Suppliers & Purchase Orders
Add suppliers, plan purchases, receive goods and review supplier bills and recorded payments.
Suppliers and Purchase orders are two owner screens for planning what you buy. A supplier is a name and an optional phone number. A purchase order is a plan: which supplier, which item, how many and at what cost.
Read this first
- A purchase order only records what you plan to buy. It does not change your stock, tax credit or cost.
- Cost is recorded as paid to the supplier, tax included. Nothing here claims input tax credit or changes your cost of goods.
- Purchasing writes require owner authority and an active POS add-on. The add-on entitlement alone unlocks purchasing; there is no separate purchasing switch or rollout approval to request. An admin route alone does not grant permission.
- Open these screens from the Purchasing menu (below) or by their direct address; no cashier PIN substitutes for owner access.
Find the Purchasing menu
Screen: in the classic sidebar open the Purchasing section; in the new sidebar open the Purchasing group. Both hold the same ten links, in this order:
| Link | Opens | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Suppliers | Suppliers | /settings/pos/suppliers |
| Purchase orders | Purchase orders | /settings/pos/purchase-orders |
| Goods received | Receive supplier goods | /settings/pos/purchasing/receipts |
| Supplier dues | Supplier balance | /settings/pos/purchasing/supplier-ledger |
| Reorder list | Review stock to reorder | /settings/pos/purchasing/reorder |
| Purchase returns | Send goods back to a supplier | /settings/pos/purchase-returns |
| Batches & expiry | Set up lot tracking | /settings/pos/lots/opening |
| Stock nearing expiry | Stock nearing expiry | /settings/pos/lots/expiry |
| Price labels | Print price labels | /settings/pos/labels |
| Scale labels | Weighing-scale barcodes | /settings/pos/label-scale |
The same ten links also appear as buttons under Buying & stock at the top of Counter devices →
Settings (/settings/pos), for the owner when the counter is on. There two buttons are worded
differently: Return goods to supplier (the Purchase returns link) and Lots and expiry
(the Batches & expiry link).
Purchase returns, Supplier dues, Reorder list, Batches & expiry, Stock nearing expiry and a lot's history page are owner only: any other login that types the address sees Access Restricted with Your role does not have permission to access this page. Please contact the Store Super Admin. Suppliers, Purchase orders, Goods received, Price labels and Scale labels can also be opened by a store admin who types the address, but only the owner sees the menu, and purchasing writes still need the owner.
Why don't I see Purchasing?
The menu is shown only when all of these hold: you are signed in as the owner login, the plan includes the counter module, the subscription is not suspended, and the plan has finished loading. A store admin, a manager or a cashier never sees it. If you are the owner, refresh once so the plan loads, then check the POS add-on under Enable the POS Add-on.
Add and manage suppliers
Screen: classic sidebar Purchasing → Suppliers, or /settings/pos/suppliers; the title is
Suppliers. In the new layout the breadcrumb names the page Suppliers, under Counter Sales.
The page says These suppliers are shared by every shop of this store. Your supplier list has one
entry per supplier for the whole store, not one per shop.
Type the supplier name
Fill Supplier name. It is required: with the box empty the Add supplier button stays disabled and the field says Type the supplier name.
Add a phone number (optional)
Phone number (optional) takes a 10-digit mobile number. Leave it blank if you do not have one. Anything else shows Enter a 10-digit mobile number or leave it blank. and keeps Add supplier disabled. The number must start with 6, 7, 8 or 9.
Add the supplier
Select Add supplier. The page says (name) was added. and the supplier appears in the list with its phone number, or No phone number when you left it blank. If the list is empty it reads No suppliers yet. Add your first supplier above.
Archive a supplier you no longer use (optional)
Select Archive beside an active supplier, then Yes, archive (name) to confirm, or Back to cancel. The page explains: Archived suppliers stay on past orders but cannot be chosen for new ones. An archived supplier is listed with Archived beside the phone and is not offered when you write a purchase order, send goods back or set a reorder policy.
