The Liquor Controller incorporates many of the features of the retail modules, plus a few extra ones.
With the correct Keyblock, this module is selected at installation by choosing option 5 for the MicroBiz Server and option 6 for an additional workstation. A Liquor installation is required as a special "LiqWin" Local Files path is created and used for this module.


If you have multiple workstations, it is important to only use one module at a time. If you select the Liquor module on one workstation, make sure to do the same on all of your other workstations too!


Importing Liquor Data


The Liquor module includes a liquor database (liqdata.dbf, with over 7500 items) that can be be imported into your inventory. The prices and quantity will not be imported, but can be entered after importing. The system will prompt you for a price the first time each item is loaded to the Front Register, and the price entered will be stored in your system for future use.
To import the Liquor Database into MicroBiz:

  1. From the Main Menu, choose Management, Import/Export Data, Import Liquor Data.


Using Aggregate SKUs


The Liquor Controller has a unique feature in MicroBiz that helps you manage items that can be sold in various packages. Consider a 6-pack of beer: you can sell the 6-pack, an individual beer from the pack, or an entire case of 6-packs. This feature enables you to link these items together for better control and tracking abilities.
The idea here is to create one "main" or "aggregate" SKU for an item that is sold as a "pack," and then have associated SKUs when selling either a unit out of the pack or an entire case of packs. Please note that the associated SKUs are created within the same product record as the "aggregate" SKU. Here are a couple of examples:


Example #1: A 6-pack of beer

  • The item is entered into inventory with the SKU for the 6-pack.
  • A "singles" SKU is created so that one beer out of the 6-pack can be sold (thus breaking up the 6-pack into 6 individual beers).
  • A "case" SKU is created so that an entire case of these 6-packs can be sold.
  • Please do not create a separate product record for the "singles" SKU or the "case" SKU; just enter these SKUs in the fields provided in the same product record as the '6-Pack" SKU.


Example #2: A pack of cigarettes

  • The item is entered into inventory with the SKU for the pack of cigarettes.
  • A "singles" SKU is created so that one cigarette out of the pack can be sold (this breaking up the pack into 20 or so individual cigarettes).
  • A "case" SKU is created so that a carton of these packs can be sold.
  • Please do not create a separate product record for the "singles" SKU or the "case" SKU; just enter these SKUs in the fields provided in the same product record as the pack of cigarettes SKU.



Fast Add Data Fields

The easiest way to setup a new inventory item with this feature is to use the "Fast Add" method. A sample walkthrough is provided below, but first let's take a look at all of the data fields available:

Create a new item from the Main Menu by choosing Inventory, Add/Edit Inventory, Fast Add.

  • SKU – Enter the "aggregate" SKU here. In Example #1 above, this would be for a 6-pack of beer.
  • Brand – Enter the brand here. This is used for grouping items in certain reports by their Brand.
  • Description – Enter the description here
  • Size – Enter the size, if applicable.
  • Qty per Case –Enter the number of aggregates (packs) per case. If the main SKU is for a pack of cigarettes (Example #2 above), then it might be 10 packs per carton.
    • Leave this field empty or enter 0 to disable the use of cases for this item.

Don't enter the number of single items per case, but the number of "packs" or whatever unit you're using for the main SKU per case.

 

Figure 16-13


  • Qty per Pack – The number of single items per "pack" (main SKU). In Example #1 this would be 6, as there were 6 beers to a 6-pack. In Example #2 this would probably be 20, as there are normally 20 cigarettes to a pack.
  • Order by Case – Check this box if this inventory item will be ordered by the case. This works just like previous versions of LiquorBiz. If left unchecked, it is assumed that you order by the main SKU (like by a 6-pack or single pack of cigarettes).
  • Cost per Case – Enter the cost per case of this item.
  • Department – Enter the department for this item, if applicable.
  • Unit Cost – Enter the cost for the aggregate (main) SKU here. For Example #1, this would be the cost per 6-pack, as you can have a separate cost per Case of 6-packs.
  • Taxable – For Tax1, enter Y for Yes or N for No.
  • Qty On Hand – Enter the number of aggregates (main SKU) you will start with. In Example #2 this would be packs of cigarettes.
  • Loose Qty –This is the number of single items that have broken off of the aggregate SKU. In Example #2 this would be how many individual cigarettes you have outside of a pack.
    • This number should always be less than the Qty per Pack.
  • Reorder – Enter the reorder level here as usual.
  • Taxable2 – For Tax2, enter Y for Yes or N for No.
  • Normal Stock – Enter the normal stock level for the item.
  • Vendor SKU – Enter the SKU used by the vendor, if applicable.
  • Price – Enter the price for the aggregate (main) SKU.
  • Vendor Code – Enter or Browse to the vendor for this item.
  • Price B – Enter the Price Level B figure here.
  • Charge Deposit – Check this option if you want LiquorBiz to charge a bottle deposit for this item.
  • Case Price – Enter the price to charge when a Case is being sold at the Front Register. This could be the aggregate Price multiplied by the Qty per Case, or a different price if desired.
  • Deposit Amt – Enter the deposit fee per aggregate (main SKU) here. In Example #1, this could be .30 if the bottle deposit is 5 cents per bottle with 6 bottles per pack.

