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DETAIL PATHVENDORS, please click on the NEW FUNCTIONS link to see some recent additions in function.The Detail Path portion of the training guide is designed to give you a very detailed look at all of the functions in the Group Buy System. It covers the Menu selections, how to create, maintain and manage deal sheets and various reports on the status of deal sheets. You may click any of the links to the left that you want to review, or you may want to begin with the first link and view them all. If you want a higher level of information on the system, you should use the Fast Path portion of the Training Guide. Just click on the Fast Path link at the top of this page. Be sure to read the text in the callout boxes Every effort has been made to accurately reflect the content of each web page within the system. However, there can be minor discrepancies between the content of this guide with the actual page content found in the system. This is due to system improvements that may not have been updated to this training guide. We strive to minimize any such discrepancies. We welcome your suggestions for improvements that will make the system easier to use. Please forward your suggestions to GBSupport@grocerybiz.com. SUBJECTS COVERED ON THIS PAGE: The following paragraphs provide basic information about the structure of the system and some key features .
BACKGROUNDGrocers Supply is pleased to present the Internet-based Group Buy System as a continued expression of our dedication to excellence in serving the independent grocer. The Group Buy Program has been a successful program for many years where Grocers partners with many of its key suppliers to bring competitive pricing to its large base of independent retail grocers in the region. Grocers believes this step toward streamlining the preparation and establishment of the basic Group Buy Program Deal Sheet is a further expression of our commitment to our Vendor and Retail partners. (The term "Vendor" is used throughout this Training Guide to indicate a manufacturer or a broker from whom Grocers acquires products for distribution to its retailer community.) The Group Buy Program has grown dramatically since its inception over twenty years ago. From its meager beginnings it has grown in size and scope and complexity. This growth was built on a largely paper-based process that today is a somewhat unwieldy and time consuming process. Our current trimester group buy periods are dictated by the process. We see this first phase of a new internet-based system as a means of moving from the trimester period boundary to the more frequent quarterly period Group Buy Program. As a user of the present paper Deal Sheet you are quite familiar with the format and how you use the form to communicate your deals to Grocers. This is both a simple form and a powerful form for capturing a deal. It is infinitely variable since you can make many notations on the form to communicate from the Vendor to Grocers any special handling or circumstances that should apply to a particular deal. SYSTEM DESIGN STRATEGYThe design team devoted many hours of analysis to defining the business rules that should govern the capturing of deal information in an electronic format. Three principles guided the overall design of the new system as follows. Capture the Vendor deal information:
Grocers believes the fact that the system is internet-based will allow the Vendor to create deal sheets as soon as possible in the preparation phase of a Group Buy Program. The basic requirements for using the system are an understanding of how to use the new system functions, an internet connection and a PC or laptop computer. No special software is required. Grocers believes the business rules encompass the level of editing required to provide a "clean" deal sheet upon entry or selection of deal information. There is extensive editing and error messaging provided to the user to guide them to a relatively error free description of a deal. Grocers believes that our design principles contribute to making the process easy for the Vendor. These include:
VENDOR FUNCTIONSThe organization of the Training Guide begins with the sign-on structure, menu, a sample of a completed deal sheet and building a deal as the mainstream of how to use the system. From that point the guide allows you to select from the many variations of actions you may need to use in preparing a deal sheet. The outline that follows shows you that structure.
DATA SELECTION vs. KEYINGA key feature of the Group Buy System is the strategy of reducing the number of keystrokes to a minimum for creating, maintaining and managing deal sheets. Whenever possible the system will provide information about the Group Buy Program, Vendor, Item and Cost directly from Grocers respective databases. This not only reduces the number of keyed entries for deal sheet creation but also ensures the data is accurate at that point in time. Should the information presented to you not match your expectations, you should contact your associated Grocers Buyer to determine where the discrepancy lies. HOW SELECTION WORKSThe ability of the system to select information to present to you requires an association between you, the vendor you represent and the items that you manage within that vendor identity. For example: Person A represents Vendor X with responsibility for Item Codes 100000 - 100999. When Person A logs on to the Group Buy System, the system now knows whom you represent and which products you manage. The system will present information that Person A needs and is authorized to access and manage but does not permit access to any other persons or vendors information. One other key association is also necessary, and that is the association of Person A to a Grocers Buyer who has responsibility for the products that Person A manages. Example of Item Selection
WHO SETS THIS UP?Setting up these associations is a shared responsibility between you and Grocers. Grocers associates buyers to vendors and items. Grocers establishes logon authority in conjunction with a vendor assigned administrator at each vendor location, i.e. broker, manufacturer. The administrator has responsibility to assign logon authority to users within the vendor location. Typically, this will be an assignment of a logon to an individual with responsibility for one or many specific vendor codes. It is the local administrators responsibility to make changes to these logon assignments to reflect any changes that may occur. LOGGING ON TO THE SYSTEMOnce the above described associations are made between you, your vendor and the products you manage, the logging on process is a matter of accessing the Group Buy System website and clicking on the Log-On text. You will be prompted for your log-on user id and password. Once logged on to the system you will be presented with a Menu of functions from which you can select to begin searching, creating or managing deal sheets. GROUP BUY SYSTEM MENU
