Multi-Store Orders

There are two types of multi-store order:

Consolidated

  • A single purchase order is created with the order quantities combined of all of the stores.
  • All stock is received at the originating store that created the order. 
  • The other stores can then create purchase orders against the hub store.

Benefits

The primary benefit of consolidated ordering is to help meet a Supplier's minimum threshold.


For example, if a Supplier has a minimum threshold of five hundred units:


At PO creation, a consolidated order will gather order quantities from multiple stores and combine them into a single PO. To extend the example, if five stores are involved, and each store buys one hundred filters, then the primary store will order five hundred filters from the vendor, meeting the minimum.


However, once the order is "finalized", the primary store has no knowledge of the order quantities for each store. Therefore, when the five hundred filters arrive at the primary store, all of the filters are put "on the shelf" before they are allocated to other stores. 


In addition, the other stores do not know that one hundred filters have been ordered "on their behalf" in a multi-store consolidated order.

Distributed

  • Creating the order in the originating store creates purchase orders in each store that had a part on the order to receive against. 
  • When the order in the originating store is received, transfer sales orders are automatically generated in the originating store to transfer stock to the other stores (therefore, the stock received for these stores is allocated to the sales orders rather than increasing 'QOH' in the originating store). 
  • Receiving the orders per store updates the stock in those stores.
  • These sales orders may be edited in the originating store if the transfer account is set to create orders as 'PICK' or 'PACK'.

Benefits

Distributed orders help meet a Supplier's minimum threshold, however, the primary benefit is retaining knowledge of the order quantities for each store when the order is finalized so that when the parts ordered are "received" at the primary store, they can be appropriately allocated to other stores.

 

  • All of the stores involved know of their parts that are "on order" in the primary store. 
  • When the parts are "received" in the primary store, they do not have to be put "on the shelf", and then picked "off the shelf" to distribute to other stores. Instead, the parts can be "cross-docked". For example, if five hundred ordered filters arrive "at the incoming dock" of the primary store after the filters are "received", a "routing pick ticket" is created to move four hundred filters "across the dock" to the outbound trucks waiting for the other four stores. Only the remaining one hundred filters are put "on the shelf" in the primary store.
  • Note: The "cross-docking" function works for any number of stores, is especially helpful when larger or heavier items are being "received", and is a time-saver for all types of items "received". The "cross-docking" function is currently unavailable on the wireless RF Gun although the RF Gun can still be used to "receive" the incoming parts. 
  • When the vendor only partially fulfills ordered items (e.g. only four hundred filters arrive instead of five hundred), the application has a function that allows users to "allocate" which stores will receive how many filters. 
  • Even when the vendor completely fulfills the order, the users can override the default "store allocations" with allocations based upon immediate needs instead of using the needs from when the PO was created.

Consecutive

  • The 'Consecutive' option will only be enabled when the 'Order Method' selected is 'Write-In Order' and the 'Select Mode' is 'Shelf Purchase Order'.

  • Consecutive orders may not be previewed or printed. When the 'Print' or 'Preview' button is clicked, the application displays a message prompt with the text "Print and preview not available for consecutive multi-store orders." Click 'OK' to clear the pop-up.

  • Click the 'Order' button and:

    • If the 'Finalize Immediately' checkbox is checked, the application creates the order(s) and places them in 'FIN' status.

    • If the 'Finalize Immediately' checkbox is not checked, the application creates the order(s) and places them in 'NEW' status as per existing functionality. 

Benefits

  • The benefit of the consecutive order is to create individual purchase orders for multiple stores within their environment in one step using the 'Write-In Order' method.

Create a Consecutive Order on the Order Create Screen

  • Set the 'Multistore PO Type' is to 'Consecutive' and the 'Order Type' to 'Write-In Order'

    • If a file has been imported from the 'Parts' tab:

    • Any Supplier setting on the 'Options' tab of the store generating the orders (e.g. 'Fill Policy', 'Delivery Days', etc.) that are overridden are used for all stores in order creation.

    • For any Supplier setting on the 'Options' tab of the store generating the orders that is not overridden, the value of each setting is taken from the supplier record of each individual store.

    • The value of the checkbox setting (e.g. 'Include Imported NIF Parts') is taken from the store generating the order for all orders for all stores.

    • Note: An order for a store may not be created if it does not meet the supplier criteria, such as minimum thresholds, set in the local store.

    • If 'Close without waiting' is selected

      • And no parts were imported, a message prompt with the text "If you close without waiting, the order will continue to be created in the background. Are you sure you want to close without waiting?" with a 'YES' and 'NO' button. 

        • Click 'YES' or 'NO', and the pop-up and screen are closed and the ORDER CREATE screen is closed and the PURCHASE ORDER screen is opened and the system prompts to enter a part in the 'WRITE IN PO FORM' pop-up.

      • And parts have been imported, the same message prompt as above displays: "If you close without waiting, the order will continue to be created in the background. Are you sure you want to close without waiting?"

    • The application creates an individual, single-store write-in shelf purchase order in each store selected on the 'Stores' tab that also has parts identified in the imported file. 

    • If at least one order is created successfully, the PURCHASE ORDER screen does not open. The ORDER CREATE screen is closed and the PURCHASING DASHBOARD opens for the current location (regardless of what other locations for which orders may have been created).

    • If the 'Finalize Immediately' checkbox is checked, place the order(s) in 'FIN' status. 

    • If the 'Finalize Immediately' checkbox is unchecked/, place order(s) in 'WIP' status.

    • For all consecutive orders, the text 'CONSECUTIVE' displays in the 'MULTISTORE PO TYPE' found on the PURCHASE ORDER screen.

    • If an "empty" order is created (no file was imported)

      • With the 'Multistore PO Type' set to 'Consecutive', proceed to the PURCHASE ORDER screen and display the 'WRITE IN PO FORM' pop-up. The order will now be a single-store order for the current store and continues with existing functionality.

        • No consecutive orders will be created. 

        • If the 'Finalize Immediately' setting was checked, it will be ignored. The order will be in 'WIP' status as per existing functionality. 

  • If no Consecutive Orders are created, the application displays a message explaining why the last order was not created with an 'OK' button to clear the message. The ORDER CREATE screen remains open to allow the revisiting the order settings and a retry if desired.

  • If the creation of any Consecutive order is unsuccessful or successful, a message is logged to the System Messages.