The Returns program is an easy way for you to process the products you want to return to the appropriate vendors.

You can access the Returns program in a variety of ways:

To find an existing Return:

• Click on the Returns Nav Bar button
• The Find Return screen appears.
• Choose your search criteria and select the Return you want to view or change.
• Returns are classified by number, and often there will be multiple products on a single Return.

To create a New Return:

• From the Menu Bar select File > New > Returns.
• The New Return window appears.
• In the Vendor field, select the vendor to which you want to return the product(s) either by keying in the vendor's short name or by selecting the vendor using the down arrow to the right of the field.
• The Return Prefix and Return Suffix fields are optional.
• Key in a prefix and/or suffix only if you want to for your information.
• When you are finished with the New Return window
• Click on the Next button in the lower left corner of the window.
• You are taken to the Return properties screen, where you will enter the specifics of the return.

The Returns properties screen has an assortment of fields and information.

The Returns properties screen has two tabs on the left side of the screen: Header and Products.

The information under the Header tab deals with the Return as a whole.

The information under the Products tab deals with the individual products you place on the Return.

When you first access the properties screen upon creating a new Return, the system defaults to the Header tab.

• If you want the Returns screen to default to the Products tab,
• Select View from the menu at the top of the screen.
• There are two choices: Start on Header (the system default), and Start on Product.
  • Select Start on Product, and the check mark will move directly to the left of that selection.

In the upper left corner of the screen, there is a Returns box, with Return Number, Return Date, and Vendor fields

• These three fields appear whether the Header tab or the Products tab is selected.

Return: will default to the next Return number. This is an automatic field--the system fills it in. You cannot alter it.

• Return Date: defaults to the current date. You can change it if you want by keying in a new date or by selecting the arrow at the right of the field and selecting the desired date on the mini-calendar.

Status: can be changed, but really you should allow the system to do this for you.

• It will always default to Open when creating a new Return.
• This field works in conjunction with the Final/Partial Credit field in the Vendor Credit Memos Accounting Export program.
• When you assign the Return there as Partial, the Status field here will remain listed as Open, because you have not yet received full payment for the products you returned.
• When the Final/Partial Credit field in Vendor Credit Memos is assigned a Final label, the Status field for the Return in question will automatically switch to Closed, meaning all money for the Return has been accounted for.
• If you need to change the Status field manually, you still can
  • Clicking on the down arrow at the right of the field and choosing either Open or Closed.

Vendor: will default to the vendor's name, as established in Vendor Properties.

• This field is not changeable. Notice that Vendor is underlined and a different color.
• It is a hyperlink. If you click on it, you will access the Vendor Properties window for this vendor.
• At that window, if you have security access, you can make any changes to the vendor's information, if needed.

Underneath the Header tab you will find:

Vendor Authorization: only comes into play if you need permission from the vendor before processing a Return with them.

• If you need an authorization number (permission), contact the vendor ahead of time, get the authorization number, then key it into the Vendor Authorization field.
• If the vendor in question does not require an authorization number, simply leave the field blank.

At the bottom of the screen, there are two informational boxes: Returns Vendor and Order Vendor. These are informational fields that cannot be altered at this screen.

Returns Vendor: displays the Returns address for the vendor in question (the address you will return the product or products to).

Order Vendor: displays the vendor's ordering address (the address you ordered the product or products from).

This information is automatically imported from the Vendor Properties program.

Fill in the shipping information for the Return in the Shipping information for Vendor Return portion of the screen.

• Select the method of shipping in the Shipping Method field.
• Key in the shipping cost in the Shipping Cost $ field.
• If there is a tracking number, key that in the Tracking Number field.

Beneath this you will find the "Credit Memos received for this Vendor Return" display window.

• This informational window will show you any G/L batches that have been exported via the Vendor Credit Memos accounting program for this Return.

Under the Products tab you will fin:

The lower portion of the screen is a display box/grid.

As you select products to put on the Return, they will appear in this grid line by line.

Above the grid, there is a Product field.

This is where you select the product(s) to put on the Return. You can do this in a variety of ways.

• Scan the product's barcode.
  • The Returns Product screen appears.
  • This is where you decide how many copies of the product to return, etc.
• Key in the ISBN in the Product field and press Enter or click on the Add Product button.
  • The Returns Product screen appears.
• Key in the title in the Product field and press Enter or click on the Add Product button.
  • If you key in an exact title, the Returns Product screen appears.
• Key in a fragment of the title in the Product field and press Enter or click on the Add Product button.
  • The Find Product window appears.
  • Find the desired product, then Select it. The Returns Product screen appears.

The Returns Product screen has an assortment of fields in it . . .

The top portion of the Returns Product screen is a display window. This will be filled in with information concerning the selected product (for instance, product name or description, onhand quantity, author, etc.)

This is strictly an informational window. You can control what types of information display in the window via the Screen Designer

The individual fields reside underneath the display window:

Product: fills in with the product number for the product you just selected to put on the Return.

• This is an informational field and cannot be changed.
• The word Product is underlined and is a hyperlink.
• If you click on it, you will be taken directly to the Product Properties page for the selected product.

