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Item Cost Alerts
Item Cost Alerts

How to set alerts and receive notifications when an item cost goes above a set level

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

Article Contents

Introduction

To monitor costs, you can add alerts for when item costs go above above a set amount.

After setting your cost alert levels, you’ll receive email notifications any time those items exceed the alert threshold.

This will typically happen when an invoice is added, or an item cost is adjusted manually.

Note: Only users selected to receive the "Item Distributor Cost Alert" report will get these notifications. Make sure you have set this up under Email Report Permissions.

You can also set cost alerts for your POS Items. To learn more, see:

Adding an Item Cost Alert

To set a cost alert for an item/item variation:

  1. On the Items or Items (By Variation) tab, click the "Edit" button beside an item

    An arrow points to the "Edit" button

    Note: To see all items without a cost alert, select the "Missing Cost Alert" predefined filter

    "Predefined filters" is highlighted and an arrow points to "Missing Cost Alert"

  2. Click the pencil icon beside the "Cost Alert" field

    An arrow points to the pencil icon beside the "Cost Alert" field

  3. Set the cost that you want the alert to trigger at. You'll need to select the value, and the unit of measurement. It's best if the cost alert uses the same unit of measurement as the cost (for example, per unit, per pound, etc.). When finished, click "Save"

    A cost alert of $2 per unit has been set and an arrow points to the "Save" button

  4. The cost alert for the item is set. When the item cost meets or exceeds the alert level, designated users in the venue receive an email notification

    The cost alert has been added to the item

Note: If an item has multiple variations, you can set a cost alert for each one. Only the default variation displays on the main "Items" tab, but you can view the rest on the "Items (By Variation)" tab.

An arrow points to another item variation and the cost alert field is highlighted

Updating a Cost Alert

After setting the cost alert, if you need to change it you can click the "Edit" button again.

You can also update it in the main table by clicking in the "Cost alert" column and entering a new value.

The "Cost Alert" column is highlighted showed it can be modifed

Note: This is only possible after setting the cost alert for the first time because you need to set the unit of measurement for the cost alert. If you need to change the unit of measurement you must do that by clicking the "Edit" button.

The updated cost alert displays

Item Cost Alert Notifications

In the email notification, for each item you'll see

  • The current item cost

  • The alert cost

Note: As a reminder, this email only goes to users set to receive "Item Distributor Cost Alerts". You can manage which users receive the notification under Email Report Permissions

The example email that is sent out when the item cost alert triggers.

By following the link to the Items Page, you can use the search to find the affected items. Click the arrow inside the "Cost Unit" field.

This shows the invoice history for the item, including the amount received and the cost. Click the "Edit" button beside an invoice to view the details and make any changes if needed.

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