Vendor View of the Menu with an accompanying list of Deals not Sent to Grocers Supply. The message atop this list (Deals must be completed by date) is a reminder that these deal sheets need to be marked as Complete. When you Complete a deal sheet it is moved to the Buyer for approval and is no longer accessible to you to make changes. SAMPLE DEAL SHEETHeader Section
Item Detail Lines Section
Vendor Deal to GSC Section
GSC Deal to Retailer Section
Notes Section
A sample of a completed Deal Sheet is provided here to get you oriented to the format and information content of the new Deal Sheet. The format is similar to the old paper form Deal Sheet. There is additional information on the new version provided to help ensure accuracy and completeness of the deal, as well as the current status of the deal. The Deal Sheet is comprised of five (5) sections: 1) Control; 2) Item detail lines; 3) Vendor Deal to GSC; 4) GSC Deal to Customer; and 5) Notes. Each is profiled below. Control Section The Control Section contains basic information about the:
Item Detail Lines The Item Detail Lines Section of the deal lists the Items selected for inclusion in a deal. The detail lines are presented as confirmation of the Item selections made and to allow the entry of the following information:
The system populates the other Item information based on the selections made during the definition of the basic deal. The information used for population is taken directly from Grocers files and databases and represents the most current information available. Although more information is provided here than on the original paper form of the Deal Sheet, the structure is very similar, including the following data:
Vendor Deal to GSC The Vendor Deal to GSC Section is where the specifics of the deal are supplied by the Vendor. The Cost Basis is defined as one of the following three (3) cost amounts:
The Cost description that is highlighted for a particular deal will be the price chosen by the Vendor at the time the deal is created or later changed. The format of the individual Deal Lines has been streamlined from the original Deal Sheet form to allow Off Invoice and/or Bill Back deal specifics rather than the previous lines 2) through 8). There are six (6) lines provided for entry of Off Invoice and/or Bill Back allowances. There is an additional line for entry of Deal Amount from Fund, IM, Qty, Etc. Each deal line allows for the entry of a brief Line Note. Additionally, the vendor is required to enter the following Buy and Ship Dates:
The COST Summary shows the results of the system calculation as the Total Deal, Net Case Cost and Net Unit Cost. The Total Deal is calculated by deriving a total of the Off Invoice and/or Bill Back Deal Lines and any amount in the Deal Amount from Fund, IM, Qty, etc. line. The Net Case Cost is calculated by subtracting the Total Deal amount from the Cost Basis. The Net Unit Cost is calculated as the Total Deal amount divided by the Pack size. Notes The Notes Section allows for the entry of free-form text and is comprised of four (5) types of notes the Vendor has available for a deal as follows:
MANAGING VENDOR DEAL SHEETSThe Group Buy System provides the necessary functions to allow you to manage the Deal Sheets from the point of Deal Sheet creation to the points of completion and later change when required. This Training Guide is organized around the major system functions that allow you to control the deal sheet throughout the creation, completion and change processes. The following paragraphs provide a synopsis of each of the broad functions in the system corresponding to each of the links in the Menu graphic above and the buttons in the left margin of this page. Just click on any of these buttons to link to that section of the Training Guide. ALERT FLAG FEATUREIt is important to understand a basic design feature of the Group Buy System. All deals begin life in the system in a pending or suspend status. That means all data that is required to complete a deal is considered to be absent until it is supplied and that data must pass any edits the system performs. In essence, all data that must be selected or keyed by the vendor to complete a deal will start out with an alert flag. Alert Flags do not prevent the Vendor from completing any actions on the deal sheet. The responsibility for approving, disapproving or facilitating the resolution of alerts falls on the Buyer. Alert Flags must be handled by the Buyer before the deal can progress to the Group Buy Team approval step. The Buyer and Vendor will collaborate on the proper handling of Alert Flags. This feature maintains an accurate and up-to-date record of the status of the deal at all times. The Vendor is notified of any Alert conditions on the Deal Sheet and on reports. DEAL SHEET ENTRYThe entry of a Deal Sheet follows the structure of a Deal Sheet form as follows:
Many situations can be accommodated in the deal sheet entry process as follows;
The Group Buy System guides the Vendor through the steps to create the deal. The Vendor is asked to indicate that the deal is Complete when all data has been selected or keyed. Once marked Complete the deal is now open to the associated Buyer for review and action and is no longer accessible to the Vendor for change. A Completed deal can be reopened to accommodate changes required by the Vendor by requesting the associated Buyer to reopen the deal sheet for Vendor update access. DEAL MAINTENANCEA deal sheet may need attention after it has been created in order to react to price changes, timing changes, item discontinuance or any number of other reasons that arise from business or marketplace changes. The Group Buy System provides the flexibility needed for the Vendor to react to changes and keep the previously entered deal sheets current. Those changes include the following:
REPORT TYPESThe Group Buy System provides a number of reports on deals either in-process or completed. The basic report types are:
The Deal Sheet Print type of report is a print of an individual Deal Sheet either complete or in-process of creation. The Deal Reports by Deal Status covers a number of reports based on the current status of all deals for a Vendor Code or code grouping that includes:
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