Enforcing packing units - little brainstorm

[♥bruyndoncx]

I'm setting up a second site to allow people to order products that are priced per piece, but that can only be ordered by packing unit. eg glas costs 5€, packed 6 in a box, so you can only order multiples of 6.

On the product info page, it is easy to show 1x6, 2x6 etc in a dropdown, but on the shopping cart page, it shows the actual number which can be updated freely.

 

Is there something existing that enforces a packign unit on the shopping cart page ?

 

If not, how would you solve it ?

I'm thinking of showing the number as is, but as readonly, with a new dropdown with the option to add or remove X times eg 6.

Alternatively, I could leave the box editable and refuse the update if it is not a multiple of the packing unit.

 

What are your thoughts ?

[Jack_mcs]

There are the quantity price breaks and minimum purchase addons that may do what you want. Perhaps others.

[♥bruyndoncx]

Thanks Jack,

 

I'm going to take inspiration from Minimum Product Quantity with Admin v1.5

http://addons.oscommerce.com/info/2953

 

and force the multiple in the cart update code, and show a message that the number has been rounded up to the nearest package.

So very little change to the interface, just adding the safeguard for anyone trying to beat the system.

[MrPhil]

Why even bother? Just price per six-pack and leave it at that. Give them a little discount per multi-pack versus singles. If they can buy single items, too, offer quantity 1 and quantity 6 as either two separate items, or as an attribute (single glass 5€, pack of six 29.50€).

 

By advertising a price per item, and then only selling in bulk, you may even be violating consumer protection laws.

[Chris H]

This tester

 

<?php
$in = 14;
$out = 6 * ceil ($in / 6);
echo $out;
?>

 

prints '18' to the screen. But I agree with MrPhil. And I am doubtful about your initial suggestion of a drop-down list. Admittedly, we know that nobody is going to order a million packs. But, still, the difficulty is deciding how big to make the list.

[burt]

1 extra input (for "units") in the admin/categories.php screen when adding/editing a product.

Read that value in product_info.php and set the quantity based on it (using jquery).

 

Next, in case someone can get around that (which would be easy enough), write some logic which takes the units per product and divides by the quantity in the cart, ensure that this is 0 for each product, else redirect back to cart.

 

if product_unit%product_quantity != 0 redirect

 

This could maybe be done at the first file of your checkout? Or maybe be done in the shopping cart class file.

 

[MrPhil]

Let's step back and figure out where you're trying to get to. If you sell only in six-packs, sell by the price of 6 in a pack. Don't fool around with this deceptive "price of one, but you have to buy six at a time" -- that will get you into legal hot water. If you sell both singles and six-packs, offer them as two separate products, or as a (single) product and (attribute) six-pack, price the single and offer a small discount for buying the six-pack. Whether or not you offer a discount for buying a six-pack, you can certainly display a unit price (each) in the description, but you can't imply that's the price of a full six-pack.

 

This reminds me of a very funny novel from back in the sixties, The Ship with the Flat Tire. The Navy vessel in question is the first and only Auxiliary Submarine Support ship (yes, "ASS-1" in 6 foot high letters on the bow). The supply officer needed to order about 1000 rolls of toilet paper. He asks the clerk what the units are. "Each" was the reply. So he orders 1000, unaware that they come in boxes of 1 gross (144 rolls). So a few days later a long line of trucks are at the head of the pier, delivering enough biffy to mothball a full Fleet, not to mention supply a small ship (a converted LST)...

[♥14steve14]

This reminds me of a very funny novel from back in the sixties, The Ship with the Flat Tire. The Navy vessel in question is the first and only Auxiliary Submarine Support ship (yes, "ASS-1" in 6 foot high letters on the bow). The supply officer needed to order about 1000 rolls of toilet paper. He asks the clerk what the units are. "Each" was the reply. So he orders 1000, unaware that they come in boxes of 1 gross (144 rolls). So a few days later a long line of trucks are at the head of the pier, delivering enough biffy to mothball a full Fleet, not to mention supply a small ship (a converted LST)...

 

An old boss of mine used to sell office sundries like this. Everything was sold in boxes. If people didnt ask the size of a box and ordered 10, they would get 10 boxes with 1000 items inside. If they asked, they got what they asked for. They had to build another shed at Waterloo railway station just to store the stuff in one case. Before anyone askes, they could not return the items as the company gave an order number and signed all sorts of stuff. It was so funny hearing all his stories like this.

[jhande]

I'm setting up a second site to allow people to order products that are priced per piece, but that can only be ordered by packing unit. eg glas costs 5€, packed 6 in a box, so you can only order multiples of 6.

 

 

What are your thoughts ?

 

I am with Phil on this one.

 

Product Info Page - display the cost per each in the description (for those that can't do math :- ) but show the price per six and let the customer know of course.

If needed for discounts on multiple boxes set it up with attributes.

You could always setup on the product info page a quantity box (if there is no discounts offered), allowing the customer to purchase multiple boxes. Nicer than increasing item counts in the shopping cart.

[burt]

If you sell by the pack, the sale shows 1 unit.

Actual amount sold = [eg]6 units.

 

The individual shopowner knows what he or she needs, why the extra input on this and that?

 

Remember that a shop is not only for buyers, but is also for the seller.

[MrPhil]

Does the seller receive them prepackaged in six-packs, and have to break a pack open to sell singles, or do they receive them as singles and package them into six-packs themselves? It sounded to me like the former. I think inventory would have to be maintained separately, moving a full pack out of the six-pack inventory and into the singles inventory whenever singles go to 0.

[♥bruyndoncx]

I've been at work all day in the store and are thrilled by the tons of feedback,

However the reason for the need is that I'm setting up a second site for outlet products of a particular brand.

We have a big range, but not all of this brands products in the store.

We have official pricelists and in the store people can by per piece if the packaging is in bulk.

However if we do not carry the range in the physical store, we will only sell it by the box.

Anyhow, the outlet price will be half price.

 

I will make the price display more explicit to show it is for e.g. a box of six.

[♥bruyndoncx]

Does the seller receive them prepackaged in six-packs, and have to break a pack open to sell singles, or do they receive them as singles and package them into six-packs themselves? It sounded to me like the former. I think inventory would have to be maintained separately, moving a full pack out of the six-pack inventory and into the singles inventory whenever singles go to 0.

We only do that kind of thing when there are prom's per sixpack, while our full price inventory is kept in singles.

We then need to make sure to re-stock from our supplier before the promo on the sixpacks is over.

it is not my favourite waste of time though... B)