WordStock’s Bookfair module is designed to assist in you in managing off site events; it is designed to:
- Enable you to create a list of items to be removed from the store to go to a Bookfair or other out of store event;
- Remove these items from inventory while at the event;
- Add back into inventory items that return unsold;
- Sell items not returned to inventory;
- Print an invoice of items sold for the customer;
- Print a cash sheet for those items.
Bookfair is not visible in WordStock's main menu unless you first contact the WordStock Support Department.
Once enabled, you will see sub-menus for outgoing and incoming merchandise in the Bookfair menu.
Outgoing Bookfair
Merchandise:
This menu contains the tools to create a list of items being taken to the Bookfair.
The main program used for this is Create or change a Bookfair list. It is used much like the Create or change a PO program. These lists are called “Bookfair Lists” (BFL).
Bookfairs are assigned a Bookfair number, which can have more than one BFL associated with it.
You may also have multiple Bookfairs out from the store at once. A BFL (and Bookfair) are associated with a Vendor record.
- It’s important to note that a “vendor” for a Bookfair should generally be the group or location where the Bookfair is taking place, not the vendor you use to purchase the merchandise.
- Before creating a BFL, make sure there is a record for this group or location in the vendor file.
From the main menu, go to the Lookups menu, select the Vendor screen, and look up the record you wish to use; if it doesn’t exist, create it. Then, return to the Bookfair menu.
To begin recording the items you are sending to the Bookfair, select Create or change a Bookfair list from the Outgoing Bookfair Merchandise part of the Bookfair menu.
(You will find the program works much like the purchase order program.)
To begin, type <new> in the command box.
You will then be moved to the "Bkfair #" field. Enter <new> here if this is the first or only BFL associated with this Bookfair. The next unused Bookfair number will be assigned.
You will then be moved to the "Vend #" field. Enter the Vendor number associated with the group or location where the Bookfair is taking place, as noted above.
The ‘Cost Method’ for Bookfair should generally be ‘DE’.
A number will be assigned to this BFL. This number will be in the same range as your purchase orders, and show at the top of the order screen as “PO #”, although a BFL is not really a purchase order.
The discount on the BFL should be the percentage of the sales you are giving to the group or location.
If, for example, you are giving the site 20% of the proceeds of the event, enter 20% for the discount. If there is no such discount, leave the discount field blank.
You should then proceed to enter SKUs and quantities of each item being sent to the Bookfair. Prices can be changed and new records created in the same way they are for purchase orders.
It’s possible to use a scanner to enter the items going to be Bookfair if the workstation you are using is equipped with one.
It is possible to have several BFL associated with a single Bookfair. This is sometimes necessary, for example, if you want each carton going to the event to have a separate BFL, or if additional items are sent to the event after it begins.
If you choose to have several BFLs associated with a single Bookfair, it’s important to keep track of all of them.
Before you can receive unsold items back into inventory and print both an invoice for items sold and a cash sheet for a Bookfair, all BFLs must be received.
To create a new BFL for an existing Bookfair, type <new> in the command box. When you are taken to the ‘BK Fair #’ field, enter the number of the existing Bookfair.
All BFLs associated with a Bookfair should use the same Vendor Number for the location of the Bookfair.
After the BFL(s) are entered and the items are ready to leave the store, the BFL(s) should be taken off hand. To do this, choose the program Remove Bookfair lists from inventory.
Type in the BFL numbers that you wish to remove from inventory and then press <p> to proceed.
This is similar to the process of putting a normal PO on order.
Once this is done, the on-hand values displayed for those items will not include the BFL quantities, and that BFL will list in the “PO 1” field of the inventory record as “FO #” (where # is the BFL number).
The items have had the appropriate quantities moved to the ‘OH BkFair’ field.
This field cannot be seen on the inventory screen, but can be seen in Inventory reports if this field is included in the report format.
There are a number of other options in the “Outgoing Bookfair Merchandise” submenu. These function in the same way as the similar lines in the ‘Ordering’ submenu. In some cases, you may find these choices helpful.
Incoming Bookfair Merchandise:
• The most critical aspect of receiving items back from a Bookfair is to make sure that the receiving batch created is receiving against ALL BFL(s) associated with the Bookfair.
