Skip to main content
All CollectionsItemsItem Variations
What are Default Item Variations?
What are Default Item Variations?

If you have items with variations, you must select a default for inventory and par levels

Nick Neale avatar
Written by Nick Neale
Updated over 3 years ago

Article Contents

Introduction

When an item has multiple variations, you must designate one as the default.

You might have variations that are different measurement sizes, for example the same alcohol in 750ml and 1L bottles, or the same raw ingredient in 10lb and 20lb bags.

The default item variation is important because its measurement size is used for displaying the total stock count. It’s also used for par levels when ordering.

You can still count each item variation during an inventory and add them to invoices, but it will be converted into the default item variation’s measurement when displaying the total stock.

For example, if your default variation is a 1L bottle, and you count 2 1L bottles, and 2 750ml bottles in your most recent inventory, the stock would display as 3.5 units of the 1L bottle.

Learn more about counting item variations here:

Selecting a Default Item Variation

The first variation that was created is automatically set as the default, however you can change it at any time.

If grouping items together to be item variations, you’ll have to set the default at that time. Learn more:

Typically, it’s best to set the variation that is most common in your venue as the default. Even if all the variations are the same measurement size, there may be one with a specific case size or distributor that you order more often.

To switch the default item variation:

  1. Click the “Edit” button beside the item

    An arrow points to the "Edit" button.

  2. Click the item variation that you want to make the new default

    The "Item Variations" section of the edit item window is highlighted for emphasis.

  3. Click the “Set as default for inventory / par level” button

    The item variation has been toggled to another variation, and the "Set as default for inventory / par level" button is highlighted.

  4. If the variation that you selected to be the new default is a different measurement size, you’ll need to confirm that you want to do this. The current stock count for the item will then be converted to the new measurement size. Click “OK”

    The "OK" button is highlighted on the confirmation prompt.

  5. The selected item variation is now the default

    The selected item variation now displays first, and shows that is is the default.

New Default Variation Selected

After selecting the new item variation, that variation’s data will display on the “Items” screen table.

Stock

It may take a few moments, but if the new default is a different measurement size, the stock count will convert to the new default’s measurement size.

In the example above, the previous default item size was 1L, and there were 1.75 units in stock, which is 1.75L or 1750ml.

To get the converted stock, the total amount is divided by the new measurement size of 750ml. In this case:

1750ml / 750ml = 2.33 units

The item now displays the default variation's data on the Items Table. The stock count has been converted to reflect the smaller unit of measurement.

Par

The default variation is also used for pars when using the pre-fill feature when ordering. Make sure you update the value in “Your Par” to reflect the new measurement size if necessary.

For example, if the par was set to 2 units for the 1L bottle, you would need to adjust the par to a higher value since the measurement size is now 750ml.

Did this answer your question?