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Example: Inventory in a Shoe Store
Groqits are ideal for taking inventories where there are small numbers
of many different items. A good example would be a shoe store. A
shoe store will typically have dozens or even hundreds of different
pairs of shoes.
Normally during a physical inventory, a person will scan a barcode and
enter the quantity of that item on the shelf. If the boxes are held
on shelves where the public has access, they will tend to become un-organized
and difficult to inventory. Since each box of shoes may or may not
be next to identical styles, sizes or widths, counting the number of identical
boxes becomes very time consuming. There is also no way to be certain
you have found all of that style, size & width. The solution to this
problem is to scan each box separately. This requires a large number
of scanners and a simple way to combine the data.
Groqits are inexpensive enough that many them can be employed during an
inventory. Each scanned barcode is stored in a sorted list. If
there are identical boxes of shoes, the Groqit simply adds another barcode
to the file. The order of scanning does not matter, as a Groqit automatically
sorts barcodes while storing them.
When the inventory is complete, the data on each Groqit can be combined
into a single file or spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet is used,
a simple marco can be written that counts each of the barcodes and produces
a list of unique barcodes and how many you have of each.
Example: B simple warehouse re-stocking application
One Groqit customer wholesales DVDs. Their problem was dealing with returned
merchandise. To return the DVDs to inventory, each item had to be checked
against a print-out of a spreadsheet listing barcodes, titles, and bin locations.
Restocking involved three steps:
- Check each DVD and compare it to a printed list before crediting
the store, because they frequently would get DVDs that were not
part of their stock.
- Sorting the returns by aisle and shelf into carts. Again, looking
at printed lists for location.
- Replacing DVDs in physical inventory.
The process, for a typical return shipment of 300 DVDs, was taking 16-20
hours.
The Groqit has a hidden feature that makes it useful in this application.
When a barcode is scanned, the Groqit will search its BARCODE file, but
if it doesn't find the code, it will then search the VERSION file, if it
exists.
Here's the DVD warehouse's new method using the Groqit:
- Step 1 - A Category matching the RMA is created and a Groqit
is used to scan ALL of the returns. A simple Access script compares
the generated BARCODE list to the warehouse's base list and the
store is credited only for correct returns.
- Step 2 - A second scan was performed against a VERSION* list
of stock DVDs. If a DVD is found, the bin location is displayed
and the DVD is placed in the correct cart for re-stocking. Any
DVD that is "not found" does not belong in their stock,
so it can be set aside.
- Step 3 - The re-stocker checks each DVD before placing it on
the shelf. This reduces errors.
Re-stock time was cut to less than 5 hours.
* Their VERSION file contains the barcode, a "|" as a field separator,
and a bin location. (This file only changes when they get new titles
and is a simple export from their spreadsheet.) When a sorter scans
a DVD, the bin location is displayed on the Groqit. No printout, no time
wasted manually scanning a 30-35 page list. (See File
Structure below for detaield information & examples of Groqit files)
Can I use the Groqit to scan directly into my computer?
The Groqit is not a wand or scanning wedge, and in designed to be used
independent of a computer.It is an integrated Inventory Management
System, which stores data internally, in simple flat files. These
files can be read by your computer, when you connect it's USB port to your
computer, it looks like any external hard drive. The Groqit will
not operate as
a scanner, however, while plugged into the computer.
Quantities and Duplicate items
If you need to know how many of a given item you have, you add each barcode to your inventory under the Category you have made for it.
When you run a check, it adds up all of the identical barcodes and gives
you a total. When you delete an item, it just removes one from its records.
The underlying design makes adding dozens of identical items a bit slow,
but it can be done in MULTIPLE-ADD mode. Alternately, if you already
have a large Inventory on your computer, you can pre-load large numbers
of items onto a Groqit (though the Groqit still must store each item to
keep count) and then use the Groqit device to add/delete, to keep the computerized
inventory up to date.
Cordinating multiple Groqits
You can organize data in your computer, upload categories from your Groqit
and download files that you alter to any Groqit, so you can pre-load a Groqit for a co-worker to use, with information you have collected and
organized. Any
you can upload the data your colleaqgue has collected, and merge or otherwise
manage those files. (Just be careful to do backups of original files,
as you don't want to accidentally destroy information you have
gathered!)
Groqit file structure
• The file name can only have eight characters and
cannot have an extension (no ending in ".doc" for instance).
• The first field in each record can
contain upper case A-Z, blank/space, 0-9 -- you can't use any
punctuation or special characters. Other fields can contain
comas and other punctuation. Although the display is limited
to 16 characters, you can scroll left & right to see long
fields.
• Each record must be on it's own line.
Your file is a column with each set of information (like a barcode,
at its simplest) on its own line, and you don't use any punctuation
at the end of the line. You hit the Return (or Enter)
key and start the next line.
• The fields in a record are separated
by the pipe character "|" (chr 124) So if you're entering
a set of barcodes, plus a description that goes with each one,
you put a "|" in between. That's the character above the
backslash key on your keyboard.
• The file must be sorted in ascending order. This means
that your barcode files are put in order from lower numbers to
higher numbers. If you are entering files by name or description,
they must be in alphabetical (A to Z) order.
Groqits have been tested with 40 fields per record and 1024
characters per field.
Examples:
(Just barcodes)
015400022255
01892600395120547
01892600395120904
01892600495820846
01892600495820979
03714500295853288
(barcodes | description)
015400022255|widget A
01892600395120547|thingy B
01892600395120904|it came from the stockroom
01892600495820846|parts kit 101
(A Version file with barcode | location)
01892600395120547|Row 7 Shelf 5A
01892600395120904|Row 3 Shelf 12D
01892600495820846|Row 1 Shelf 1A
01892600495820979|Row 12 Shelf 7C
03714500295853288|Row 17 Shelf 2B
(Book file with 4 fields, sorted by Author)
ANDERSON, SHERWOOD|WINESBURG, OHIO|CAEDMON|9780898451481|0898451485|83740015
ARMSTRONG, DORSEY|GENDER AND THE CHIVALRIC COMMUNITY IN MALORY'S MORTE
D'ARTHUR|UNIVERSITY PRESS OF FLORIDA|9780813026862|0813026865|2003061694
AUEL, HANS-HELMAR|BIBEL IM KIRCHENLIED|VANDENHOECK & RUPRECHT|9783525593554|3525593554|2002431074
AUEL, LISA B|TIES THAT BIND|NATIONAL ARCHIVES|9780911333930|0911333932|91040704
BAILEY, JOSEPH H|TOKENS & TREASURES|NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS
ADMINISTRATION|9781880875100|1880875101|96000871
(Book file with 4 fields, sorted by Title)
100 NAJPINEKNIEJSZYCH MIEJSC I OBIEKTAOW NLUBELSZCZYAZNIE =|CZELAZNY,
WALDEMAR|LUBELSKI KLUB KSINACZKI
3RD REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE 1998|STURGEON, JULIAN|IUCN-ROSA
ACTIVE FILTERS FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS|HOLMES, W HARVEY|R OLDENBOURG
VERLAG
ACTS OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS NOBLE KNIGHTS|MALORY, THOMAS|AVENEL BOOKS
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AROUND THE WORLD|SOWELL, THOMAS|YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
ARTHURIAN MYTHS AND ALCHEMY|HUGHES, JONATHAN|SUTTON
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