Avoid REDUNDANT Stock SKU, ALU, Model#, etc - match Brick & Mortar POS?

Hi Zenners,

I am poised with an interesting dilemma that I'm sure others have faced?
**
Problem:**

Client has a Brick & Mortar shop that sells clothing. Client uses standard POS software like Quickbooks which has a barcode for a SKU (otherwise known as ALU number) standard in most retail shops. In Zen, it is called, "Products Model." The thing is - Client has SKU/ALU/Product Model for EVERY attribute. This is 'good' in a retail shop as it keep accurate and detailed stock/inventory tracking, but...

Example:

A) Girl Funky Tee (SM = SKU001)
B) Girl Funky Tee (MED = SKU002)
C) Girl Funky Tee (LG = SKU003)

And so on...
Oh, it gets even crazier once you start adding colors!

But, "Girl Funky Tee" is the same Product with the same image! So, as you can assume, if I created 3 different Products (even though they are the same) I will get 3 of the same images showing up side-by-side, in-an-row, etc. on listing pages...

Is there a module, clever or logical way to manage this dilemma? I don't think I can tell my Client to alter their POS Inventory scheme. It makes sense IN-STORE, but does not logically work online.

I'd totally be grateful for any and all help in this matter. I've had previous clients in the past faced with this, but have not found a solution....

Thanks in advance! :cry:

There are mods available in Downloads > Admin Tools for this - not sure which is best or does exactly what you want.

Attributes Separate Stock is the only one I see there... there is at least one other, probably linked in a member's sig.

Attribute improvement is scheduled for an upcoming release of ZC - see the Development Roadmap.

Hi Glenn, thanks for the quick reply and direction. There are 2 modules I see called, "Stock by Attribute" and "Attributes Separate Stock." I will download and look into them to see if either are the solution, thanks.

Temporary Logical Solution?

I've been playing this in my head for a few hours now. I think (for me at least) a solution perhaps might be to have the Attributes drop-down select to change onFocus with Javascript to a new Product page. To me this seems fair enough. Then maybe I can use in conjunction with one of these 2 modules...

Overall?

I guess I'm trying to get a conditional IF Product + Attribute1 + Attribute2 THEN CheckoutProduct = SKU001, ORELSE "Please choose an Attribute..." etc. My brain is fried ;)