The supplier form asks only for a name and a phone number. There is no field for a GST number, address or payment terms on this screen.
| What you see | Why, and what to do |
|---|---|
| (name) is already in your supplier list. | An active supplier with the same name (capital letters ignored) exists. Nothing was added. Use that supplier, or type a different name. |
| You do not have permission to change suppliers. Ask the owner. | Only the owner login can add or archive suppliers. A store admin can open the list but not change it. |
| Advanced inventory is a pilot module and is not enabled for this store yet, so suppliers cannot be added. | The POS add-on is not active for this store. See Enable the POS Add-on. |
| The supplier was not saved. Check the details and try again. | Any other refusal. Check the name and phone, then retry. Tapping Add supplier again is safe; it is not added twice. |
| The supplier was not archived. Try again. | Retry. |
Write a purchase order
Screen: go to /settings/pos/purchase-orders. The page title is Purchase orders. If you have no
supplier yet the page says Add a supplier first, then create a purchase order.
Pick the shop (multi-shop stores only)
Shop appears only when your store tracks stock per shop. Single-shop stores do not see it.
Choose the supplier
Select an existing supplier in Supplier. Archived suppliers are not offered.
Find the item
Scan or type in Item (scan or type) and select Find item. If the item has sizes or types, choose one in Size or type (the prompt is Choose a size or type).
Enter quantity and cost
Fill Quantity ordered (the unit of the item is shown in brackets) and Cost per the unit in rupees, for example 150 or 150.50. Until the cost is valid you see Enter the cost per unit to see the order value. Once it is, Order value shows the total.
Save as a draft
Select Save as draft. The button stays disabled until the supplier, item, quantity and cost are all ready. You see the order number followed by saved as a draft.
Move an order along
Each order in the list shows a status and an Order total.
| Status shown | What it means | Button you get |
|---|---|---|
| Draft, not sent | Saved, not yet placed with the supplier | Mark as ordered |
| Ordered, nothing received yet | Placed with the supplier | Close order |
| Received a number, with a number still to come | Part of it has been received | Close order, or Close with a number not received for a single-line order |
| Closed | Finished | none |
Select Close order (or the Close with ... not received version) and confirm. Back cancels the close. If someone else changed the order first you see This order was changed by someone else. Showing the latest.
Receive goods and record the supplier bill
Screen: as the owner, open /settings/pos/purchasing/receipts, titled Receive supplier goods.
Purchasing is available once the POS add-on is active for your store; no extra approval is needed.
If the add-on lapses, new purchasing work is refused, but existing orders can still be closed. Reconnect before doing this work.
Choose the original purchase line
In Purchase order line, choose an ordered or partially received line. Check the previously accepted quantity, remaining quantity and receiving location. No open purchase orders to receive against. means you need an eligible existing order, not an unrelated stock adjustment.
Check Receiving shop before entering lot details
In a store using locations, check Receiving shop when it is offered. A purchase order already assigned to a shop retains that destination. For an older order without a fixed shop, select the intended shop; the page may initially choose the first eligible shop, so read receiving at in the line summary before continuing. During a gradual activation, the choices are active shops whose inventory is ready to receive; an unactivated shop is not a fallback target. Changing the shop reloads its lot-tracking requirements and clears Lot code, Expiry date and Lot unknown: hold these goods out of sale. Re-enter those details for the chosen shop.
Count accepted and rejected goods
Enter Accepted quantity and Rejected quantity, with up to three decimals. Give a Rejection reason when goods are rejected. The combined quantity cannot exceed what remains. For a lot-tracked item enter Lot code and Expiry date, or select Lot unknown: hold these goods out of sale. Unknown goods must not be treated as saleable.
Review and post once
Select Review (it stays disabled while the line shows a problem, see below), check Saleable stock, held quantities and Supplier amount, then Post receipt. Posting records the goods receipt and supplier bill in the ledger; payment is separate. Rejected goods do not enter saleable stock. If the result is uncertain, use Check status for that entry; do not receive the same goods again. Receive more goods starts a separate receipt.
Correct a posted receipt by a linked entry
A posted receipt is not edited. Use Correct with a linked entry, enter Correct accepted quantity and Reason for the correction, then Save correction. This reduces the original accepted quantity; additional goods need a new receipt. The original remains readable.
A line with an unsupported unit. If the chosen purchase line has a unit that is not a standard one (or no unit), the line summary shows the unit as recorded and a warning appears: Unit “(code)” is not supported. This order line cannot be received. Choose another line. Review and posting are disabled for that line only. Pick a different Purchase order line and receive it as normal; other lines on the same order are not blocked. Ask whoever manages the catalogue to correct the item's unit, then reopen this page.
