How to create free item on POS - not online

[SFL]

We have created items that are of zero value.  They are basically like giving away a free item.  Problem with this is it effects are average transaction amount in reporting.

Example - we sell 20 widgets that cost $1 and 20 free widgets.  Our transaction total for the day would be 40 and average sale amount would be .50 per transaction.

We need to be able to 'sell' these items - IE it logs the item to the users account so that we can track if they have had this before.

What we are actually selling/doing is selling a day pass to our park.  People who come in and do not buy a pass for the day and we note their license plate is in our system as having a pass before - we will use the "no pass" item.  It reminds them to go buy one to prevent a ticket from being issued.  Since implementing this, our non-pay rate has dropped dramatically.  

In a sense we are just using square to print out a standardized form but it's the fact we can log these to owners we have on file and keep track of offenders and levy fines as needed.  We can run reports and it does bring them back into a revenue generating customer again most of the time.

[HC_Charlie]

@SFLnot sure if this would make a difference in your reports, but can you try and assign an actual price/value for the item instead of zero. Then add that to your sale, but click on the item and "comp" it so it makes the cost zero. Again, not sure if that would make your average different.

[SFL]

Sorry for the late response.  Our season got busy and quick.  We remove the ability to comp/discount and void from our general staff.  They are mostly teen seasonal labor and the ability to discount to friends is too high (past issues).  Volume is crazy at times and several hundred per person in a shift makes it impossible to do corrective training.

[TwinkleToes]

Howdy @SFL,

I know that any type of discount or price adjustment during the sale ends up affecting our average sales for the period. Seems like all the average calculations that I look at are based on Net Sales. Your situation made me start thinking about how to record the initial transaction without it actually being an "official" sale yet. So I'm not sure if this would work for your process, but I'm going to throw it out there. For the return customers that you are issuing the "no pass" to, could you use the Save Cart functionality? You could put an actual full price day pass into the cart and not have to use a zero-cost item. When the customer goes through the process of actually buying the ticket, you bring back the saved cart and complete the sale, while making any adjustments. Still trying to think it through, but maybe anyone coming in that does not have a pass would be required to put a card on file with the understanding that the card will be charged at the end of the day if they do not turn their saved cart into an actual sale.

[SFL]

Sorry for the late response.  I don't think that will work for our process.  We are a high volume location where these are done quickly and to have that many steps (with seasonal teen labor) would be very problematic.  Not really sure how to do that.  I really do appreciate your thoughtful response.  We just decided we will have to take these as watering down the transaction amount as necessary in doing business.

[Candlestore]

@SFL ;

Ok here is an idea.

Create Free Pass item. Then Create a Discount of 100% for the Item Free Pass.

This will then Track how many Free Passes you gave out with the corresponding 100% Discount.

Bonus tip if your quickly writing down Liscence plate numbers create customers by name then add the Liscene plate as the customer Refrence ID.   This way when people come in you can type in the Customer Refrence number (lisc Plate) to see if they already got a Free pass and on what date....day the customer was created in Square.

Also if you are creating a New Customer you can add a Note to the customer file that their Free Pass was on XYZ date if you want.

Customer Refrence code could be something like FL if the plate is from Florida and the plate was 02E7FB26... Have the Refrence code as FL02E7FB26.   Then you can type in FL02E7FB26 and if a customer pops up you know they used the free pass already.