this post IS NOT asking about attribute/stock module

But it is about helping me find a solution.

I use 1.301. I havent launched yet, but I have gotten my products in and cannot wait much longer.

I sell tshirts, and decided that I would create different prodcust for different categories even before I learned you couldnt do attribute/stock.

so: lion shirt green would be one product and lion shirt blue would be another.

You can probably believe the horror I felt when I realized after searching through forums today that I couldnt link quantity to my other attribute: size.

I want(ed) to cry. Is all the work Ive done in Vain?

Im come to the conclusion that it cant be fixed now. However, Im not a person that likes to wait. On the same token I am a realist, so I will not sit here and say: "this module needs to be out now."

I am open to finding new solutions.
This is where I am hoping you guys can come into play. I am not a programmer, math person, and my logical reasoning skills are not what they used to be. But im sure with all the great programmers on this site, someone could help me find a logical solution!
:)

So basically I need a neat way to set up my cart.
I will seperate all shirts by color as different products, but what can I do for size?

Ive thought of 2 solutions:

1. create different sub categories
   i.e. Mens/tshirts/lionshirt/green/small/medium/large/xlarge/xxlarge
   Mens/tshirts/lionshirt/blue/small/medium/large/xlarge/xxlarge

as im sure you guys can see. This would get cluttered and farnkly, I dont think it would look very professional. But may be the most practical for me

2. is to keep the shirts as seperate products for color, but leaving the size attribute up.
   What I would have to do since I have such a low stock is keep an eye on my orders manually.

As soon as somebody orders my last small blue lion shirt, Id "run" to admin and delete the size.

This could be problematic because say i have 1 blue lion shirt left, and the last guy buys 2. Id be out of stock. Or say Im at work or out, and dont see the last order come in and someone comes befoe I get back to the computer and orders another small blue lion shirt, again id be shortstocked.

so this is basically a thread pleading for help on possible solutions.

I only have 1 attribute. But I dont really have time to wait for the next release to get my store started.

I guess I could have customers call or IM me to order, but that also seems very unprofessional

Please i just need some suggestions, Im deflated, and Im running out of hope and now contemplating going to the darkside (monster Commerce) again.

Do you have an URL where we can peek? It sounds like perhaps you are not using the Attributes for Size correctly ...

Unless you mean you are trying to say in one swoop:

Small 3
Large 2

In that case ... you cannot do it with one click ... they need to add the Product and Size and quantity separately ...

http://slantedworldwide.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_8&products_id=4

Linda thanks for the reply.
The URL above is a teh only product on my cart where ive added sizes to.

The question isnt so much size. But I have to be able to link quantity to sizes.

because say I have 3 smalls and 1 large.

I have to be able to let customers know that once that one large is bought, it is gone.

Im basically trying to see if anybody can give suggestions for working around not being able to add quantity to my sizes.

sorry if my post was confusing.

:(

Do you have an URL where we can peek? It sounds like perhaps you are not using the Attributes for Size correctly ...

Unless you mean you are trying to say in one swoop:

Small 3
Large 2

In that case ... you cannot do it with one click ... they need to add the Product and Size and quantity separately ...

Unfortunately ... there is not stock tracking on attributes yet ... :cry:

Good news is that it is coming soon to a release near you ... :smile:

However, "soon" is a relative term as we are working on that among other code right now so I don't have a definitive date ...

Don't Panic </big friendly letters>

Given that attribute stock is coming "soon" (as much as a few months perhaps), I have a few questions for perspective.

This appears to be currently a modest sized business, yes? (Though I'm sure you intend it to become bigger:) Do you have any kind of in-person sales? How many different products/sizes do you expect to have to maintain for the near future?

How often do you reorder? At what stock level do you reorder? How much will it cost you in inventory to raise the reorder level vs. the sales gain in having all sizes in stock more consistently? How long does it take to receive an order? (Is it worth expediting shipping or buying smaller quantities at a time to stay in stock?)

The big question: How often (per week, say) do you expect to run to the reorder points on all items combined? How often do you expect to run to the reorder point on any single item?
How often do you expect to run out of stock on all items combined? How often do you expect to run out of any single item and have another sale before hiding the size?