• The second most critical aspect is that all the BFL(s) be status ONORDER.
If there is a status NEW or SENT BFL associated with the Bookfair, you will not be able to successfully create, receive, and sell a receiving batch for a it.
If you do not receive against all BFL(s) associated with a Bookfair you will not be able to print out a list of items sold nor get an accurate cash sheet for those items.
Before receiving the items that did not sell from a Bookfair, go to the Create or change a Bookfair list program and look up one of the BFLs from the current Bookfair. Note the Bookfair #. Then go to the Incoming menu, and select Receive unsold Bookfair items.
While receiving unsold Bookfair items works in very much the same way as regular receiving of shipments from vendors, it’s important to use the Bookfair receiving program, not the regular one found in the Receiving menu.
If you don’t have a receiving scanner or usually receive in “exception” mode, then Receive unsold Bookfair items may come up in exception mode by default.
Before creating the RB, be sure to remember to switch to “scan” mode by typing <scn> in the command box and pressing enter.
If you’ve created an exception batch by mistake, delete it. Don’t put it on hand, or the sales and returns data from the Bookfair will be seriously in error.
Once you are sure the RB is in Scan mode, type <new> and press <Enter>.
At the “Enter a PO number to receive against” prompt, type <all>and press <Enter>.
You will then be prompted for the Bookfair #. Type in the number of the Bookfair and press <Enter>.
The screen will redraw, and then all Purchase Orders associated with the Bookfair will be listed. Press <p> to proceed.
Scan or type in the items that have come back from the Bookfair as you would a normal scan receiving batch. You will need to enter something for the ‘Invoice Information’. You should not change discounts at this point.
Items should be received in at the same discount as on the outgoing BFL. Discounts on sold items can’t be changed after the BFL is removed from inventory.
When you are finished, put the receiving batch on hand. This will accomplish 2 things:
1. Items that were taken off hand to the Bookfair which are unsold will be added back to inventory.
2. Items that were taken off hand to the Bookfair which were sold will be sold on the WordStock system.
Before you put the RB on hand, make sure you have entered all of the unsold merchandise. After you put the RB on hand, any items unaccounted for will be considered sold at the event.
If errors are found afterward, it will be necessary to manually adjust any inventory records, invoices and cash sheets. It is not possible to undo or correct this step once it is done.
To put the batch on hand, type <onh> in the command box and press <Enter>, then answer <y> to the first question. The RB will then be status finished.
You are now ready to print an invoice for sold items, as well as print a cash sheet for those items.
To print an invoice for sold items, type <prt> in the command box and press enter. Choose Invoice for sold Bookfair Items. You will have the opportunity to enter billing and shipping information about the group or location where the Bookfair occurred.
If the customer is supplying a PO#, enter that number on the first line. In the “Paid By” and “Ship To” boxes, enter addresses and other information for the institution. If a customer record exists for this customer, these fields can be filled in from the customer records. Note that this part of the program interfaces with the Customer file, while the BFLs interface with the Vendor file. You can also enter comments in the ‘Remarks” line.
When you are satisfied with the information, press <F10>, and then choose a printer to send the invoice to. The program will treat the sale as a single sale to this customer with the payment type of “Accounts Receivable”.
NOTE: If you have not received against all BFLs for a Bookfair, you will see an error message when you attempt to print the invoice with which BFL(s) need to be received before you may continue.
This ensures that the invoice and cash sheet will be correct.
To print a cash sheet for sold items, quit from the Receive unsold Bookfair items program and choose Print a cash sheet for sold Bookfair items. Follow the prompts as you would any cash sheet.
If no invoice prints and/or the cash sheet are blank, the problem is probably a BFL that has not been removed from inventory.
In the “Create or Change a Bookfair List” program, search for any BFLs which are at the statuses of ‘New’ or ‘Sent’ for this Bookfair. You can search by date or vendor by entering <d> for date or <n> for vendor name in the command box. If these BFLs contain items that were sent to the Bookfair and are correct, type <ono> in the command box to remove them from inventory.
If they were not actually sent to the fair, remove all lines from the BFL and use the <ono> command as above to remove the empty BFL from inventory.
You will then need to create a new receiving batch if items in the problem BFL are not on other BFLs which were received.