Keeping the numbers right
Find and freeze a bad lot
Type a lot number. See where that stock is sitting, stop the till from selling it, and get the list of people to call.
A supplier calls. Or the NDA sends a notice. It names one lot number. Now you have three jobs. Find that stock wherever it is. Make sure nobody sells any more of it. Reach the people who already bought some.
The "Find a Batch" page does all three from one box. You type the lot number. It shows what is still on your shelves, what is out with customers, how much has already been sold, and the name and phone of every buyer. One button freezes the lot. After that no till can ring it up.
This only works for stock that got a batch label when it came in. Stock added with the label left blank goes into loose stock. Loose stock carries no lot number, so there is nothing to search for.
Step by step
1. Open the page
In the sidebar, open "Inventory" and click "Find a Batch". The page opens with one box. Under the title it says "Type a lot number to see where that stock is, stop it from selling, and list who bought it".
2. Type the lot number from the notice
Put the number into "Lot / batch number". The placeholder shows the shape, "e.g. PCM-4471". As you type, lot numbers you already have show up underneath. There is no search button. Pick one from the list, or type the whole number and press Enter. The hint under the box says "Pick a suggestion or press Enter to search".
3. Read the four figures
"On the shelf" is what is still at your branches. "With customers" is stock out with a customer, like crates or cylinders on loan. "Sold" is how much has already left. "Status" shows a tag. It reads "Selling normally", "Partly frozen", or "Frozen — cannot be sold".
4. Check where the stock is sitting
The table "Where the stock is" lists every piece of that lot. "Item" is the product. "Where" is the branch holding it, or the customer's name. "Expires" is the expiry date, if one was typed in. Print this, or leave it open. It tells your staff which shelf to clear.
5. Stop the lot from selling
Click the red "Stop selling this lot". A box opens. It warns you that every batch of the lot will be frozen at every branch, that sales will refuse it until you release it, and that transfers and disposal still work.
6. Say why, then confirm
Fill in "Reason". The placeholder shows the kind of thing to write, "e.g. NDA recall notice of 11 Aug". You cannot leave it blank. Click "Stop selling this lot" in the box to finish. The reason then shows under the figures as "Reason: ..." so anyone who looks later knows why.
7. Get the list of people to call
Scroll down to "Who bought from this lot". Each row gives the "Order", the "Date", the "Customer", the "Phone" and the "Quantity" they took. A sale with no customer on it shows as "Walk-in (no customer attached)".
8. Export it for the inspector
Click "Export to Excel". It saves a file named after the lot. It opens straight in Excel. It holds the totals, the full stock list and the full buyer list. That is what an inspector or the supplier will ask you for.
9. Let it sell again when it is cleared
Once the lot is cleared, or you have thrown out the bad stock, search the lot again. Click "Allow selling again". Confirm in the box that opens. The lot goes back to selling normally at every branch, and the frozen reason is dropped.
Worth knowing
The number must match in full
The list under the box matches any part of what you type. The search itself only matches the whole lot number. Case does not matter, so "pcm-4471" finds "PCM-4471". Type only "PCM" and press Enter and it finds nothing. The page tells you no stock has ever carried that lot. Copy the number off the notice letter by letter.
Loose stock cannot be traced
When you add stock, "Batch Label" can be left blank. The hint says "Leave blank for loose stock". Stock added that way joins one big pool with no lot number. This page cannot find it. If you sell medicine, drinks in crates, or anything a supplier might recall, always type the label off the carton when the delivery comes in.
Freezing stops selling only
A frozen lot is refused the moment someone tries to sell it. That covers the dashboard and the till. On the dashboard, the order form will not even list the frozen batch. Transfers and disposal still work on purpose. Moving the bad stock into one room, or writing it off, is what you need to do next.
Not every user can freeze a lot
Anyone who can see stock movements can search a lot and export it. The red "Stop selling this lot" button only shows for staff whose role can manage stock movements. So a shop attendant can look up a lot but cannot freeze it or release it.
Questions
Someone bought the lot as a walk-in. How do I reach them?
You cannot from here. The row shows "Walk-in (no customer attached)" and the "Phone" column is empty. No customer was put on that sale. The order number is still there, so you can pull up the receipt. This is the best reason to attach a customer to sales of anything that can be recalled.
Can I freeze the stock at one branch only?
No. The freeze covers every batch with that lot number, at every branch, in one go. That is the point of a recall. If part of the lot is frozen and part is not, the tag reads "Partly frozen". Click "Stop selling this lot" again and it covers the rest.
Does freezing cancel the sales that already happened?
No. "Sold" counts stock that has already gone out. Those orders do not change. Freezing only stops the next sale. The buyer list under "Who bought from this lot" is how you handle what already left.
Outlyz does this
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