Bulletins
A bulletin is a listing of items that have special prices or are released at specific dates. Bulletins are usually reviewed for the purpose of promotional events. The stores decide which items to purchase and promote.

Ordering Bulletins
~Regular bulletins - order 2-3 months in advance.
~Major ads – order 5-6 months in advance.
~Merchandising emails budget, bulletin listings, and ad layouts to stores.
   -ACE stores receive advertising and promotional package (preview of ad).
~Stores make orders for promotional items. Determine the quantities that they want to purchase.
   -Usually based on sales history, price, time frame of sales, whether or not promotional items are also staple items, presentation and description of new items.
~Fill in bulletin list.
~Make adjustments to stay within budget.
   -Log in to ACENET.
   -Click Store Ordering/ Invoice.
   -Click Bulletin Order.
   -Click Create Order.
   -Choose bulletin type.
   -Select bulletin.
   -Fill out quantities.
   -Save as pending.
~Save a copy to computer for record keeping.
~Send to lead managers and merchandising department.
~Lead managers review and make any necessary changes to the bulletin list. Then, they submit the orders and email the stores the revised order sheet.
~Store prints out listing of completed orders and listing of the promotional items purchased.
~Post all order information onto the intranet.
~Place all paperwork into the promotional binder.

Creating Purchase Orders

EMW
A report that is reviewed before dropship orders are submitted. This report lists the weekly-suggested dropship orders for each store. It is based off of weekly orders generated. This report contains the purchase order numbers, the total costs of the orders, the vendor names and numbers, and shipping instructions.

Order Points
An item’s order point is the minimum quantity allowed on the shelf before more is ordered. The ultimate goal is to optimize order points to ensure enough inventory is carried to satisfy customer demand while minimizing overstock, which negatively affects profitability. The order point is a critical component the computer uses to generate suggested orders.

The computer calculates an item’s order point by multiplying average weekly sales by the number of weeks of supply.
~The item’s average weekly sales – The computer calculates this value. You must tell the computer which months of sales history to use and how much weighting (emphasis) to place on each month.
~The number of weeks of supply to have on hand – You specify this number using the item’s ranking codes called popularity codes.

POH Ordering System
POH is the new ACE ordering system in which the entire ordering process is done through a computer program. Data is gathered from the point of sales (POS) system and orders are processed based on this information. The orders incorporate sale history, quantity on hand, and calculated weights to determine the correct quantity to order.

POI
The POI report can be found in the Eagle Browser. The report contains a listing of the outstanding orders. These are usually reviewed in the sequence of the oldest to the most recent. The general rule is that the orders that are three or more months old must be reviewed and allotted explanations of why they are outstanding. This is usually done by assessing the sales and price histories and comparing them to the order information. Head Office is contacted and informed of the changes made to the POI. Head Office, in turn, calls the vendors to verify explanations.

Rainchecks
This usually pertains to sale items that are out of stock. Special orders are made for theses items and they are sold at the sale prices to the Customers who have requested them. In some instances, Customers will request regular items that are at the time out of stock. When these items are received, the Customers are contacted and given a time frame with which they must be picked up. The items are sold at their regular prices.

Seasonal Ordering
Certain product categories are only merchandised during specific times of the year. These categories are referred to as ‘seasonal products’ and generally fall into one of two groups:
~Holidays (Christmas, Halloween, etc.)
~Weather-Related (snow shovels, fans, etc.)

Stores normally order the majority of both of these categories by bulletin. However, there may be items that sell greater than the amount purchased through bulletin and need to be replenished in order to maintain adequate inventory throughout the season. For this purpose, it is important that these product categories be set up correctly in the computer to ensure that they only come up for reorder when they are in season. The merchandising department also handles some of the orders.

Special Orders
A good special order system serves a twofold purpose. It allows you to sell items that are not part of your inventory and is a good tool for reserving unusual quantities of products that you do stock. Offering to special order those hard-to-find items engages your customer and potentially increases your sales and profits.

Your store cannot carry everything. Special ordering affords you the opportunity to hear what is on your customers' minds. It is also one way to be alerted to the newest and hottest products on the market. A well-designed special order system familiarizes your staff with the products your customers want and provides your store with a quick, efficient process to place and fill those orders.

To promote special orders is to promote add-on selling. Once you educate your staff to listen to project stories with an ear for selling additional products, they will increase sales from your inventory as well as through the special order channel. Your store will become known as the place to find unique items and to complete tasks. Additionally, having a system that spots repeated orders for the same special product is an intelligent way to select new items for your every day inventory.

The special order system in the computer will help you stay organized. For selling specials and collecting deposits, use the "special order" function. If you repair screens, windows, appliances, engines, etc., a similar process, "order" will help you stay organized on outstanding orders. Lastly, "rainchecks" should be issued to hold the price until your stock arrives. This document will focus on special order features.

This demonstrates to your customer that you run a professional, efficient operation and are committed to filling their order. You gain their respect and they receive excellent service. It's just another way to be helpful.

Stock Reserve Listing
The stock reserve listing is a listing of all orders made excluding ACE and bulletin orders. This listing is printed out and placed in the stock reserve binder

Accessing Stock Reserve Listing
~Log on to ACENET.
~Click on Item.
~Click on Ace Product Search.
~Click on Item Search.
~Click on the Completed Orders tab.