Some shop owners order inventory by picking up the phone, rattling off a list from memory, and hoping for the best. That works — until it doesn’t. Purchase orders give you a paper trail, keep your costs accurate, and make receiving shipments dramatically easier. Even if your vendor doesn’t require a formal PO, you should be creating one anyway.
Building a Purchase Order #
Go to Dashboard > Inventory > Purchase Orders and click New Purchase Order.
First, select the vendor you’re ordering from. Then start adding items — you can search by name, item ID, or barcode. For each item, enter the quantity you want and verify the cost. If the vendor’s price has changed since your last order, update it here. This is how TORO keeps your cost data accurate.
Once everything looks right, save or submit the PO. It’s now tracked as outstanding, meaning you and your staff can see exactly what’s on order and hasn’t arrived yet. No more guessing whether you already ordered those lighters or not.
Let TORO Suggest What to Order #
You don’t have to build every PO from scratch. TORO can suggest items that need reordering based on your stock levels and reorder points. It looks at each item’s current quantity on hand versus its minimum stock level and flags anything that’s running low.
This is incredibly useful for routine reordering. Instead of walking the floor with a notepad, pull up the suggested orders list, review it, and convert it into a PO. You’ll catch things you might have missed and avoid ordering things you don’t actually need yet.
Tracking PO Status #
Once a PO is created, TORO tracks its lifecycle. You can see at a glance which orders are open and waiting, which have been partially received (some items arrived, others haven’t), and which are fully received and closed out.
This matters more than you’d think. When a customer asks “Did you order those?” you’ll have an answer in seconds instead of digging through emails or trying to remember a phone conversation.
Emailing POs to Vendors #
TORO can email purchase orders directly to your vendors. No printing, no faxing, no copying into a separate email. Select the PO, hit send, and it goes out as a clean, branded email — modern card-style layout with your store info, a clear item table showing both wholesale and store cost, and a bold total at the bottom. It looks professional because it is. For vendors who accept orders by email, this saves a surprising amount of time over the course of a year.
Every PO email also includes two attachments: a simple HTML version of the order (just the table, no fancy formatting — great for printing or forwarding), and a CSV file of the order that can be imported into a spreadsheet or ordering system. The CSV includes item IDs and any available manufacturer barcodes, so your vendor has everything they need to match items on their end.
Tagging Items from a Purchase Order #
Need to tag a batch of items — say, everything from a seasonal order or a specific promotion? The PO editor has a Tag Items button that does exactly that. Click it, pick one or more item tags from the list, and every item on the PO gets tagged in one shot. Shipping, discount, and tax lines are skipped automatically.
This is handy when you want to group items for reporting, filtering, or tracking without tagging them one by one from the item editor. If a tag doesn’t exist yet, you can create one right from the tag selector.
Why This Matters #
Purchase orders aren’t just paperwork for the sake of paperwork. They serve real purposes:
Cost accuracy. When you record costs on the PO and then receive against it, TORO updates your average cost automatically. That flows into your margin calculations, your profit reports, everything. Without POs, your cost data slowly drifts from reality.
Accountability. A PO is a record of what you ordered, when, and at what price. If a vendor charges you differently than what was agreed, you have documentation. If something goes missing between ordering and receiving, you can trace where the breakdown happened.
Easier receiving. When that shipment shows up, your staff opens the PO and checks items off against it instead of trying to figure out what’s in the boxes. It’s faster, more accurate, and much less stressful during a busy day.
Matching vendor invoices. When the bill comes, compare it against the PO. Did they charge you the right prices? Did they bill you for items you didn’t receive? POs make this a five-minute task instead of a headache.
All your purchase orders are saved in TORO for reference and auditing. You can go back months or years later and see exactly what you ordered, from whom, and what it cost.