Quantity: Key in the quantity to be returned.

• Or continue scanning the barcode on the product to be returned.
• Each time you scan the barcode, the Quantity field is increased by one.
  • If you change the quantity to be returned to a higher number than the onhand amount for the product in question, iMerchant will issue a warning, letting you know this.

Unit Cost: represents what you paid the vendor for each copy of the product you are returning. For example, if you purchased 10 copies at $2.00 apiece, your unit cost would be $2.00.

• Fill this field in manually, if desired.
• However, if you select an invoice in the Receiving window to the right, this field will automatically fill in with the correct information.

Retail: automatically fills in with the retail cost for the product you are returning, though you can change this value here if needed.

Discount: represents the discount you were given when you purchased this product from the vendor.

• You can fill this in manually, but it will fill in automatically if you select an invoice from the Receiving window to the right.

Total Cost = Unit Cost X Quantity.

Invoice Number: is self-explanatory.

Invoice Date: will default to the current date, though you can change it if needed, either by keying in the new date or by clicking on the arrow to the right of the field and selecting the desired date on the mini-calendar.

Problem Code: key in or select the Problem Code, if one exists, for the product you are returning.

Return Reason Code: key in or select the Return Reason Code, if one exists, for the product you are returning.

The Receiving window at the right allows you to select an invoice and incorporate the information, thereby causing the cost and discount fields discussed above to fill in automatically.

Essentially, this is a convenience tool. You do not need to use it.

To select an Invoice, double-click on it

A message box will appear, asking if you want to update the Return Cost and Invoice information.

If you do, click on the Yes button.

iMerchant Tip: Security can be set to force an invoice selection. The Apply button at the top of the screen will be disabled until an invoice is selected. If no invoices are present, but the security for this is active, you can still proceed. An override prompt will appear asking for the overriding user and password. This will then turn off this security option and an invoice will not need to be selected. This option also exists in the TBR program.

Another security option will force the vendor in the Receiving window to match the vendor listed for the Return. If you end up selecting a vendor that doesn't match the Return vendor, a security override prompt will appear asking for overriding user and password. This will then turn off the security option and the vendors will no longer need to match.

A third security option disables all of the product fields except for quantity and Problem Code. A Cost Adjustment button will be displayed, and, once pressed, the security override prompt appears, asking for overriding user and password. This will then turn off the security option and all product fields will become activated--assuming the overriding user's other security setting provide him or her access to these fields.

Once you have all of the fields filled in appropriately, click on the Apply button at the top of the window.

You will be taken back to the Returns screen, and under the Product tab, the grid at the bottom of the screen will show the product you just Applied.

This is an important concept. Technically, a product is not included in a Return until you click on the Apply button at the top of the Returns Product window.

While at the Returns Product window, if you decide not to Apply the product to the Return, click on the Cancel button. You will be taken back to the Returns screen, and the product will not be on the Return.

While at the Returns Product window, if you want to print the screen

• Select File-Print Screen from the menu at the top of the screen.

If you want to view or add/alter Return Notes while at the Returns Product window

• Click on the Notes button at the top of the window.

The last Task Bar button at the top of the Returns Product window is the Link button.

• Click on the arrow at the right of it, and a dropdown menu appears.
• Click on any one of the choices, and you will be taken to the applicable program.
  • For example, under the Product menu, if you click on Properties, you will be taken directly to the Product Properties program for the selected product (the one currently being displayed in the Returns Product window).
  • This is a navigational convenience tool.

After Applying a product to a Return, if you need to put another product onto this Return, go back to the Product field on the Returns properties screen (under the Products tab) and repeat the procedure explained above.

Continue until all desired products appear in the grid at the bottom of the screen.

If you need to go back to the Returns Product window for a particular product (for example, if you need to change a piece of information)

• Highlight the product in the list at the bottom of the Returns properties screen, then click on the Update button, which is to the right of the Add Product button.
• This takes you to the Returns Product window for the highlighted product.
• There, you can change whatever information is necessary.

Every time you Apply an item to the Return, the Running Totals box at the upper right of the screen will automatically update. This is informational only and cannot be altered. It does just what the name suggests: It displays the running-total information for the Return.

If you close out of a Return before adding any products to it, iMerchant will automatically ask you if you want to delete the Return from the system.

• If you do, simply click on the Yes button, and the system will inform you that the Return has been deleted.
• If, for some reason, you want to save this Return even though it has no products attached to it, click on the No button.
• The Return will be saved.

To cancel the entire Return, select Edit from the menu at the very top of the screen, then select Delete Return from the list.

To delete a particular product from a Return, highlight the product you want deleted, then select Edit-Delete Product from Return.

Notice the Notes toolbar button at the top of the Returns screen.

• You can access this from either of the two tab screens (Header or Products).

Once you Apply products to the Return, then close out of the Returns properties screen and Save the changes, the system will immediately update the onhand amounts for the products in question.

To print the Return

• Select Reports > Return
• The Report Design and Submit box displays.
• You will need to design the report, then print it.