Many bookstores take books to book fairs, conferences or other special events outside the store. Whatever the occasion, you need to know what books are out of the store and where they are located. You also need a fast and easy method for checking the books out and then back in after the event.
The first step is to go to the Orders file and create a Header for the book fair. Now you can gather the books that will be going to the book fair, using a list or just picking books off the shelf. Click the Line Items button on the Header and begin entering the books, just like you would in a purchase order. Using a bar code scanner, scan the book and enter the quantity and put it in the box. You can even keep track of books by carton so that it will be easier for the sponsoring group to check the books in at the school. After all of the books have been entered, print a Packing List, sorted by carton and title, so that the organization can verify what you sent.
When the books are returned you simply scan them and enter the quantity returned. The Book Wizard assumes that any book that is not returned has been sold. After the books are checked back in, you can print an invoice detailing the books that were sold and the amount due.
If you, or some of your staff will be conducting the book fair or conference you can just pull books off the shelf, box them and take them to the event. Copy The Book Wizard to a laptop computer, connect a bar code scanner and receipt printer and sell books as if you were in your store. You can use duplicate receipts to sell the books on the store's computer or you can export all of the sale transactions from the laptop and import them into the store computer.
No! Any book that is in an Order, is listed in the Merchandise file as On Reserve. For example, if you look up a book and find that there are 3 copies on hand, but 3 copies are On Reserve you know that there are zero copies available for sale. When the books are checked back in, their status changes from On Reserve to On Hand.
