IN THIS ARTICLE:
Learn about recommended practices for recording Pro Shop and merchandise sales in iClassPro (for customers not using iClassPro's Point of Sale feature).

• How Do I Record Pro Shop and Merchandise Sales?
• Charge Elements
• Creating Charges
• Creating Payments
• Quick Tips

How Do I Record Pro Shop and Merchandise Sales?

While iClassPro offers an integrated Point of Sale (POS) feature, this article will summarize our recommended practices on how to track sales within the software for those customers who choose not to utilize this feature.

Charge Elements

The first item to address is how the sale will be recorded in the software. Non-tuition items, like Pro Shop sales, are entered into iClassPro using the “Other” Line Item Type. Further, every charge created requires a Program and Charge Category to be recorded for financial reporting. With most Point of Sale and Inventory Tracking systems, these elements of the charge are pre-programmed when the stock is entered into the system. But with iClassPro, this is entered at the time the charge is created.

The Program recorded on a charge is a key designator for what area of your business the accounts receivable will correspond with. When running financial reports, the program is the most generalized area of income you can filter by. For this reason, we highly recommend using one or more distinct programs for Pro Shop sales- such as “Pro Shop,” “Uniforms,” “Accessories,” “Warmup Clothing,” etc. Your accounting and bookkeeping staff may have recommendations as to what Programs are necessary.

The Charge Category goes a step further in designating a charge item. In financial reports, programs are broken down into charge categories to give you a better idea of what the charge within that program is for. For example, if you are using a program called “Pro Shop”—you might use a charge category for “Uniforms” to see the total sales of uniforms from the pro shop over a specific period of time. Similarly, if you have used a program called “Uniforms” you might also use charge categories for “Recreational,” “Junior Team,” “Senior Team,” or “Competition.”

When recording a charge, you also have the option to type in a Custom Charge Title or label. When running the Category List Report, this Title will display next to each charge you have recorded in the system. That allows you to add further detail, such as the color of the uniform or which show or competition it was used for. You may develop a list of descriptions for your Pro Shop employees to enter into the Custom Charge Title that will help you track the items sold.

The last major concern is the Amount or Price of the item being charged. Unless you are using iClassPro's Point of Sale (POS) feature, there is not a way to pre-program the price of Pro Shop items within the software. However, when creating the list of Custom Charge Titles for your staff members to reference when recording sales, it would be beneficial to also list prices for quick reference. Some facilities which use more generalized pricing guidelines may also benefit from including prices in the charge category title.

Creating Charges

When creating charges inside of iClassPro, the charge must always be associated with a family account. This is because all charges are created through a family ledger. In most cases, the customers purchasing from Pro Shops are also taking classes at your business. So it is simple to search by family or student to open the family ledger and create the necessary charges and payments.

Creating Payments

After creating the charge on the family ledger, you can then take payment for the amount of the charge by clicking New Payment on the same family. At this point, you can manually enter the payment amount and choose the method of payment such as cash, check, or credit card (swipe or manual entry). Then, simply check the box next to the outstanding charge at the bottom of the screen to apply the payment and click Process Payment.

Quick Tips

• Give Change - When using the cash payment method, you can check the box for iClassPro to calculate the change owed to the customer.
• Issue Receipts - Print or email a receipt! (Emailed receipts require the family to have the email address entered in the primary email field at the time of payment.)
• Streamline the Process - To save time when entering Pro Shop sales, start by entering the charge and choosing "Save & Make Payment" to open the new payment window. Don't forget to apply the new payment to the charge!