The upshot of all this is: How often do you reasonably expect to have to write a "shipping delayed" e-mail and how long would you expect to have to delay? Can you deal with the aggregate number of cases for the time until attribute stock becomes available?

I'm not asking you to post answers; this is just for your reflection.
Good luck and success to you.

Ajeh:

Unfortunately ... there is not stock tracking on attributes yet ... :cry:

Good news is that it is coming soon to a release near you ... :smile:

However, "soon" is a relative term as we are working on that among other code right now so I don't have a definitive date ...

I know that...
But i wasnt asking for the attributes/stock module.

Ive seen all the threads lol.

Ive seen you answer the same to everyone...

But i was hoping for suggestions given my case

guess there are none

Thank you very much for your reply.
I wanted to answer your questions anyways...to possibly clear some things up.

gjh42:

Don't Panic </big friendly letters>

Given that attribute stock is coming "soon" (as much as a few months perhaps), I have a few questions for perspective.

Yea I know. But like I said. This is a one man show and Ive already bought my products and have them sitting here so I cant wait for that upgrade.
Then Im worried the upgarde will be a pain..and cause me more time.

This appears to be currently a modest sized business, yes? (Though I'm sure you intend it to become bigger:) Do you have any kind of in-person sales? How many different products/sizes do you expect to have to maintain for the near future?

It is a modest size right now. What I did to test demand for my products was ordered a low quantity of a lot of different styles. I already have about 25 products that come in various sizes. Usually 3 sizes each AT LEAST.

How often do you reorder? At what stock level do you reorder? How much will it cost you in inventory to raise the reorder level vs. the sales gain in having all sizes in stock more consistently? How long does it take to receive an order? (Is it worth expediting shipping or buying smaller quantities at a time to stay in stock?)

I have the capital to reorder. I may get a loan so that helps. I plan to reorder as much as necessary. Even if i need it delivered next day or so.

The big question: How often (per week, say) do you expect to run to the reorder points on all items combined? How often do you expect to run to the reorder point on any single item?
How often do you expect to run out of stock on all items combined? How often do you expect to run out of any single item and have another sale before hiding the size?

Id like to reorder whenever necessary. Im actually pretty open. But id say max 2-3 weeks. I will run out of certain items pretty quickly since for certain shirts im not sure about, I only ordered 1 or 2 initially.]

The upshot of all this is: How often do you reasonably expect to have to write a "shipping delayed" e-mail and how long would you expect to have to delay? Can you deal with the aggregate number of cases for the time until attribute stock becomes available?

I dont want to have to write that email very often. That is why I want something that tells my customers something is sold out. Id rather do that, then have them pay, then send them something slow.

I'm not asking you to post answers; this is just for your reflection.
Good luck and success to you.

slantedworldwide:

I know that...
But i wasnt asking for the attributes/stock module.

Ive seen all the threads lol.

Ive seen you answer the same to everyone...

But i was hoping for suggestions given my case

guess there are none

By the way I hope this reply didnt come accross as rude Ajeh

Not a problem ...

What the issue is that without stock attributes ... we cannot know you only have 1 Large Green Flannel shirt ...

Unless you made 100% separate products where you go the next level and have the sizes now as separate products ... there isn't a way to control it without extending to the stock attributes ...

So at the moment ... you are kind of stuck ...

Hopefully, before you finish your site ... we will have a solution out ...

But as I said I do not have a date on this and I think you may have to go further with your break down on Products for now to meet this need ...

Ajeh:

Not a problem ...

What the issue is that without stock attributes ... we cannot know you only have 1 Large Green Flannel shirt ...

Unless you made 100% separate products where you go the next level and have the sizes now as separate products ... there isn't a way to control it without extending to the stock attributes ...

So at the moment ... you are kind of stuck ...

Hopefully, before you finish your site ... we will have a solution out ...

But as I said I do not have a date on this and I think you may have to go further with your break down on Products for now to meet this need ...

ok so youre saying if i have a shirt

i should sort as follows for example

Tshirts/lion tshirt blue or lion tshirt green/ lion tshirt green small/lion tshirt green medium/ lion tshirt green large or lion tshirt blue small/lion tshirt blue medium/ lion tshirt blue large.?

he only drawback to doing all this for me is that it would look unprofessional..and my site would get really really clutteered

That is the problem ...

