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Bucket Management

Learn to create and manage bucket SKUs in Bravo for grouping like items under a single SKU to streamline inventory and reporting.

Last Updated:  4/17/2025

This article explains how to use and manage SKUs in Bravo. It's a lengthy article, so feel free to click the links below to jump to topics of interest.

- Understanding Buckets

- Buckets vs Traditional SKUs

- Example SKUs

- Creating and Configuring SKUs

- Cost Averaging

- Cost of Goods Sold (When SKU quantity is Zero)

- Adding to the number of Items in a Bucket

- Writing Off SKUs

- Printing Price Tags and SKU Pricing Cards

- Selling from a SKU

- Layaway for SKUs

- Returning SKUs

- SKUs and Ad Hoc Reporting

 

 

Understanding Buckets

  • SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit, a code used to identify unique products with similar pricing and descriptions.
  • SKUs are often confused with UPC codes. In Bravo, SKUs track items in a category sold in quantity, sharing the same inventory number and price. Each SKU is unique to your store.
  • UPC stands for Universal Product Code , assigned by manufacturers and unique to each product. For instance, all DVDs can share one SKU, but each title has its own UPC.

 

  • In Bravo, items with the same SKU are grouped in one "bucket," sharing the same price tag and description.

 

 

Buckets versus Traditional SKUs

  • Traditional SKUs, found in grocery or big box stores, have unique identifiers like model number, size, color, and brand. 
  • Each product has its own unique SKU, referred to as Stock in Bravo. Click Here to read more about Stock.
  • In contrast, bucket SKUs are category-based and can include multiple similar items sold at the same price.
  • Bucket SKUs cannot be back-ordered when stock reaches zero, unlike traditional SKUs.

 

 

Example SKUs

  • Buckets in Bravo are category-driven. You can create a SKU for any group of merchandise you want to sell at the same price, like similar-sized sockets or ratchets.
  • For instance, DVDs can share the same SKU and price, while box sets can have a different SKU at a higher price.
  • Using SKUs is beneficial at the Point of Sale, allowing multiple items to be sold without scanning each one. For example, selling 5 DVDs involves entering the SKU, then the quantity, and multiplying the price by 5 for the total.

 

Creating and Configuring SKUs 

To use SKUs, new SKU numbers must be created in System Configuration. Follow these steps.

  • Select System Configuration from the Bravo Dashboard
  • From the left hand side of the screen, select the Company (top of the tree) and select the Bucket SKU Tab.
  • Click Edit, then click Add SKU to add a new SKU.
  • This will open the Add SKU window.
  • Select the Category for your SKU
  • Enter a 4 digit code SKU Number
When creating a SKU, the number is user-assigned and consists of 4 digits, differing from other formats in Bravo. The inventory number and barcode share the same selected number.
  • Enter the Description for the items that will go into this particular bucket.
  • Retail Each is the MSRP of the average item in your bucket.
  • Price Each is the store's selling price.
  • Variable Pricing - When clicked, will allow multiple price points within the same transaction for the same SKU code.  
    • For example: CDs have a SKU of 1001 with Variable Pricing checked.  The standard price point is $2, however there are some double discs that sell for $4.
    • Customer buys 6 standard CDs and 3 double CD sets.
    • Enter code 1001 in the Transaction screen, with a quantity of 6 for the standard CDs.  They sell at the standard $2 each. 
    • Enter code 1001 again for the double CD sets. When Variable Pricing is enabled, instead of adding to the previous quantity, a second line item will be created on the transaction. This time, enter quantity 3 and change the price each to $4.
  • UPC Codes can be scanned, up to five per SKU, to link to the Bravo SKU number. This is useful for bulk purchases from vendors, like Batteries. Scanning the SKU for the battery pack at sale will redirect to the SKU.
  • To add an image, click on the Google Image Search . 
Bravo does not allow Firearm categories to be used for SKUs with the exception of ammunition.

SKU numbers are global within a company, meaning the same SKU description, number, and price apply to all stores. Clicking Save creates the SKU(s) for all stores, and any edits will update them company-wide.

While SKU configuration is global, SKU count and total cost are tracked at the store level, reflecting the current store's inventory.

A SKU can only be disabled if the quantity is currently zero at all stores.

 

Cost Averaging

  • Buckets utilize cost averaging to set the cost of SKU items as they sell.
  • Selling a SKU reduces its quantity and cost based on the average cost, calculated by dividing the total cost by the quantity on hand.

Example

  • For instance, if there are 10 items in a SKU costing $50 total, each item's cost is $5 ($50/10).
  • Selling 2 items results in a cost of $10, leaving 8 items at a total cost of $40.
  • When new items are added to the SKU, their cost increases the total SKU cost and quantity. The new average cost per item is recalculated based on these totals.

With cost averaging, if the SKU quantity is zero, the cost will also be zero.

 

Cost of Goods Sold (when SKU Quantity is zero)

  • SKUs can be sold with Manager approval even if stock is low. If the quantity is insufficient, it will go to zero, and the remaining cost will be the sale price. Inventory won't go negative, permitting sales even when out of stock.
  • When a SKU is out of stock, quantity on hand is zero, the sale cost for that SKU will also be zero.
  • Ensure that the quantity on hand matches actual availability. If inventory counts are incorrect, purchase more items for the SKU. See Adjusting a Bucket for details on purchasing items into a Bucket.

