We are a growing company and currently have 2 stores and are about to open a 3rd. We do frequent inventory transfers but don't fully utilize it's functionality. We do not have HQ, however, we are debating if that is the proper way to go since we will begin doing more inter-store transfers. Can someone give me some guidance as to whether or not implementing HQ will assist with these efforts? Thank you very much.
Inter-store transfers work pretty well so long as you aren't transferring serialized items. You'll need someone at both ends to manage the process, but that shouldn't take too much time or effort--just diligence.
An inter-store transfer (in or out) can be created by any store (security permitting). If Store A creates a Transfer In requesting stock from Store B, after both stores have sync'd with HQ there will be a Transfer Out order automatically created at Store B. If you are hoping to eliminate/reduce the phone calls & faxes involved with stock transfers, you'll want to make sure that someone is checking their open transfer orders on a regular basis.
You can reverse the Ins & Outs in the example above if Store A gets a truckload of stock that needs to be distributed to the other stores.
Merchandise is received against the transfer order just like a PO. Unfortunately, you cannot set 'transfer order' as a default supplier.
Serial numbers don't transfer. This is stupid, and I hope that MS fixes it with v2.0. If I transfer out a serialized item, I have to enter the s/n when I issue the transfer order. In the case of an inter-store transfer, you would expect that the serial number would be sent to the receiving store automatically--but no, the receiving store has to enter the s/n for every serialized item they receive. IMO, this creates an unnecessary duplication of effort.
Good luck, Tom
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