Billing when stock shows zero, and substitutes

When an item is out of stock

By default the counter will not add an item whose quantity is zero. Instead it offers substitutes: other brands in your stock with the same salt and strength, with price and quantity. Pick one and it goes on the bill. The pharmacist decides; the system only suggests.

Billing anyway

Some pharmacies bill from the shelf before the purchase is entered, and enter the purchase in the evening. For them, Settings → Defaults → Allow billing without stock lets the counter add an item at zero. The bill completes, the stock goes negative, and an unbatched line is created. When the purchase is received, the negative quantity is cleared and the batch takes over.

While the setting is on:

• The dashboard shows the items with negative stock so they are not forgotten.
• Transfers of an unbatched quantity to another store are refused until it is received.
• Reports count the sale on the day it was made, as they should.

Catalogue entries

Search results marked Not stocked here are medicines from the PharmaBells catalogue that you have not added to your pharmacy. They cannot be billed. Add them under Medicines → Add from catalogue with your price, and they become billable the moment a batch is received.

Common mistakes

• Leaving "allow billing without stock" on forever. Negative stock that is never corrected makes the stock value and expiry reports wrong. Enter purchases the same day.
• Billing a substitute without telling the customer. The invoice shows the brand that was billed; say it aloud.