[clotheshorse]

We will be doing our first physical inventory with Retail Edge next week. We plan to use our corded scanner. Is it possible to do parts of the store by section on different days or must we do it all at once? Or perhaps certain vendors or types of merchandise (all the dresses etc) on one day and another on another day? We also have merchandise that is off season stored in the basement. I was thinking of using a usb type extention cord down thru a floor vent to get to that merchandise with the scanner? Closing for the day is an option, but we would rather not if it is possible not to. Any advice? Our store is 1700 sq feet, and our inventory is at its lowest this time of year.

[Rudi]

Assuming that you have a USB scanner, then yes, you can use the scanner for collection extending its range with a USB extension cable, I imagine (never tried it, but it should work). A couple of things that you should be aware of are the following: first, since the person scanning won't be able to see the action on the computer screen in RetailEdge, you might find it helpful to have someone for awhile in front of the monitor to watch the procedure to make sure that the scanner is scanning into where you think it should be. You could also just open up Windows Notepad and scan into Notepad and then import the file into RetailEdge.

If you scan an item and then that item is subsequently sold, you will have to make the adjustment in either PICS or later in Inventory. If someone buys one of an item before you scan it, then there is no need to make any adjustments. In other words, if you remain open for business, you will need to keep track of what you have and have not scanned in comparison to what customers have purchased.

The best method of collecting data is to have a PDT (Portable Data Terminal) which allows you to run around with the disconnected scanner, which then has its' data uploaded as a file to the harddrive which is then imported into RetailEdge.

[RetailEdge Moderator]

A few more things to consider if you are going the attached USB scanner route.

1. I think the longest USB extension cable you are going to be able to find is about 15-16 feet. Also there is no guarantee that this cable will work. Metrologic sells cables for the scanner you have that are only 12 feet. max. You might want to check with Metrologic about what you are trying to do with that scanner to see if the extension will work with your scanner (MS9540).

2. You could also purchase a wireless scanner and scan into Notepad (or some other text editor, Excel, etc.) This will have the same advantages/disadvantages as a wired scanner and can allow you to scan as far away as 100 feet and can store some information in the scanner if they are too far away from the computer and will only send the data once they are back in range.

3. When scanning directly into a notepad the file will be a list of Stock Numbers (or Item Numbers if you are scanning RetailEdge labels).
To import the file into RetailEdge select Import from the Inventory|PICs menu item. Then select the file you have created and choose Generic CSV - Sku for the Import File Type. This will bring every item into the PICs file with a quantity of 1.

4. If you need to make adjustments to the PICs file because of sales made in the interim, you can run either a:

a. Sales by Items - Grouped by Location report. From the Report Selector and choosing Sales|Sales|Sales by Item. You can filter this report to cover only the Ticket Range for which you were doing your physical inventory, or
b. Reorder - Sales. From the Report Selector and choosing Inventory|Items. You can filter this report by the Time Range for which you were doing physical inventory.

Another thing that you might want to consider doing is if you have a laptop computer that you can network wirelessly to your main computer is to take the laptop on a cart with the wired MS9540 you already have and then moving the laptop around the store as you scan items into the PICs list. You can be running in Demo mode while adding things to the PICs list and so you will not need a secondary workstation license to do this. Also you won't need to keep people from using the computer while you are doing the scanning and you will be able to better tell if the scan(s) you are doing are being properly entered into Notepad or other text editor.

This really highlights the beauty of using the PDT to do your physical inventory.

1. You won't tie up another computer while doing it.
2. You won't have any distance restrictions or issues with structures blocking wireless connections.
3. You can scan items in with a one prompt or two prompt method. So you can either scan item 1,scan item 2, etc. or scan Item 1 then enter a quantity, scan item 2 enter a quantity. Two prompt can speed up your inventory process.
4. You will be able to instantly see that a scan was entered rather than worring about whether the scan was recorded properly on the computer.
6. It is less expensive than purchasing another computer unless you already have one. The PDTs that work well with RetailEdge are currently about $580 and RetailEdge customers can rent them from us for about $150 (two day rental).

To find out more you can click on the following link.

http://www.retailedge.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=123

[clotheshorse]

Thanx Bill and Rudi. We were able to successfully do our physical inventory for the first time and it was painless! We did use our corded scanner and also a laptop where we scanned into a notepad file then saved it onto a flash drive. Then we transferred the information to the pics file and it worked just fine. As it was our first time, and we didn't want to have to buy alot of new equipment, and we also didn't have the forsight to reserve your rental equipment in advance, it was a reasonable alternative. All your advice was appreciated! It was great for us to review our errors and or shrinkage after a full year of using Retail Edge. Luckily, alot of it was our entry error and there wasn't as much shrinkage as feared!