A supplier raised prices, or you decided to reprice a category. The POS separates two numbers: the cost, which updates when you receive at a new cost, and the sale price, which you set in the catalog. Change the sale price deliberately and check the margin after a few days of sales.
Signs you are in this situation
- The last Receive Shipment had higher Cost price than before.
- Reports → Product Sales shows a Margin that dropped for a product or a category.
- Shelf labels and the receipt do not agree.
What to do right now
- Make the list first: Reports → Product Sales for the last weeks, filter by category, and note the products where Margin is below what you need.
- Do it outside the rush. Open Inventory → Catalog → Products. Edit the Base price directly in the row (it saves when you leave the field), or open the product and change Base price, then Save product.
- The new price applies to the next sale immediately. Change the shelf labels at the same time.
- If a sale is on Hold while you change prices, have the cashier Discard it and scan the items again, so the cart is built with the new price.
- Any active promotion on those products keeps its percentage or amount but now applies to the new base. Check Promotions for anything that no longer makes sense.
Decide
| If… | Then… |
|---|---|
| Cost went up on a fast seller | Reprice now. A small delay on a high-volume item costs more than the awkward conversation. |
| Cost went up on a slow seller you have plenty of | Sell the current stock at the old price if the margin still works; reprice when the new batch arrives. |
| You are repricing a whole category | Do it in one sitting with the labels ready, and tell cashiers before the shift. |
| Margin is unavailable in the report | The product has no recorded cost. Receive it once through Receive Shipment with a Cost price and the margin will start to appear. |
Afterwards, and how to prevent problems
- After a week, open Product Sales for the new dates and compare Units Sold and Margin with the previous period. Volume down a little and margin up is usually fine; volume collapsing is not.
- Use Inventory Analytics → Valuation to see what your stock is worth at the current cost.
- Always receive with the real cost. A wrong cost hides a wrong margin.
- Keep a simple habit: every price change gets a date and a reason in your own notes.