Review the balance and record a payment already made
Screen: /settings/pos/purchasing/supplier-ledger, titled Supplier balance.
Owner only. Choose the supplier, then inspect Supplier bill, Payment recorded, Supplier credit,
Correction, Return credit note and Return undone entries. The last two come from
sending goods back: the credit note lowers the balance, and undoing the return puts it back. A goods receipt records the supplier amount; it does not pay the supplier.
- Under Record a payment, enter Payment amount (₹) and Payment reference.
- Make and confirm the actual payment outside this screen. The form records money already paid; it does not transfer funds.
- Select Record payment. If it exceeds the balance due, review the extra amount before using Record and keep the extra as supplier credit. A credit is not silently created.
- Check Payment recorded. If the result is unknown, choose Check status on that same entry instead of submitting a second payment. An archived supplier cannot receive a new payment here.
Why can't I correct a payment here? The payment correction control is not connected in this release. Preserve the original reference and ask the owner to resolve it; do not record another payment as a substitute.
Reorder advice: turn low stock into draft purchase orders
Screen: Purchasing → Reorder list, or /settings/pos/purchasing/reorder, titled Review stock to reorder. Owner only: opening the page asks the server for fresh advice, so a store admin sees Access Restricted. It shows the place and
time the advice was calculated, and says This is advice only. Picking items makes a draft purchase
order; nothing is ordered, received or owed automatically.
Read each row
Each item is its own block. The item name is the block heading, and under it four labelled figures
each sit on their own line: Sellable here, Committed to orders, Derived physical quantity and
Online availability, each followed by its unit, for example 8 kg. On the right of the block are
the suggestion, such as Suggest 12 kg (with its tick box) or No reorder needed, and Edit policy.
A figure the server cannot confirm is never shown as zero or as a bare dash. It is replaced by a plain sentence in the same place:
| Figure | What shows when it cannot be confirmed |
|---|---|
| Sellable here | Stock not confirmed |
| Committed to orders | Open-order quantity not confirmed |
| Derived physical quantity | Physical quantity cannot be calculated yet |
| Online availability | Online quantity not confirmed |
An item with no supported unit shows its figures without a unit. When the advice for an item cannot be worked out, the row says Reorder advice is unavailable because required inputs could not be confirmed. This does not mean zero stock is needed. followed by the specific reason (listed below), and the page adds Some advice is unavailable. Review the reason shown for each item before ordering. The quantity is unit-aware: a metre-sold item reads, for example, Suggest 12 metres.
| Reason shown on the row | What to do |
|---|---|
| Add a reorder policy with a supplier for this item. | Select Edit policy and choose a Supplier. |
| Add the supplier lead time in the reorder policy. | Select Edit policy and fill Lead time (days). |
| The stock location or version changed. Review and save its reorder policy again. | Open Edit policy and select Save policy again. |
| No sales demand sample is available for this stock location and period. Advice needs recorded sales in this scope. | Nothing is wrong with the policy; the item or outlet simply has no recorded sales in the period. Advice appears once it sells. |
| Stock data is unavailable. Review tracked stock for this item and location. | Check the item's tracked stock for that location. |
| Usable lot stock is unavailable to reorder advice. Review lots before deciding what to order. | Review the item's lots in Shared Inventory. |
| Open stock commitments are unavailable. Review open orders before deciding what to order. | Check open orders before ordering. |
| Goods are in transit without a confirmed arrival date. Review the transfer before reordering. | Open the transfer and confirm its arrival. |
| Transfer stock data is unavailable. Review incoming transfers before reordering. | Review incoming transfers. |
| Firm incoming goods have no confirmed arrival date. Review incoming purchase orders before reordering. | Review incoming purchase orders. |
A row can show more than one reason. None of these mean zero stock is needed.
Set the reorder policy (optional)
Select Edit policy on a row to open Reorder policy for that item. Fill Minimum, Maximum,
Order multiple, Lead time (days) and Supplier (the list offers No supplier chosen and
every active supplier), then Save policy. A policy needs the Supplier, Minimum, Maximum
and Order multiple; Lead time (days) is optional. If any of the four is empty, Save policy
saves nothing and the page names what is missing, for example Before saving, fill in: Minimum (kg),
Order multiple, Supplier. (the unit shows in the Minimum and Maximum names). Fill those and select
Save policy again. Minimum must not be above maximum and the multiple must be above zero, or the page
says so and Save policy stays disabled. Reorder list is also at /settings/pos/purchasing/reorder;
in the new layout the breadcrumb names it Reorder List, under Counter Sales then Purchasing.
