjust as needed.

So you won’t have to create duplicate items—you’ll manage the same item and just control its availability and stock per location.

Us: can we sell some variations at one location but not other variations?

2nd Agent: Yes, you can. In Square, you can control which variations are active at each location. That means:

The same item can exist at both locations
But certain variations can be available at one location and not sold at the other

You’d do this by editing the item, going to each variation, and adjusting its location availability and stock so only the variations you want are active at each location.

Us: great! is that true for variations that are created by making stock conversions? Like if we have an item that we sell by the ounce in our store, but online we want to sell it only by the pint or quart...can we do that?

2nd Agent: Yes, you can absolutely do that. You can set up stock conversions so that:

At your physical location, you sell the item by the ounce
On your online sites, you only sell it as pints or quarts (converted variations)

You’d keep the “by the ounce” variation active for your in‑store location, and then only enable the pint/quart variations (the converted ones) for the online locations. This way, inventory still draws from the same underlying stock, but each location only shows the units you want to sell there.

Us: No WAY! Is this a new feature? because we have tried to do this before and we were told we couldn't! or maybe we couldnt because it was all one location...? and you can only do this with multiple locations?

2nd Agent: You’re exactly on the right track—that’s likely what changed. Before, when everything was under one single location, you were much more limited, because:

The same item + variation had to behave the same way everywhere that location was used.
You couldn’t really say “sell it this way here, but a different way there” if “here” and “there” were both using the same location.

By introducing a second location, you unlock:

Different fulfillment options per location (pickup/shipping vs delivery only).
Different variation availability per location (e.g., “by the ounce” at the physical store, “pint/quart only” on the delivery site).
Stock conversions can still pull from the same underlying item, but you choose which converted variations are active at which location.

So yes—what you’re trying to do becomes possible because you’re using multiple locations instead of just one.

Us: Holy smokes!! f this works you just made my day!!

2nd Agent: Sounds good, right? Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

Us: i mean i guess we're wondering how easy it will be to set up that second location and appropriately connect our website

2nd Agent: Totally fair question. The good news is: it’s pretty straightforward, and you only have to do it once.

Here’s what it will roughly look like:

Create the second location

Go to your Square Dashboard → Locations.
Click Create Location.
Name it something like “Bulk Delivery” (so it clearly matches [website]).
Fill in the basic details and save.

Connect the second website to that location

In your Online settings, open the yesbulkdelivery.square.site site.
Go to the Fulfillment / Location or Pickup & Delivery settings (wording can vary slightly).
Choose Bulk Delivery as the location for that site.
Turn on Delivery only for that location (no pickup).

Adjust the original site

For your main website, keep it connected to your original location.
Set that location to Pickup + Shipping (no delivery).

Items & variations

For items that should appear on both sites, just:

Make sure they’re assigned to both locations.
Turn on only the variations you want per location (e.g., ounce in-store, pint/quart online).

If you’re comfortable clicking around the Dashboard, this is very doable in one sitting. The “hardest” part is just being methodical: create the location, connect each website to the right location, then double‑check item availability.

Us: we are pretty comfortable clicking around the dashboard (even if we do NOT like many of the changes that came about with the most recent update), so i guess we will give it a whirl.

2nd Agent: That makes total sense, especially with all the recent changes.

Since you’re already comfortable in the Dashboard, you should be in good shape. I’d start with just two steps:

Create the new “Bulk Delivery” location.
Connect [website] to that location and set it to delivery only.

Once that’s in place, you can take your time fine‑tuning which items and variations show where. And if something doesn’t look right, you can always switch a setting back—nothing you’re doing here is irreversible.

Us: well, nothing is irreversible except creating the location. i mean, you can't delete a location once you've created one right?

2nd Agent: No, you can deactivate it and create a new one.

Us: and it will cost us the same monthly fee as our current location?

2nd Agent: Yes, same monthly fee.

Us: can you please email us a transcript of this chat so we can refer to all the steps you outlined for me?

2nd Agent: Unfortunately, I will not be able to send the whole transcript, but you can keep this [case number] for your reference. I also highly suggest that you screenshot all the important details we've discussed.

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Ok, for anyone who's made it this far, what do you think? Does this sound like functionality that Square offers? Did this 2nd Agent sell us a bill of goods? We must confess, in reading it over as we pasted it here ... the tone of it sounds VERY different from the tone of conversations with other support agents. It sounds suspiciously like a super friendly chatbot -- so now we're wondering if we got some square agent who was just dumping our questions into chatgpt and spitting out total nonsense!

Different Fulfillment Options at Different Locations??