Open-price items for anything without a set price
Some things never have a fixed price: a custom cake, an hour of labour, a bin of mixed bargains. Open-price items let the cashier type the price at the moment of sale.
Open price items in SeroPOS
Price typed at checkout
Adding an open-price item opens Custom Product Price, where staff enter the amount and tap Set Price.
Miscellaneous products
Any product whose name starts with Miscellaneous, such as Miscellaneous Food, asks for its price every time it is sold.
Checks on the amount
The price field refuses blanks, letters and negative amounts, so a slip of the finger does not ring up nonsense.
Taxed like any product
The item keeps its own category and tax, so a miscellaneous food line and a miscellaneous retail line can carry different taxes.
Price overrides too
For regular items, staff with permission can change a line's unit price from Edit Item or the QSR Amount column.
Tracked in reports
Open-price sales appear under their own product and category in the daily sales report.
When you need an open price
Every business has sales that do not fit the product list. A bakery takes a custom order priced on the day. A repair counter charges for labour. A gift shop clears a box of odds and ends at whatever the owner decides. Without an open-price item, staff either ring these up under the wrong product or fiddle with discounts until the total looks right.
SeroPOS handles this with miscellaneous products. When staff add one to the cart, a Custom Product Price window opens with the prompt to set a custom price for this product. They type the amount, tap Set Price, and the line goes into the cart at that price, under a product name and category that make sense in your reports.
Setting up a miscellaneous product
Create a product as you normally would, in the Admin hub or the web back office, and start its name with the word Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous Food, Miscellaneous Retail or Miscellaneous Labour all work. SeroPOS recognises the name and asks for a price each time the item is sold, instead of using the default price on the product.
Give each miscellaneous product the category and tax rate that fits the sales it will carry. A Miscellaneous Food item can use your prepared food tax, while a Miscellaneous Retail item uses general sales tax. Place the buttons where staff can find them, and consider a bold button colour so they stand out on the grid.
- Name starts with Miscellaneous
- Set the right category and tax
- Single product type, no variations
- Any default price; the cashier overrides it
At the till
The Custom Product Price window shows the product name, a Custom Price field and a reminder that the amount will override the default product price. The field checks the entry: it asks for a price if left blank, refuses text that is not a number, and refuses negative or unrealistically high amounts. Cancel backs out without adding the line.
Once added, the open-price line behaves like any other. Staff can change the quantity, add a note for the kitchen or workshop, apply a discount, or split it across a group bill. It prints on the receipt with its product name and the price typed, and appears on the kitchen ticket if the category is mapped to a kitchen printer.
Open price versus price override
Open-price items are for things that never have a set price. For everyday products that occasionally need a different price, such as a damaged box or a matched competitor price, use a price override instead. Tap the cart line to open Edit Item and change the unit price, or in QSR Mode tap the Amount column on the line.
Price overrides are controlled by role permissions, so you decide which staff can change prices. If a cashier's role does not allow it, a manager can approve the change on the spot by typing their password. Open-price items do not need that approval, because asking for a price is the whole point of the product.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add an item with no price to SeroPOS?
Create a single product whose name starts with Miscellaneous, such as Miscellaneous Item, and give it the right category and tax. When staff add it to the cart, SeroPOS opens Custom Product Price so they can type the amount and tap Set Price.
Can I charge tax on an open-price item?
Yes. The open-price item uses the tax rate set on the product, just like any other item. Set up separate miscellaneous products if different kinds of sales need different taxes, for example one for prepared food and one for general merchandise.
Can staff change the price of a normal product?
Yes, if their role allows it. Tap the cart line and change the unit price in Edit Item, or tap the Amount column in QSR Mode. If the role is locked, a manager can approve the change once by entering an Admin or Manager password.
Do open-price items show in reports?
Yes. Each miscellaneous product is a real product with its own category, so its sales appear in the daily sales report under item and category sales, and in the back office sales reports. Naming them clearly makes them easy to find later.
Is there a limit on the price I can enter?
The Custom Price field refuses blank, non-numeric and negative entries and rejects amounts that are unrealistically high. Normal prices for custom jobs, services and one-off items are accepted, and the line can still be discounted, edited or split across a group bill afterwards.