Feature Request: Automatically add a bottle deposit

[BB_MA]

I found the feature has been requested, but it doesn’t seem like it has been implemented. Since it may have gotten lost in the shuffle, I’ve decided to bring it up again. It looks like it has been requested since at least May 2016.

If the cashier selects a soda bottle, can we have the ability to automatically select the 5 cent deposit, as a non-taxable add-on? We have many cashiers, and the line of customers is often long, and I don’t want to burden them with having to remember to select the deposit as a separate item.

Thank you for reading/listening :).

[#2]

The title of this thread has been edited from the original: Bottle Deposit

We are opening a cidery and will be selling bottles of hard cider. In Iowa you have to charge a .05 bottle deposit. Is there a way to have this charge automatically added to the sale of a bottle without adding it to the price? i would like it to show on the receipt as a .05 deposit but not have to remember to add to each sale. I guess it would be like a tax but it isn't a percentage and I don't see where I can change a tax from percentage to $.

Thanks for any help.

Debbie

[Helen]

Hi @aetios, there isn't a way to adjust the tax of a modifier unfortunately but I definitely see how it would help in this scenario. 

It sounds like @dlheck62 set up their bottle deposit as an item, and not a modifier (correct me if I'm wrong!). When you create an item you can choose to apply a tax to it - or not. So you'd add the 'beer' item as well as the 'bottle deposit' item at checkout. 

[jamieinmichigan]

I am looking for the same option.  A NON TAXABLE modifier, which in this case would be a bottle deposit.  This is a big deal for states that have deposit laws. We are in Michigan, the Great Beer State, and our depoits are $.10 per carbonated container, and $30 for kegs. We move a lot of beer with deposits required. I really hope Square team hops on this really soon.  The current work around leaves a lot of room for error.

We are excited to be moving to Square Register, but I have a fair amount of anxiety about the deposits being missed by staff, as you have mentioned, as this has always been an automatic feature with our current POS system.  This is my one stopper and it's a pretty big one. I am not the only one in my town who uses Square and is having issues. I'm hoping they all make their feature request vocal.

Here's to hoping it's a feature soon!

[CassidyInn]

We are dealing with the same thing in Canada... Seems like such an easy thing to add into the ecommerce platform, no?

[Vibehealthbar]

We set the CRV as a modifier. That way it prints separately on the check to show the client the extra charge.

[Roughwaters]

Dealing with this now too. Adding it as a modifier seemed great until it adds the taxes. We're going to have it as a separate item for now but would love to see a way to have it added automatically so it doesn't get missed.

[Joe]

Thanks for hanging tough on this one, @Roughwaters. I will continue to pass this feedback over to our Product Teams. I will share any future updates here.

Thanks, again! 

[Nebco]

In CA CRV (California Redemption Value) is added to all containers that have to be recycled. For most items, it's 5cents per container. (More for containers over 24oz I think is the cutoff). So for most beer or soda containers, it's 5c.

We sell beer in 6packs of 12oz cans and single 12oz or 22oz bottles.

If we add CRV as a modifier, it IS shown as a separate line item on the receipt, but it's ALSO added to the total and then Sales Tax is calculated on that amount. Of course I have NO TAX for the CRV items. So for a 6pk there is an additional 2.3c added to the bill and sent to the BOE as Sales Tax. If the customer buys a case of 4 6pks, then it's a little over 9c added.

The other option is NOT to use a modifier and have the checker add the CRV to the bill as a separate item... Problem here is that frequently they add the wrong CRV or incorrect number of CRVs. So it's a cluster. Also adding extra items is more time consuming especially when we are busy (which I guess is when the majority of mistakes happen - we use the second approach).

I have asked Square to either fix the problem with the modifier, OR create a TAX item that is not a %, rather a dollar amount when I first started using Square back in June of 2017. Any update guys? 

[AshleyK]

Hey! Thanks for sharing. As far as your feature request, we are still tracking it and have not released anything toward allowing for tax to be in dollars rather than percentage. However, I will certainly share your feedback with our Product team!

In regards to your question with the CRV tax, I would follow @LocavoreStore and create a separate item that you need to add to each sale. I know it can feel burdensome to remember to do that, but it will be a good way to ensure the item isn't taxed and that the tax isn't affected by it (if tax is turned off for that item, then it's balance should not affect the net percentages that the taxes are calculated off of). 

[Nebco]

Hi AshleyK,

thanks for the replay. It's over 2.5 yrs since my original request. EVERY retailer in the CA and states with a CRV fee (there are 10 total) have this issue if they sell anything in a glass bottle or aluminium can.

It totally baffles me that this hasn't been addressed as a matter of urgency.

As I mentioned in my post, we DO use the separate (no tax) CRV item solution. It is VERY cumbersome and prone to mistakes.

I can't believe (as a long time tech industry engineer) that there isn't a relatively straightforward programmatic way to solve this problem.

Whenever someone asks me about our POS, I tell them that I LOVE Square, EXCEPT for this one issue that's a total PIA. If a POS vendor approached me with a similar solution that also solved this problem, I might change provides. Especially in view of the latest fee increases and management fee increase coming in Jan 2020.

Any possibility you have to get this addressed by the Product Team would be much appreciated by me and (I think) all small retailers selling beverages to-go, Thanks for your reply.

[EUPHORIA]

@Joe any news on this feature? 

The second scenario is when someone brings back a bottle or bottles and just wants to get their deposit back.  How do you do that?