Multiple skus for the same item?

[collinsandcoupe]

Hi all, does anyone know if there is a way to track multiple skus on the same item without creating a variation?

For example:

My staff receives a shipment of product cases for us, glassware that doesn't have a product sticker automatically). I would like them to be able to scan the box's sku to pull up the item in our inventory and enter it. We then break up the case and add a custom printed sku that we created in house, so the item can be rung up later.

Currently items can only retain 1 sku, so we have to rely on staff to just *remember* what an item is called in our system when it comes in, and this leads to stocking/inventory count issues. Not to mention when we change vendors and there is overlap in inventory but 2 different skus for the same product at the same time on the shelf.

Help!

[isabelle · Accepted solution]

Hey @collinsandcoupe!

Thanks for posting in the Seller Community - good to see you around ✨

Right now you can have a SKU and a GTIN, but not two SKUs:

Sorry about that. That's a great feature request though! I'll make sure to pass it along to the appropriate team. 

[jrboom]

Any update on this future update request?

Same issue with buying the same product from multiple vendors and every vendor uses their own sku. 

[BRS1]

I am having the same issue but am not seeing a GTIN option, it is just showing SKU, Unit, Unit, Price, And Stock. I am not seeing the unit cost option either is there a way to do this in the setting to add these options?

[collinsandcoupe]

I believe that the unit cost is related to Square for Retail, we had to upgrade our membership to get this option in order to be able to run COGS. The GTIN may be related to that premium membership as well. It's well worth it, IMHO.

[sunshine]

I would also like to see this feature implemented. I get the same products from different vendors and each vendor has their own UPCs on the products. I need to have both UPCs refer to the same item in the POS. Creating multiple variations within an item isn't a suitable option for my needs. For instance, some of my items are rather large and have to be moved on a flatbed cart. When these items are brought up to the register they can't always be scanned due to the position/location of the UPC on the item. The cashier will then manually select the item in the register instead. Because the item from one vender is indistinguishable from the same item from the other vender, the cashier wouldn't know which variation to pick (without having to locate the UPC). Being able to have multiple SKUs for a single item would alleviate this issue, and speed up the check-out process.

[TSargent]

Need to keep this request going.    I own a liquor store and for some reason, the manufacturers from time to time put a new SKU on the same product.    I don't know the logic behind it.    So, I may have two bottles that match in every aspect but the SKU number on the shelf.    I need to be able to incorporate two SKUs (or more) under the same product for inventory purposes, etc,,.

Please move on this.   I believe this I have made other suggestions and looked at other people's suggestions (which I thought were good ones) but I have never seen any updates to the software to include improvements.   

Thanks,

Tom

[_Violet]

Hi @TSargent - Thanks for reaching out to us on the Square Seller Community with your question.

I spoke with our Inventory Team to confirm: The post below from Isabelle_ marked as Best Answer is the closest feature we have to your exact ask. I have marked your post as a feature request to add visibility to our Product Team.

We appreciate your input and taking the time to let us know how this feature would add a positive impact on your business. Please keep an eye out for any future updates which will be posted here in the Seller Community.

[noodlebmads]

So I've recently discovered that in Square database if I have multiple SKUs for the same item you can space them out in the SKU field separated with a forward slash (example: 66224[Redacted]24[Redacted]248917627)  that will still pull it up when you search the SKU in the item library, but then when you try to scan it out at the Square register it doesn't recognize the SKU. We've also tried it with comma's and that has the same result. 

Is there a way to make it so that you can have multiple SKUs work with one variable for both the item library and ring out at the register? Or will it only work in the item library search? If not is this a feature that could be added in the future? 

[Donnie-M]

@noodlebmads This is where you would use multiple variations each with a unique sku.  I use the nomenclature of the sku for the variation name or number then 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.

The reason the search works is you are searching for that string of numbers, but this will effectively do the same thing.  For the barcode scanner to work you have to have one sku associated with an item/price and that is the purpose of variations.

[_Violet]

Hi @noodlebmads - Thanks for reaching out to us with your question. I see this is your first post in the Seller Community so I'd like to officially welcome you! 🎉👏

I went ahead and merged your post to an existing thread where other Square Sellers have discussed using multiple SKUs for the same item. We merge duplicate conversations together to keep like comments in one place, and to make it easier for others to find the thread in the future. 

Please see the reply from one of our Community Moderators, @isabelle, which has been marked as the Best Answer to this question ✅ And thank you, @Donnie-M for offering your expertise here! 

I hope this information is helpful but please do let me know if you have any additional questions.

[Candlestore]

@noodlebmads ;

1) For 1 item that comes in different quantities and sold in different quantities.

I use different SKU's for my items but it is more for storage and counting inventory of 1 item but can be used for ringing it up too.

I have 3 barcodes for my 10 inch white taper candles.

   Barcode 1 say is 56787654389 which is for 1 candle at $1.49

   Barcode 2 say is 76588644468 which is for the 12 packs they come in which I can sell for say $14.90

   Barcode 3 say is 65678965467 which is for the case of 24 - 12 packs and I usually do not sell like that but could give a case price of say  $325.00   

This is all hypothetical and not my real numbers but just for here for examples.

So when I receive say 5 cases of 24 packs of 12 tapper candles, that would be in my inventory as :

   5 cases * 24 packs * 12 candles = 1440 candles

  If I scan a case  Barcode #3 from above 65678965467 The scanner would ring up $325 and subtract 288 (12*24) candles from 1440.

More common is selling 3 packs of 12 candles Barcode #2 from above 76588644468 which then reduces my inventory by 36 taper candles.

Here is how to do this:

stock-conversion-sell-by 

So there are 3 different sku's for the same item but in different quantities to reduce the inventory of 1 item sold by different quantities.   

Is this what you would be looking for?  If not do you have an example?