Trying to get started

[Steve_73]

I'm new to creating a business and having a POS system.  I was recommended Square but as I'm trying to create categories and items, I'm finding it incredibly un-intuitive to navigate and get things done.

I managed to create a category and add items to it, but I can't seem to repeat the process or add a discount for "buy 3 for $X".

I've google it and the steps are inaccurate, and so is the help page.

[ryanwanner]

Hello @Steve_73 ! Welcome to the Square ecosystem!

Categories and items menu building take a bit to get your head wrapped around, that’s for sure. The challenge is that it’s completely dependent on your business and your current sales flow. For example, my business relies on various types of coffees, so I have my categories set up that way: blends, single origin, and fancy coffees. I then add in categories for merchandise, catering, and wholesales. Items are then tagged to the categories as needed. 

my best recommendation is to look at your sales flow. If you’re retail, I’m betting you have sections of your store dedicated to one type of merch. Should that be your category? Should you use subcategories: this item is in this section but it belongs to a specific group of things within that section kind of thing. 

The role of a point of sale is to make it seamless with your business flow. It takes some legwork to get it there but once it is you won’t remember how you did things in the past. 

Now, for the automated discounts. Doing a buy 3 for $x can get a little tricky if your prices on the items are different. For sanity’s sake I recommend doing more of a “Buy 3 take 30% off those items” discount instead. 
Dashboard > Items > Discounts > create

In the amount section put the 30% here. If you prefer to do the math, this is where you’d enter the dollar amount taken off the items the discount applies to. 

Enable Discount Rules, choose Quantity. Add the items you want to be a part of this promo. The big box to the left is where you’ll enter how many items need to be bought for the discount to apply. 

Then, click the Add Discount Rule. For our example I’d say Exact Quantity would be best but feel free to play with these. 

That should get you what you’re needing! Of note: don’t use full categories on this discount if you plan on having online sales. Categories in the online world don’t necessarily line up with categories on your point of sale so if you choose categories the online side won’t see the promo. 

Hope this helps, and don’t hesitate to ask any other questions as you build out your system!

[PamelaRobins]

1. Go to the Square Dashboard.

2. Navigate to “Items” > “Categories”.

3. Click “Create Category”, give it a name, and save.

4. Then go to “Items”; for each product, scroll to assign it to a category.

Tip: You can edit multiple items at once by checking them and selecting “Edit in bulk.”

Visiting the square youtube channel, their videos are more up to date.