Tips & Tricks - Inventory Searching and the Power of the Size/Item

When you create a new inventory part, tire or labor item, the first thing you enter is the Size/Item.  Selecting a proper Size/Item will greatly enhance your ability to quickly find this item when you are selling at the counter.  If the item is a tire or wheel, this should always be the size of the tire or wheel.  It is recommended that you use digits only, for ease and speed in searching.


If it is a part or labor item, this should be the category or type of the item.  Many prefer to use abbreviations that are intuitive to them, such as OF for oil filter or AF for air filter. You can use BRAKE for all brake parts and labor, or use BL for all your brake labor items if you have several.

Once your Size/Items are correct, finding items at the counter can be very fast.  Here is how you can find an oil filter and pull it into the Workorder, using just the keyboard. With the cursor in the catalog column:

  • Press F2 to bring up the Inventory Search window.

  • Type OF to find your oil filters labelled with OF.

  • If you have a large number of filters and would like to narrow the search:

  • Hit the Tab key to go the description.

  • Type EXT to limit it to filters containing the words Extended Life.

  • Use the up and down arrow keys to find your filter.

  • Press Enter to pull the filter into the Workorder.

  • Press the Tab key to change the price or quantity, or F3 to edit Outside Part info.

  • Press Enter to go to the next line, where you can again search with F2.

As you can see, putting a little effort into wisely selecting your Size/Item can help your sales process run more smoothly and efficiently.

Adam Irby