The Ideal Start
From MerchantOS Manual
A common question for first time users is "How should I get started?" This is merely a guide for the best possible scenario. If you can't achieve the best possible scenario, after reading this you will also know your options and how you could start otherwise. You might also call MerchantOS support for some additional input.
[edit] Getting Your Inventory In First
The key to an ideal start is to get all your inventory in first. If inventory is counted before you start sales you'll reduce the likelihood of skewing your recorded inventory from your actual inventory. You'll also be able to get a great snapshot of your current inventory situation just before opening your doors.
In most cases you will not be able to count your inventory first. Many retailers simply can not close their doors to add all their inventory into a management system. There are several mechanisms built into MerchantOS that will help you in this situation. It is still important to be critical of your timing when you start using MerchantOS however. For instance, introducing a new retail management system at the height of your sales cycle would be less than ideal. With any change there will be an adjustment period where you need to get used to the new system.
[edit] Starting sales before you enter all your inventory
If you must start making sales while you are adding inventory to the system, it will be important to determine if items you're selling are either already in the system or not. One simple mechanism for making this determination is whether or not the item has a new label from the MerchantOS system on it or not. If the inventory is already in the MerchantOS you may proceed with the sale as you normally would. If the inventory is not already in the system you will have a couple options. You can sell the item as a miscellaneous charge or add the item (from the register) to inventory. The later case is more ideal for inventory tracking during your start up period but will take more time during the sale process. When you sell an item you have zero inventory of, the MerchantOS system will assume you have one of those items and add it to inventory and remove it immediately when the sale is completed. This will allow you to still keep a tally of how many of the items have been sold while still allowing you to come around later and count your total in stock.
[edit] Making Sales
Making sales after all your inventory is added to the system is extremely simple. It's just a matter of scanning the items barcodes, taking payment, and printing out a receipt for you customer. You should at this point have very few items not already in the system so your general sale process will be extremely quick.