Adjusting a Bucket

To purchase items into a Bucket SKU follow these directions:

  • From the Dashboard, select Inventory on the side menu and then select Stock Management. 
  • Click on the Stock Adjustments Tab and select Add Stock Adjustment from the side menu.
  • You will need to know which non-serialized SKU you are purchasing into, either by having the SKU number, UPC number, or Description.
  • Once you select the SKU, you will need to enter the Added Cost from the Vendor and the Added Quantity of items purchased into the center grid of the screen.
  • Bravo will add the new invoice cost and item quantity to the Bucket total. It will then recalculate the average cost per item if necessary.
  • Click Save in the upper right hand corner. Items are now added to your SKU inventory.

Writing Off SKUs

The quantity of a SKU can be decreased using the Write Off feature from the Inventory screen.

  • Select Inventory from the Bravo Dashboard
  • Search for the SKU number you need to reduce. 
  • Select the line that has the SKU Inventory number and select Write Off Item from the right menu or by right clicking on the item and selecting Write Off Item from there.
  • On the Shrink Item window, you will need to select the Reason as well as the Quantity to be written off.

 

  • Clicking OK will decrease the SKU's quantity and Item Cost by the average Cost based on the quantity being written off.

Printing Price Tags and SKU Pricing Cards

Price tags for SKUs are optional, allowing Out of Pawn items to be included without individual tags or pricing.

We recommend printing SKU pricing cards for each POS workstation. You can generate a report with all SKU numbers.

Instructions

  • Select System Configuration from the Bravo Dashboard
  • From the left hand side of the screen, select the Company (top of the tree) and select the Bucket SKU Tab.
  • Use the Print SKUs button at the top of the Bucket SKUs tab in System Configuration.
  • This will print a card that has each SKU number, Description, Bar Code, and image.
  • This sheet can be laminated and made available at each POS register.
  • Using pricing cards will make it convenient for Sales Associates to scan the given SKU at the register and enter the quantity.  

When new SKU is added, the Print Tag Queue will pop up with tags to print. If you are making adjustments to a non-serialized SKU, you can manually select the print tag option in the lower left-hand corner.

 

  • You will see the Print Tags window asking for the Tag Type and Quantity to print.

 

  • This will print the quantity of tags desired.

 

  • This same method can be used during purchasing or splitting out SKUs to print price tags.

Selling from a SKU

  • To sell a SKU, scan the barcode or input the SKU number from the price card in Smart Search, or enter the 4-digit code on the Dashboard.
  • This will display the item for sale. You can keep scanning, and more items will be added, increasing the Total Price based on the Price Each set in System Configuration.
  • Clicking Detail will bring up the SKU Detail window, showing the settings from System Configuration.
  • You can easily add more items of the same SKU to the transaction by either scanning the SKU or UPC number. Or by adjusting the Quantity up.
  • If you select Edit on the transaction line, you can change the quantity and either the Price Each or the Total Price.

 

The ability to sell in excess of actual quantity on hand (Oversale) is possible with the proper security enabled for the Employee. See example below.
  • When more items are sold than available, both quantity and cost will be zero and do not go negative. To avoid this, adjust the SKU quantity on hand to match the actual amount. This can be easily done by Adjusting a Bucket for purchasing items to update the SKU quantity and cost.
Bucket SKUs are not available to be sold online.

Layaway for SKUs

  • Layaway on an SKU works the same as a regular layaway, except the quantity is entered. 
  • Pull up the SKU in the Smart Search and on the transaction line item click To Layaway.
  • The Layaway will default to a quantity of 1 for the SKU. 
  • To increase the quantity, click on Add Items from the New Layaway Detail window.
  • Enter the quantity in the Layaway Items window and click OK.

 The Selling Price and the Down Payment will automatically adjust for the correct quantity.

  • All items are grouped under the same Layaway number, with one tag printed for the total quantity.

 

To have separate layaways with different terms or payment schedules for the same SKU.

  • Enter the SKU again in smart search. This will create a new layaway for the same SKU number.
  • If you have Scan Item Verification, the system will prompt you to confirm the quantity in the Scan Items screen when finalizing a SKU Layaway payment.

Returning SKUs

  • Return eligibility for a SKU depends on the ratio of items returned to items sold.
  • Returns for a SKU require the customer’s receipt, as we cannot identify it by scanning the SKU alone.

RECEIPT SAMPLE

  • When returning a SKU, you are prompted for the number of items to return in the SKU Return Detail window.
  • Returns are limited to the number of items purchased. A customer can return 2 out of 5 items in one transaction and return the remaining 3 later, but the total cannot exceed 5 items.

SKUs and Ad Hoc Reporting

  • From the Dashboard, select Inventory on the side menu and then select Ad Hoc Reporting.
  • To get a list of all the active SKUs and the current SKU quantity, select the Criteria SKU and make sure the box is checked.  as well as the Criteria Status = Inventory.
  • To view all active SKUs and their quantities, select the Criteria = SKU  d set Status = Inventory.
  • Alternatively the Criteria SKU Quantity can be used to filter the report, for example on sales less than a certain quantity.

REPORT SAMPLE