Tuesday Tip – Prompt for Price

Microsoft RMS Store Operations and NCR CounterPoint allow you to set up an inventory item as being open when it comes to pricing. This is generally done for items that you really don't want to track individually for inventory and sales reasons. Think of the $1, $2 and $5 grab bins that you see at Wal-Mart – it would be too time consuming to track each and every item so an open-priced item sku is used.

This may seem backwards since a major reason to use a point of sale system is for detailed inventory tracking and sale reporting. However, most stores still have some general items that generate so little profit that it would take too much time to track at an item by item level. Make sense? If not, contact me  and I can give you some additional examples.

RMS Store Operations can go to “Database” then “items” from the manager screen. You can double click on the item or click on the item and then click on “Properties”. Under the items “Options” tab is the checkbox “must enter price at POS”. Here is what the screen looks like:

From the NCR CounterPoint manager screen, go to “Items”, select the item, and the “Other” tab will have a checkbox for “Prompt for Price”:

As to whether it makes sense to use an open priced sku/plu or not depends on your own personal preferences for how detailed or generic you want to be when it comes to tracking each inventory item in your store.

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.