Pick items and enter the cost
Tick the rows to order. Fill Unit cost before tax (₹) (for example 150 or 150.50) and Tax rate (%) (0 to 100; it starts at 0). Both are required before the button works.
Create the draft
Select Create purchase draft (N). The page counts the draft purchase orders it made: 1 draft purchase order created. Review it before ordering. for one, or N draft purchase orders created. Review them before ordering. for several. Nothing is ordered until you open each draft under Purchase orders and use Mark as ordered.
If some of the rows you ticked already have a draft order, those rows are skipped. The green line still states how many drafts were really created, and a red line, Some items already have a draft order. The list was refreshed., explains why the count is lower than the rows you ticked. Only the skipped rows are re-checked; the rest of the list is not reloaded. If every ticked row already had a draft, nothing is created: you see only the red sentence, and your ticks are cleared.
A row that has a draft, whether it was just created on this page, refused as already drafted, or reported by the server as having an open draft when the list loaded, shows Draft already created in place of its tick box. It cannot be ticked again, and it is left out of Create purchase draft (N). Select Refresh advice to clear the marks this page set itself; a row the server still reports as having an open draft keeps its mark. Open Purchase orders to find the existing drafts instead of creating them again.
If stock or incoming goods changed since the advice was calculated, the page says Stock and incoming goods changed since that time and asks you to Refresh advice before creating a draft. If the result of creating a draft is unknown, your picks and costs are kept: the page says Retry the same request to recover the draft and you retry once; do not tick the rows again.
Units on reorder advice, purchase orders, transfers and receiving
Reorder advice, Purchase orders, stock transfers, lot history and Receive supplier goods all accept every standard measurement unit, shown in plain words in the page language:
| Kind | Units shown |
|---|---|
| Count | pieces, packs, numbers, pairs, sets, dozens, boxes, bundles, rolls, bottles, bags, cartons, tablets, cans, drums, tubes |
| Mass | g, kg, quintals, tonnes |
| Volume | ml, litres, kilolitres, cubic centimetres, cubic metres, US gallons |
| Length | millimetres, centimetres, metres, kilometres, inches, feet, yards |
| Area | square inches, square feet, square yards, square metres |
A metre- or square-metre-sold item therefore reads Suggest 12 metres or shows its unit in brackets on Quantity ordered, instead of an error.
A row with an unrecognised unit. If an item's unit is not one of the standard units, only that row is affected; the page still loads. On a purchase order or transfer the row shows the stored unit exactly as recorded and the message Unit “(code)” is not supported. This row cannot be changed. In reorder advice the row instead reads Set a supported unit for this item before changing its policy or reordering. (it does not repeat the stored unit), its pick box is absent and Edit policy is disabled. On a purchase order containing such a line, Mark as ordered, Close order and its confirmation are disabled. On a transfer to receive, the quantity box and Rest will not arrive (mark as lost) are disabled and Receive cannot be selected. Other rows and orders are unaffected. These pages cannot change an item's unit; ask whoever manages the catalogue to correct it (see Selling by Unit for how units are set up).
Reorder advice for stores with several outlets
Once a store has taken one or more outlets live for per-location stock (see take one location live), the advice is calculated per outlet instead of for the whole store.
- One row per outlet. An item that is low in two outlets appears twice. The outlet name is added
after the item name, in the form
Item name · Outlet name, and each row's four stock figures (Sellable here, Committed to orders, Derived physical quantity, Online availability) are for that outlet only. - Header. The line under Review stock to reorder lists the outlet names the advice covers, followed by as of and the time it was calculated.
- Only live outlets are included. An outlet that is inactive, or not yet live for per-location stock, has no rows. Take it live first if you expect to see it.
- The draft goes to that outlet. Create purchase draft (N) builds each draft from the row you ticked, so a draft made from one outlet's row is for that outlet. Rows for different outlets give separate drafts (N draft purchase orders created.).
- Stores not yet live per location keep the pooled advice. One row per item for the whole store, with no outlet name, exactly as in the steps above.
