The Master Scale PLU item data is organized by Scale Department first, followed by a PLU number. This combination is the key for all PLU items in the Scale Master database. Multiple Scale Departments can have items, which are different, but have items with the same PLU number.

UPC, DEPARTMENT, DESCRIPTION, and UNIT PRICE, located at the top of the PLUM Item Maintenance form, are display-only fields with a gray font color containing data from the Products Maintenance form for ease of use when working with the Scale Data.

SCALE INFORMATION

    • PLU: PLU used on scale
    • Scale Department: The Scale Program organizes the Master database items by the PLUM Department where it is sold. Each of the PLUM Departments has a set of scales and PLU items assigned to it. This number is not generally the same, although it can be the same, as the Retail Department number and should not be confused with it.
    • A mapping of the Retail Department to PLUM Departments is done through the PLUM Department Maintenance form, which is accessed using the PLUM Department Maintenance button located on the PLUM Item Maintenance form
    • Price Unit: Select an item from the Price Unit field to set the Unit of Measure that calculates the price of a package at the scale. Units of Measure can be LB: Pounds; KG: Kilograms; BC: By Count; FW: Fixed Weight; FP: Fixed Price.
      • BC for By Count
      • FP for Fixed Price
      • FW for Fixed WEight
      • KG for Kilogram
      • LB for By the Pound
    • Open Unit of Measure: Select Open Unit of Measure to require manual entry each time the product is sold. The scale interface requires an initial value in the price field to save the record. Enter a penny as the Unit Price in IT Retail. This will be sent down to the scale so that the scale operator will know to change it.

TARE WEIGHT

    • Wrapped: Enter a number for the weight of packaging on a pre-wrapped item. PLUM accepts 5-gram or 1/100th of a pound increments. Incorrect values are rounded up or cause an error.
    • Unwrapped: Enter a number for the weight of packaging on an item wrapped at the service counter. PLUM accepts 5-gram or 1/100th of a pound increments. Incorrect values are rounded up or cause an error.
    • Percentage: Enter a number for the weight of packaging as a percentage of the overall product weight. PLUM accepts between 0 and 99.9 percent with one decimal place allowed. It only works with random weight items and cannot be used in combination with any other form of tare.
    • Force Tare Entry: Select Forced Tare to key in a value for the container weight before entering the PLU. This assumes that multiple containers of varying weight are used. Forced tare overrides the wrapped or unwrapped tare entry. Check that the scale in use supports forced tare.
    • Multiple: Enter a value for the number of pieces displayed on a By-Count or Fixed-Weight label. For example, a price of 6 for $2.99 shows a quantity of six. (Not required for random weight items.)
    • Exception Price: Enter a value for price of each item in a package. For example, an open package of 6 muffins at $2.99 could be sold by item for $.50 each. Just enter $.50 in this field. The exception price is also known as an each price and is used with the By Count price unit.
    • Fixed Weight: If a Fixed-Weight Price-Unit is selected, this field records the weight of the item. Fixed weights are usually entered in whole ounces.


INGREDIENTS

    • Ingredient Number: The Ingredient Number is the number for the scale interface item that provides information about the product’s ingredients. Click on the ellipsis to open up the  Scale Interface Ingredients Maintenance form. As with PLU numbers, the master scale interface Ingredient data is organized by the scale interface Department first, followed by an Ingredient Number. Multiple scale interface departments can have ingredients, which are different, but have ingredients with the same ingredient number.
      • The Master Scale Ingredient data is organized by PLUM Department first, followed by an Ingredient number. This combination is the key for all Ingredients in the PLUM Master database. Multiple PLUM Departments can have Ingredients, which are different, but have Ingredients with the same Ingredient number.
    • Shelf Life: Enter a value for the number of days from the date of packaging that can elapse before the product expires. If the number of days is set to zero, the product will expire the same day it was packaged. Some scales can be set to hide a zero Shelf Life. Check the vendor’s requirements for the model in use.
    • Nutrition Number: The Nutrition number, otherwise known as the Nutrifact #, is the number for the item that provides nutrition facts about a specific product. Nutrition information is maintained directly in the scale interface. If an item imported from the scale interface has a Nutrition Number, it will show up here. Otherwise, you can manually enter the Nutrition Number in this field, but you must know what that number is.
    • Use By: Enter a value for the number of days a product can be used. The scale adds this number to the package date and prints a label with an expiry date for a set number of days in the future.
    • Product Group: PLUM Product Groups categorize items by type of product and are setup and maintained through PLUM Department Maintenance. If an item imported from PLUM has a Product Group, it will show up here. Otherwise, you can manually enter the Product Group in this field, but you must know what that group is.
    • Description 1-2: Enter text in the Description field to describe the product. Be sure to follow your local or federal guidelines on product identification. 2 lines of up to 32 characters each, based on the label size and format, are supported. Check the vendor’s requirements for the model in use. Centering text is not supported. Lower case text is automatically converted if not supported by the scale. Do not pad text lines with white space.


See Also:

Interscale Scale Information