Right now it would be hard to have separate products for:

lion tshirt green small
lion tshirt green medium
lion tshirt green large

This gets clunky ...

You could adapt the Cross Sell to show the gang of same shirts/different sizes or colors to group them together ...

Not sure if that would help to make things better or not ...

Aside from the possibility of hiring someone to write basic attribute stock code if it's that important, specific suggestions for alerting customers to stock level:

Start by putting a note somewhere in the introduction to the effect of "We have many combinations of size and color, and because we like to keep our inventory fresh we may occasionally run out of particular items. We normally are able to replenish items in x to xx days. If we are out of stock when you order, we will alert you promptly and speed your order on its way as soon as we receive new stock."
Keep it upbeat and in good humor.

If it's practical and you deem it desirable, keep a snippet of text handy to drop into the end of any product description when necessary, like "Low stock in Med." or "Getting low on XL." Your call on whether mentioning that is good or not.

For items you are "not sure about" and only ordered 1 or 2 - unless they surprise you and jump off the shelf, it would seem you should generally have much more than a day between sales giving reasonable time to hide out-of-stock sizes.

On any given day that you run out of something, you will probably be low enough on some other items to reorder them too, and on the rarer day that something gets oversold, if you can get orders within a couple of days as you say, there should hardly be an appreciable delay in the customer receiving their order. You might upgrade the shipping method on backorders to make the customer feel cared for and generate loyalty.

Hope this helps...

This post was extremely insightful and had some great solutions.
Thank you very much.

I may hire someone to write the basic code...if i do..i will share it!

gjh42:

Aside from the possibility of hiring someone to write basic attribute stock code if it's that important, specific suggestions for alerting customers to stock level:

Start by putting a note somewhere in the introduction to the effect of "We have many combinations of size and color, and because we like to keep our inventory fresh we may occasionally run out of particular items. We normally are able to replenish items in x to xx days. If we are out of stock when you order, we will alert you promptly and speed your order on its way as soon as we receive new stock."
Keep it upbeat and in good humor.

If it's practical and you deem it desirable, keep a snippet of text handy to drop into the end of any product description when necessary, like "Low stock in Med." or "Getting low on XL." Your call on whether mentioning that is good or not.

For items you are "not sure about" and only ordered 1 or 2 - unless they surprise you and jump off the shelf, it would seem you should generally have much more than a day between sales giving reasonable time to hide out-of-stock sizes.

On any given day that you run out of something, you will probably be low enough on some other items to reorder them too, and on the rarer day that something gets oversold, if you can get orders within a couple of days as you say, there should hardly be an appreciable delay in the customer receiving their order. You might upgrade the shipping method on backorders to make the customer feel cared for and generate loyalty.

Hope this helps...

I am using the product_by_attribute_stock mod by dafonz w/ 1.2.6 and in the process of upgrading to 1.2.7. However, something that I am doing still might be useful to you. It is nice that my customers cannot checkout w/ an out of stock product, but sometimes I want them to have more information than "insufficient stock."

So, let's say I have a red shirt in Small, Medium, and Large. Medium sells out. I expect to have more medium red shirts in stock within 10 days. I will edit the Medium attribute to a different attribute that says "Medium (This size ships in 7-10 days") I then edit my product stock to 1 so that a customer is able to check out with that item. The point is that the customer is informed of the delay in shipping BEFORE they add the product to their cart, and I don't lose a sale by simply saying "insufficient stock" when they try to buy it.

Someone has actually written an edit to the product_with_attribute_stock mod that can do something similar automatically (so long as the product has only one option name attached to it) BUT what I am doing will work with or without the product_with_attribute_stock mod.

HTH,
Audra

I am porting the product_by_attribute_stock mod by dafonz w/ 1.2.6 to 1.3.01. I am nearly done with it, though it is not in a form which is easy provided to others. That will take more time, which I am not sure I have... I'll look at it once I am sure that our new site is actually up.