LiquorBiz will automatically calculate the deposit for Singles or Cases based on this figure.

  • Case Barcode –Enter a different SKU for this item when sold as a case.
    • If you don't have a separate barcode for a case of this item then it is recommended to add a case SKU by entering "C" here (without the quotes) and then the main SKU. In Example #2, if your pack of cigarettes uses SKU "123456," then a carton could be sold by entering "C123456" at the Front Register.
  • Singles Barcode –Enter a different SKU for this item when a single item from the aggregate is sold.
    • If you don't have a separate barcode for singles of this item then it is recommended to add a singles SKU by entering "S" here (without the quotes) and then the main SKU. In Example #2, if your pack of cigarettes uses SKU "123456," then a single cigarette could be sold by entering "S123456" at the Front Register.



Edit Product Data Fields

The next page outlines what the data looks like when editing the item and where these new options are stored.

The "SKU" field shown below is for the aggregate entered using Fast Add.


Price Levels tab

  • The Deposit Amount for the aggregate is shown here.
  • The Case Price is located at the bottom of this tab.

Figure 16-14

Stock tab

  • Quantity In Stock refers to the number of complete aggregates on hand. When a "single" is sold, it breaks an aggregate up into Loose Quantity until the loose quantity reaches 0 (at which point it breaks up another aggregate).
  • Quantity per Case can be edited here. 
    • The (2+2 In Stock) displayed to the right notes the number of cases on hand.
Figure 16-15

  • The first digit is the number of cases, the second is the number of loose aggregates (2 cases + 2 packs would equal 10 aggregates, because 2 cases [at 4 packs per case] is a total of 8 packs).
  • Quantity per Pack can be edited here.
  • Loose Quantity shows the number of "singles" that are currently available. If this number is 0, then the next time a Singles SKU is loaded, an aggregate will be broken up by the Qty per Pack figure. The remainder of "loose" items will be displayed here.
  • Brand can be edited here. Note that this field is also displayed under the Misc. tab.

 

 

Misc Fields, Barcodes tab

  • Brand is displayed here also.
  • Case Barcode can be edited here.
  • Singles Barcode can be edited here.
Figure 16-16



Walkthrough For Creating a New Item


Follow this example to create a 6-pack of beer:

  1. From the Main Menu choose Inventory, Add/Edit Inventory, Fast Add.
  2. Fill out the data fields as shown in the image to the right.
  3. Click on the Save button when finished.
  4. Choose Yes to save, then No to skip adding another record.


Figure 16-17



Walkthrough For Selling Items


After creating your aggregate item from the example above, this example will show you what to expect when selling these items:


Figure 16-18


  1. From the Front Register, enter your 6-pack SKU: BEER001.
    • Nothing special here, the item should load as any other item would.
  2. Now enter your Singles SKU for this item: SBEER001.
    • Notice the extra description of (Each).
    • The Price here is the aggregate Price divided by the Qty per Pack.
    • The Deposit here is the aggregate Deposit Amt divided by the Qty per Pack.
  3. Now enter your Case SKU for this item: CBEER001.
    • Notice the extra description of (Case).
    • The Price here is set by the Case Price field when creating the item.
    • The Deposit here is the aggregate Deposit Amt multiplied by the Qty per Case.


Assuming the Qty On Hand before this sale was 10, lets look at the Stock tab after the sale:


Figure 16-19

  • In the previous example, 1 6-pack, 1 beer and 1 case were sold.
    • That's a total of 5 6-packs plus 1 beer.
  • The Qty In Stock (of aggregates, or in this example 6-packs) is now 4.00.
    • There were 10 6-packs to begin with.
    • 5 6-packs were sold.
    • 1 6-pack was broken up into individual beers so that the single could be sold.
  • The Loose Qty is now 5.
    • Since 1 aggregate was broken up into single beers, there are 5 beers left out of 6-pack because 1 was sold.

Reports


Different reports in MicroBiz shown here vary in their methods for representing this data. The following examples cover the important variations.

In the examples below, one sale was recorded (the same as shown in the example above). One 6-pack, one single beer from the same SKU, and one case of 6-packs were sold on the same invoice. A Close Out was performed immediately afterwards.


Exception Report

  • This is an 80-column Close Out report.
  • An entry appears here any time a Singles or Case SKU is used.



     Figure 16-20



Products Used

  • This is an 80-column Close Out report.
  • Each aggregate/singles/case SKU used is listed here separately.



     Figure 16-21



Product List by Margin & Markup

  • This is an Inventory Report.
  • The Cost listed here is the current Weighted Unit Cost.
  • The Price is $10.00, which is the price for one aggregate.