Advice can change after an outlet goes live
Once any outlet is live, store-wide pooled advice is no longer produced; the page shows the per-outlet rows instead. If an outlet is taken live (or its status changes) between the moment advice was calculated and the moment you create the draft, the draft is refused rather than created against the wrong stock. Select Refresh advice, tick the rows again and retry. The page shows its generic failure message in this case (The result is unknown. Your picks and costs are kept. Retry the same request to recover the draft.); if the same request keeps failing after a refresh, ask the owner to check that the outlet is live and active.
Why is the receiving shop wrong or missing?
Recheck Purchase order line and receiving at. A fixed order destination cannot be changed here; do not post to an unrelated shop to bypass it. For an order without a fixed destination, review Receiving shop before Review and Post receipt. If no eligible shop is available, ask the owner to complete its location activation and reconnect. A cashier PIN cannot receive supplier goods; new receiving also needs the active POS add-on. Lot-tracked goods need Lot code and Expiry date, or the explicit hold option. A failed review keeps your entries; a possibly posted receipt needs Check status, not a second receipt.
Related stock tasks
Lot opening and activation, lot history, receiving stock, transfers and taking a location live are in Shared Inventory. Sending goods back is in Send Goods Back to a Supplier, expiring lots in Stock Nearing Expiry, and shelf and weighing-scale stickers in Price Labels & Weighing-Scale Labels.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| You cannot find these pages in the sidebar | Use the Purchasing menu. If it is missing, see Find the Purchasing menu: only the owner login on a plan with the counter module sees it. |
| Why does Add supplier fail? | See the table under Add and manage suppliers: a duplicate name, a phone that is not 10 digits, a store admin login, or the POS add-on being off. |
| Why can't I save the reorder policy? | Save policy does nothing until Supplier, Minimum, Maximum and Order multiple are all filled; the notice Before saving, fill in: (names) lists the empty ones. It is disabled when Minimum is above Maximum, the multiple is zero, or the lead time is not a whole number of up to 3 digits. If no supplier appears in the list, add one under Suppliers first. |
| Shop is missing | Your store does not track stock per shop. That is normal. |
| Save as draft is disabled | Check supplier, item (and size or type), quantity and a valid cost. |
| The order was saved but stock did not change | Expected. A purchase order is only a plan. See Shared Inventory. |
| Saving shows Advanced inventory is a pilot module and is not enabled for this store yet. | Only purchasing writes check the add-on; viewing pages does not. Check the POS add-on is active (see Enable the POS Add-on). That is the only entitlement purchasing needs. |
| Set a supported unit for this item before changing its policy or reordering. | That item's unit is not a standard unit. Only this row is blocked; have the item's unit corrected, then refresh the page. |
| Unit “(code)” is not supported. This order line cannot be received. Choose another line. | Review is disabled for this line only. Receive a different line, or have the unit corrected first. |
| A figure on a reorder row reads Stock not confirmed, Open-order quantity not confirmed, Physical quantity cannot be calculated yet or Online quantity not confirmed | The server could not confirm that figure. It is not zero. Read the reason on the row, fix what it names, then select Refresh advice. |
| A reorder row says Reorder advice is unavailable because required inputs could not be confirmed. | Read the reason under it (see the table in Reorder advice). It does not mean no stock is needed. |
| Create purchase draft is disabled | Tick at least one row, enter a valid unit cost and tax rate, and refresh stale advice. |
| An item appears several times, each with a different outlet name | Per-outlet advice: the store has outlets live for per-location stock. Order each outlet's row separately. |
| An outlet has no rows | Only active outlets that are live for per-location stock are included. Ask the owner to complete its location activation. |
| Drafts fail after an outlet was taken live | The advice is out of date. Select Refresh advice, tick the rows again and retry. |
| Fewer drafts were created than the rows I ticked, and the page says Some items already have a draft order. The list was refreshed. | Those rows already had a draft. Open Purchase orders to review the existing drafts; those rows now show Draft already created instead of a tick box. |
| A reorder row has no tick box and says Draft already created | A draft purchase order already exists for it, made on this page or reported by the server. Review or order it under Purchase orders. Refresh advice removes only the marks this page set itself. |
| The order was not saved. Try again. | Retry. If it repeats, reload the page. |