Anyone that is interested, may PM or email me ([email protected]).

danielcor:

I am porting the product_by_attribute_stock mod by dafonz w/ 1.2.6 to 1.3.01. I am nearly done with it, though it is not in a form which is easy provided to others. That will take more time, which I am not sure I have... I'll look at it once I am sure that our new site is actually up.

Anyone that is interested, may PM or email me ([email protected]).

Thanks Daniel.

audradh:

I am using the product_by_attribute_stock mod by dafonz w/ 1.2.6 and in the process of upgrading to 1.2.7. However, something that I am doing still might be useful to you. It is nice that my customers cannot checkout w/ an out of stock product, but sometimes I want them to have more information than "insufficient stock."

So, let's say I have a red shirt in Small, Medium, and Large. Medium sells out. I expect to have more medium red shirts in stock within 10 days. I will edit the Medium attribute to a different attribute that says "Medium (This size ships in 7-10 days") I then edit my product stock to 1 so that a customer is able to check out with that item. The point is that the customer is informed of the delay in shipping BEFORE they add the product to their cart, and I don't lose a sale by simply saying "insufficient stock" when they try to buy it.

Someone has actually written an edit to the product_with_attribute_stock mod that can do something similar automatically (so long as the product has only one option name attached to it) BUT what I am doing will work with or without the product_with_attribute_stock mod.

HTH,
Audra

Yea im using 1.301.

But your solution is pretty good. Id prefer not to delay my customers 7-10 days whenever possible though

Well, the point isn't to delay your customers, but to let them know about a delay when there is one. Ideally, your inventory will never dwindle down to zero, but on the off chance it should you won't find yourself approaching a customer, tail between your legs, to apologize and work out an equitable solution.

Of course the last step of the equation, adding the product back into stock even though it has not arrived yet, can be omitted. That way you are giving the customer the information about the delay proactively, before they try and add it to their cart, and also giving them an ETA in case they want to come back and order it later. I think that people get more POd if they spent the time considering whether or not to purchase something, surfing your site to choose exactly what they want, and THEN finding out it is not available.

By no means is this a great solution, but I find it to be fairly painless in a low volume store as an iterim measure (given that there are 2 solutions coming, PWAS ported to 1.3 and the future version of 1.3.x.)

This should work regardless of the Zen Cart version being used.

Just to clarify as I got the impression you were thinking that this would not work on 1.3.x.

Best,
Audra:wink2:

Hey Audra,

yea the only problem with your solution for me is for some items I have very low stock already.

For some shirts, i just ordered 2 or even 1, to see how itll do.
Probably not the best decision.

Your solution can actually still work, and I may use it in the short term. That way people will think items are selling out quick lol.

The only opther prob it poses is if I have 1 of the item left, and someone purchases 2. Then ill be short.

audradh:

Well, the point isn't to delay your customers, but to let them know about a delay when there is one. Ideally, your inventory will never dwindle down to zero, but on the off chance it should you won't find yourself approaching a customer, tail between your legs, to apologize and work out an equitable solution.

Of course the last step of the equation, adding the product back into stock even though it has not arrived yet, can be omitted. That way you are giving the customer the information about the delay proactively, before they try and add it to their cart, and also giving them an ETA in case they want to come back and order it later. I think that people get more POd if they spent the time considering whether or not to purchase something, surfing your site to choose exactly what they want, and THEN finding out it is not available.

By no means is this a great solution, but I find it to be fairly painless in a low volume store as an iterim measure (given that there are 2 solutions coming, PWAS ported to 1.3 and the future version of 1.3.x.)

This should work regardless of the Zen Cart version being used.

Just to clarify as I got the impression you were thinking that this would not work on 1.3.x.

Best,
Audra:wink2:

slantedworldwide:

Hey Audra,

yea the only problem with your solution for me is for some items I have very low stock already.

For some shirts, i just ordered 2 or even 1, to see how itll do.
Probably not the best decision.

Your solution can actually still work, and I may use it in the short term. That way people will think items are selling out quick lol.

The only opther prob it poses is if I have 1 of the item left, and someone purchases 2. Then ill be short.

Does anyone have code from the previous version which will put stock BACK into attribute inventory when an order is delete?