Special Order Policy

The Special Orders program enables us to expand our selection of books and multimedia without the expense of stocking slow moving items.
Items currently not in stock should be offered to a customer through a special order. Items that can be ordered from our Support Office Warehouse can arrive in as little as a week, and inter-store transfers in one to two weeks. Orders that must come from a vendor may take up to four weeks.
The Bookmaster system offers inventory levels by Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) for all stores within the chain. Note that inter-store information is up to date within one day die to polling limitations. If an item is available in a store, call the store and verify that the item was not sold within the last day, which will not be reflected in the Bookmaster system.
Once you have sourced the item, you can request it through the system, and advise the customer on estimates for its arrival.
No deposit is required up front for a special order. Normally, customers pay the entire amount when the Special Order Arrives.
When the item arrives, place it in the delegated Special Order section in the receiving area with a label of the customer’s name on the item. This will prevent accidental placement of the item on the sales floor and possible sale to another customer.
Store these items in alphabetical order by surname on the special order shelves.
Call the customer by phone and advise them that they have 7 days to pick up and pay for the item.
If the customer does not pick up the item within 7 days, contact them one more time by phone.
After 10 days, if the customer fails to pick up the item, place it in its appropriate location on the sales floor. Special items are not returned.
Special orders can help increase sales and make customers happy at little additional cost to the store and should become a regular practice of doing business.

Special Order Procedures and Limits

The special order screen on your system will vary depending on what version of Bookmaster you have installed in your store.
Although special orders can be a lucrative addition to your sales, consider these limitations when conducting special orders:

• Refrain from offering special orders to young customers. Although we value their business, use your discretion. Ask them to complete the order with their parents in attendance.
• Be wary of customers who continually ask for special orders but fail to pick them up. A customer who fails to pick up several previous orders may be asked to place a 50% deposit on the item. The Bookmaster system will accept any deposit from zero to the full amount when placing a special order.

The Bookmaster system will register a sale for the item on the day that the special order is opened. If the customer fails to pick up the item, when it is cancelled and placed on the floor, it will affect sales on the day of cancellation like a regular refund. It is critical that the customer service associate who placed the special order and received the sales credit contacts the customer and ensure that the sale is completed.
Once a special order is completed, the order will be polled that evening and then transmitted to the appropriate entity: another store, the warehouse or a merchandise allocation coordinator for processing.
Any employee can query the status of a special order by searching by surname or item description. This is a handy Bookmaster function when a customer calls to enquire about the status of her order. Any employee can see the status of the special order and advise the customer.