How can we help?

Working With Vendor Returns

The Vendor Return tool allows you to track inventory that needs to be sent back to the vendor. This may be necessary for a variety of reasons, such as receiving damaged or defective items, receiving too much inventory, or returning vendor-consigned items that weren’t sold. This tool will allow you to track what items are returned, why they were returned, and will reduce inventory when the vendor return process is complete.

To access Vendor Returns, hover over Purchasing on the left and click Vendor Return. The Vendor Returns list page will open for you.

 

Vendor Return List Page

By default, the Vendor Return list page will display all Draft vendor returns.

Vendor Returns list page functions:

1. +Vendor Return - Clicking this button opens the New Vendor Return window so you can start creating your return.
2. Search - You can search by Vendor Return ID Number, by keywords from Product names, or by Vendor name.
3. Date - By default all of your Vendor Return Drafts will display, no matter how far back they go on the calendar, but if you need to view a specific date range you can click in the Date field to change it to whatever you need.
4. Vendor - If you need to view Vendor Return Drafts for just a specific Vendor, you can filter what is displaying by choosing a vendor from this drop-list.
5. Location - If you have multiple Locations set up in Rain POS, they will appear in this drop-list. If you don't see this drop-list as shown above, you have a single Location in Rain POS.
6. Status - If you need to see Vendor Returns that have been Sent, you can adjust the option here to view them, either by themselves or together with your Drafts.
7. Column Sorting - Clicking on any of the column headers in your list will Sort the column, and clicking again will reverse the sort.
8. Vendor Return ID Number - As you create Vendor Returns, the system will number them automatically. You can click on an ID number to view or edit the draft.
9. Options Button - The ellipsis button (or three-dot stack) will allow you to Print the return in question or Delete it, as needed.

 

Creating A New Vendor Return

To create a new vendor return, click the +Vendor Return button in the top right corner which will open a New Vendor Return window. You can select a Location(if you have multiple locations), the Vendor, and you can add the Products you need to return. Please note that once you start adding products, you will no longer be able to edit the Location, if you have multiple Locations. All products must be removed in order to once again be able to edit the Location.

 

Adding Products

You can add both serialized and non-serialized products to your return. In the search results, products with available inventory will be displayed in a darker text color while products without available inventory will be lighter and cannot be added.

If you select a non-serialized product, you can manually enter the Quantity that will be returned to the vendor. This quantity must be greater than 0. If you select a serialized product, the quantity will always be 1, and you will be prompted to select a Serial Number from a drop-list that corresponds to the item being returned. Please note that only in-stock and unreserved serial numbers will be available to select here. You are also able to enter a short description with Details about why the item is being returned. These descriptions are for your reference only. Please note that none of this data is actually communicated to the Vendor, this tool is for inventory quantity adjustment. So you will need to communicate with the Vendor in your normal method whenever you actually send them the inventory.

 

Vendor Consignment

If the product you selected has vendor consignment inventory instead of regular store inventory, then it will be labeled as Vendor Consignment for your convenience. If the product has both regular Store Inventory and Vendor Consignment inventory, you will be prompted to select which type of inventory you are returning, as pictured below. Please note that in the case where a serialized product has both types of inventory, this selection will affect which serial numbers are available to return.

 

Saving a Draft

You can save a vendor return as a Draft if you are not ready to complete the return process. When you click the Save as Draft button in the window, all products that have been added to the Vendor Return will have their quantity changed to a Reserved status, so those products will be unavailable for purchase or rental even though they count toward your total inventory for the product. Please note that inventory can only be reserved up to the existing available quantity for a product. If the return quantity exceeds the available quantity, only the available quantity will be reserved.

 

Editing a Draft

You may edit a Vendor Return draft as many times as you need, but once the vendor return is sent, it is no longer possible to edit. If you wish to edit a draft, click on the Vendor Return ID on the left side of the line to open the modal and view the details of the vendor return. In the window that opens, you may edit the Vendor, add or remove Products, edit the Quantity for non-serialized products, edit the Serial Number for serialized products, and edit the details field for each product. Each time you save a draft, reserved quantities for each product will be updated where necessary.

 

Deleting a Draft

You may Delete a Vendor Return if needed, but only if it is in Draft status. Once the vendor return is sent, it can no longer be deleted. Additionally, once a vendor return is deleted, it cannot be recovered, so use this option carefully.

There are two ways to delete a draft:

• On the Vendor Returns list page, click on the Options button on the right side of the vendor return line (the ellipsis or three-dot stack button). If the status is draft, then you will see a Delete option. Click Delete, and you will be prompted to confirm before the Vendor Return is deleted.
• When editing an existing draft, there is a Delete button in the lower right of the window, as pictured above. Click Delete, and you will be prompted to confirm the deletion.

 

Completing a Vendor Return

Once you are ready to complete the vendor return, click the Send to Vendor button. If there is required information missing you will be prompted before you can complete the return. Please note that once the vendor return is sent, it cannot be undone. Please carefully review the information you’ve entered before completing the return. You will be prompted to confirm the Send before the vendor return is sent and inventory is reduced.

Please note that inventory can only be reduced up to the existing available inventory for a product. If the return quantity exceeds the available quantity, only the available quantity will be reduced (and the reserved inventory status will be removed where applicable).

 

Printing a Vendor Return

A basic printout is available for any Vendor Return. When you click Send to Vendor and complete the return, you will automatically be given the opportunity to print it. To print at any other point, click the Options button (the ellipsis or three-dot stack button) on the right side of the vendor return line. Click the Print option and you will be directed to your browser’s printing tool to complete the process.