     Figure 16-22



Product List/Qty On Hand by SKU

  • This is an Inventory Report (by SKU with "New Format" checked).
  • The Price is that of the aggregate SKU.
  • The "Qty C+U, L" displays the quantity for the cases, aggregates and loose quantity respectively. 
    • There is a total of 4 6-packs and 5 loose beers, so... 
      • "C" = 1 (4 6-packs per case)
      • "U" = 0 (no extra 6-packs outside of the 1 case)
      • "L" = 5
  • The Cost is displaying the current Weighted Unit Cost.
  • The QTYxCOST is showing $24.17, which is the Weighted Unit Cost of $5 times all quantity on hand (including Loose quantity).
  • The Total Retail Value is $48.33... this represents the 4 6-packs but leaves out the 5 loose beers.
  • The Total Cost of Goods is the same as the QTYxCOST.


    Figure 16-23



Product List by SKU

  • This is an Inventory Report (by SKU with "New Format" unchecked).
  • The Quantity is displayed with the C+U,L scheme as outlined above.
  • The Cost is $5.00, which is the current Weighted Unit Cost.
  • The Price is that of one aggregate.
  • The Total Cost of Goods is showing $24.17, which is the Weighted Unit Cost multiplied by all quantity on hand (including Loose Quantity).
  • The Total Retail Value is showing $48.33, which is the current aggregate Price multiplied by all quantity on hand (including Loose Quantity).
  • These Inventory Reports are essentially the same (with extra groupings): 
    • Product List by Brand
    • Product List by Department
    • Product List by Description
    • Product List by Style
    • Product List by Vendor


       Figure 16-24



Employee Report

  • This is a Sales Report (by Employee).
  • Each use of an aggregate/singles/case SKU is listed here separately.


     Figure 16-25



Brand Sales Report

  • This is a Sales Report (by Brand).
  • Each use of an aggregate/singles/case SKU is listed here separately.
  • These Sales Reports are essentially the same: 
    • Department Sales Report
    • Style Sales Report
    • Vendor Sales Report


       Figure 16-26



Vintage
The Standard Retail module several categories used for organizing inventory: Department, Style, Size, Color. The Liquor controller replaces the Color category with "Vintage."



Bottle Deposits
The Liquor module can help you manage deposits for bottles and cans. You can can set a deposit amount for every or each inventory item, and process deposit returns.
To enable bottle deposits:

  1. From the Main Menu, choose Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction Settings.
  2. Choose the Liquor tab from the top of the window.
  3. Make sure that "Charge Deposit for each Sale" is enabled.
  4. Set the "Default Deposit Amount" as desired, then click on the Save button to save your settings and exit this window.
    • This will be the default deposit amount for all items and used when returning deposits from the Front Register.  Leave this set to 0.00 if some items will not be charged a deposit.
  5. Choose Inventory | Add/Edit Inventory.
  6. Select the item desired and choose Edit.
  7. From the Price Levels tab, check the option for "Charge Deposit."
    • The "Deposit Amount" should display the Default Deposit Amount.
    • This amount can be changed for this item using this field.
  8. Click on Update when done to save your changes and exit this window.
  9. Enable the "Charge Deposit" option for any other items desired (this can also be done when first entering the item into inventory).

Once deposits are enabled for the items of your choosing, the deposit will automatically be calculated as a tax-free charge on the Front Register.
To return bottle deposits:

  1. From the Front Register, enter "REF" (without quotes) into the SKU box and press enter.
  2. Enter the number of bottles to return and press enter.
  3. Enter the deposit amount per bottle.
  4. You can edit the deposit rate and/or quantity if needed by choosing F6-Edit and selecting the line number to change.
  5. When finished, choose F9-Print to complete the deposit return.

To generate reports on bottle deposits:

  1. From the Main Menu, choose Reports | Bottle Deposits.
  2. Enter the date range desired.
  3. Choose the output type desired on the Select Destination window.
    • The report will display bottle deposits collected and returned, grouped by month.


Liquor Controller Front Register

The Front Register here is customized for the Liquor Module. The current date is displayed at the top of the screen, along with the latest birthdate fitting the legal drinking age of 21.


Figure 16-27


The bottle deposits will be displayed, if applicable, in their own column on the Front Register. Deposits are also totaled at the bottom of the screen after taxes.


Liquor Controller Invoices

The Liquor module has simplified the invoice list to four options: one for 80-column and three 40-column printers.


Invoice #1 – Standard 40-column (recommended)

Figure 16-28



Invoice #2 – Standard 40-column (without header)
 

Figure 16-29


Invoice #3 – Standard 80-column
This invoice is identical to Invoice #9 as seen in  Invoice Samples . Note that it does not include deposit data individually, although the totals will be displayed correctly.


Invoice #4 – Standard 40-column with Signature
This invoice is identical to Invoice #6 as seen in   Invoice Samples . It includes deposit data.