Handle a Missing Item During a Sale

Decision Rule

Do not let cashiers use one shortcut for every missing item. In the live sale search, a no-match value produces two choices: sell the typed text as a quick sale, or create an item with that name. The operator should decide whether the shop needs inventory history, supplier costing, barcode scanning, tax setup or only a one-time amount.

Use the Fallback Menu

1. Type the missing product name in Find item name, sku or barcode.
2. Wait for the no-match menu.
3. Choose Create item when the product should exist in the catalog after this customer leaves.
4. Choose Sell as a quick sale only when it is a one-off amount or service.
5. After creating an item, search or scan it again so the sale uses the saved catalog record.
6. If the product has a manufacturer barcode, enter it on the item before training staff to scan it.

Create a Reusable Item

1. Pause the sale or park it when the customer is still deciding.
2. Open Inventory -> Items -> New, or use Quick Item Add if available to the role.
3. Enter item name, category, selling price, cost, tax and current stock.
4. Set SKU and Barcode before returning to the counter when the product must scan.
5. Use Same as SKU when the shop wants the internal SKU and scanned Barcode to be identical.
6. Use Extra barcodes when the same sellable item has multiple package codes.
7. Save the item.
8. Return to Home -> New Sale and search or scan the saved item.
9. Confirm the cart line and continue payment.

Use Quick Sale Only for One-Offs

The sales code can offer a quick-sale style fallback for typed text. That is useful for speed, but it creates an amount line for this sale rather than a full reusable catalog item.

• Use a clear line name so Sales History and reports are readable.
• Do not use Quick Sale for items where stock should reduce.
• Do not use Quick Sale for products needing a special tax group.
• Do not use Quick Sale for products that require SKU, barcode labels, supplier history or reorder reports.
• Review Quick Sale usage during cashier training and day close.
• Turn frequent Quick Sale names into real items.

What the Owner Should Configure

• Give managers permission to create or edit items, not every cashier.
• Create a simple shop rule for when Quick Sale is allowed.
• Require barcode entry before products reach the shelf if the shop scans at checkout.
• Require a cost price and supplier when margin or purchase reporting matters.
• Keep one default tax reviewed for Quick Sale and Quick Item workflows.
• Use the Items import/export guide when many missing products need to be added at once.