# Products and stock levels

> Add your retail range with prices, costs and barcodes, track stock as it sells, get low-stock warnings, receive stock and record what the salon uses.

Source: https://docs.fullcolumn.com/products/products-and-stock

**Products** is your retail range: the shampoos, styling products and tools you sell at checkout. Each product has its price, its cost and margin, and, if you track it, a stock count that goes down as you sell and warns you before you run out.

## Adding a product

1. Open **Products** and press **Add product** (or press <kbd>N</kbd>).
2. Fill in what you have:
   - **Name**, **Brand** and **Category**. Brand and category suggest ones you've used before.
   - **Retail price**: what clients pay, as it shows at checkout.
   - **Cost price**: what you pay your supplier, without GST. The margin and the profit on each one sold show underneath.
   - **SKU / code** and **Barcode**: click in **Barcode** and scan the product.
   - **Track stock**, **In stock now** and **Warn me when down to** (see below).
   - **Supplier** and **Usual order quantity**, if you order through FullColumn ([suppliers and purchase orders](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/products/purchase-orders)).
3. Press **Add product**, or **Save & add another** to keep going. It keeps the brand, category, low-stock level and supplier, so a whole range goes in quickly.

Products show up at checkout as soon as they're added ([checking out](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/checkout/checking-out)).

## Tracking stock and low-stock warnings

Turn on **Track stock** for anything you count. Its stock goes down when it's sold at checkout and back up when a sale is voided.

- **In stock now** (when you add it): how many are on the shelf. It's recorded as opening stock.
- **Warn me when down to**: the product shows as low stock at or below this number. It's 2 to start with.

A tracked product shows **N left** when it's low, and **Out of stock** at zero. Leave **Track stock** off for things you don't count, like a gift wrap charge: they show **Not tracked**, and selling them changes nothing.

Stock can go below zero, if something is sold that was never received. The Products page then says so, and a quick count puts it right ([stock takes](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/products/stock-takes)).

## Finding products and scanning barcodes

- The search box finds products by name, brand, SKU, barcode or category.
- Scan a barcode anywhere on the Products page (outside a text box) to open that product straight away. A code that isn't on file offers **Add it** (to people who manage products), with the barcode already filled in.
- **All**, **Low stock** and **Archived** narrow the list. With low stock showing, **Reorder** takes you to your purchase orders, if you do the ordering.

## The products list at a glance

Across the top:

- **Products**: how many you have on sale, and across how many brands.
- **Retail value of stock**: what everything on the shelf sells for, and how many items that is.
- **Cost value**: what you paid for what's on the shelf (shown to people who manage products).
- **Low stock**: how many are running low or out. Tap it to see just those.

The list is grouped by brand, with each product's **Price**, **Cost · margin**, **Stock** and how many sold in the last 30 days. A margin under 25% is highlighted. When your prices include GST, the margin is worked out on the price without it, since costs are entered without GST.

## Receiving stock without a purchase order

For a delivery you didn't order through FullColumn:

1. Open the product and press **Receive stock**.
2. Enter **How many arrived?** and, if you like, a note ("Invoice 4471").
3. Press **Add to stock**.

Deliveries against a purchase order are received on the order itself, which adds them to stock and can update cost prices ([receiving a delivery](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/products/purchase-orders#receiving-a-delivery-from-a-supplier)).

## Taking stock out for salon use

When you take a retail product off the shelf for the backbar or a treatment, take it out of stock so the count stays right:

1. Open the product and press **Used in salon**.
2. Enter **How many did you use?** and a note if you like ("Backbar for treatments").
3. Press **Take out of stock**.

## A product's stock history

Each tracked product shows its **In stock** count, how many sold in the last 30 days and about how many weeks that will last at this rate. For people who do the ordering, anything on order shows too ("6 on order · PO #1002, due 20 Oct").

**Stock history** lists every change, newest first, with who made it and the count after it:

| Shows as                        | What happened                                                    |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sold**                        | Sold at checkout, with a link to the sale                        |
| **Received**                    | Received stock, opening stock, or a delivery on a purchase order |
| **Stock take**                  | Counted and corrected                                            |
| **Used in salon**               | Taken out for salon use                                          |
| **Sale voided – back in stock** | A sale was voided and the product went back                      |

## Archiving or deleting a product

Open the product's **⋯** menu:

- **Archive (stop selling)**: it no longer shows at checkout, and moves to **Archived**. **Put back on sale** brings it back.
- **Delete…**: removes a product that's never been sold or ordered. One that has been is archived instead, so your sales history stays complete.

## Who can manage products and stock

- **Adding and editing products, prices and costs**, archiving and deleting need **Add and edit products and prices**. Managers have it unless you take it away, and owners have every permission ([roles and permissions](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/team/roles-and-permissions)). Without it, the team sees prices and stock but not costs or margins.
- **Receive stock**, **Stock take** and **Used in salon** are open to everyone, since they're day-to-day desk work. Each change is recorded against the person who made it.
- A product's supplier and usual order quantity are for people with **Suppliers and purchase orders**.

## Common questions

### Can I sell a product without tracking its stock?

Yes. Turn off **Track stock** and it sells at checkout without a count.

### Why does a product show a negative number?

More were sold than FullColumn had on record, usually because a delivery wasn't received. Count it to put it right ([stock takes](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/products/stock-takes)).

### Does selling a gift voucher or a service change stock?

No. Only products with **Track stock** on change their count.

### Where can I see what's selling?

The list shows each product's sales over the last 30 days. For any dates, with margins and stock value, see the [stock report](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/reports/stock).