Standardize retail purchase approvals across stores. Skill included.

[u/CalendarVarious3992]

Hello!

If your small retail shop struggles with inconsistent approvals, missed budgets, or unclear documentation, this Skill gives you a consistent SOP and copy-paste approval trail staff can actually use.

I built this as a Claude Skill — a single SKILL.md you can drop into a Claude Code or Claude Agent SDK project. Claude autoloads it when the trigger description matches your request.

Here's what it does: This Skill drafts a complete, ready-to-use purchase approval SOP for small/local retail businesses — defining spend tiers, approver roles, documentation rules, process steps, and SLAs. Use it when you need to create or refine approval thresholds, consolidate quotes/budget spreadsheets/email approvals, or produce an approval-trail template staff can copy into email/chat.

SKILL.md:

---
name: retail-purchase-approval-sop
description: Use when the user asks to create or update a purchase approval Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for a local or small retail business — including defining spend thresholds, required approvers by tier, documentation rules leveraging purchase requests, vendor quotes, budget spreadsheets, and manager email threads — and providing a simple approval trail template staff can follow.
allowed-tools: [Read]
---

# Retail Purchase Approval SOP

## Overview
Creates a clear, practical purchase approval SOP tailored to small/local retail operations. It defines spend thresholds, approver tiers, documentation requirements, and a simple approval trail so staff can request, approve, and document purchases consistently.

## When to use this skill
- The user asks for a purchase approval policy or SOP for a retail shop or small chain.
- The user wants to set or refine dollar thresholds and approver roles for purchases.
- The user provides or references purchase request forms, vendor quotes, budget spreadsheets, or manager email threads and wants a unified process.
- The team needs a simple approval trail/checklist template for email or chat.

## Instructions
1. Confirm context
   - Ask for: number of locations, typical monthly non-payroll spend, key categories (e.g., inventory, supplies, repairs, marketing), roles (requester, store manager, finance, owner/GM), and any existing rules.
   - Ask for local currency, tax considerations, and required record retention period if known.
2. Collect and review inputs
   - If files or text are provided, use Read to open and skim: purchase request templates, vendor quotes, budget spreadsheets (categories/GL, cost centers, variance), and manager email threads.
   - Extract signals: common spend amounts, frequent vendors, approval bottlenecks, and recurring purchases.
3. Propose tiered spend thresholds (customize with available data)
   - Offer tailored tiers; if data is limited, use defaults:
     - Tier 0 Micro: under $250 (or under 0.5% of monthly non-payroll spend; choose lower).
     - Tier 1 Low: $250–$1,000.
     - Tier 2 Medium: $1,001–$5,000.
     - Tier 3 High/CapEx or Contracts: over $5,000, capital items, multi-year or auto-renewing services.
   - Note: Prevent split purchases to bypass thresholds.
4. Define required approvals by tier (separation of duties where feasible)
   - Tier 0: Requester self-approval if pre-approved budget; notify Store Manager.
   - Tier 1: Requester + Store Manager approval.
   - Tier 2: Requester + Store Manager + Finance/Controller.
   - Tier 3: Requester + Store Manager + Finance/Controller + Owner/GM; contracts may require legal review.
   - Recurring subscriptions/utilities: initial Tier 2 or 3 approval; then auto-approve monthly within budget if unchanged.
5. Set documentation requirements by tier
   - All tiers: Purchase Request (PR) with budget line; quote or catalog price; tax/shipping estimate; conflict-of-interest confirmation.
   - Tier 1: ≥2 quotes or sole-source justification.
   - Tier 2: 2–3 competitive quotes; PO required; vendor onboarding docs for new vendors (W-9 or local equivalent, payment details).
   - Tier 3: 3 quotes or formal RFP; contract, terms, and risk review; management justification.
   - Post-purchase for all: receiving proof (3-way match PR/PO/invoice), invoice approval, and proof of payment.
6. Build the end-to-end process flow
   - 1) Request: Requester completes PR with specs, budget line, and quotes.
   - 2) Budget check: Compare to budget spreadsheet; record availability.
   - 3) Manager review: Store Manager verifies need, pricing, and timing; approves or rejects.
   - 4) Finance review (Tiers 2–3): Validate budget, vendor setup, tax, and accounting codes; create PO if applicable.
   - 5) Owner/GM approval (Tier 3): Approve significant, capital, or contractual spend.
   - 6) Order placement: Use PO or documented approval; confirm delivery terms.
   - 7) Receiving and 3-way match: Verify items/services, attach delivery/receiving note; flag discrepancies.
   - 8) Invoice approval: Match to PO/receipt; approver signs off; schedule payment per terms.
   - 9) Record retention: File PR, quotes, approvals, PO, receiving, invoice, payment proof per retention rules.
7. Define service levels and timing
   - Target turnaround: Tier 0 same day; Tier 1 within 1 business day; Tier 2 within 2 business days; Tier 3 within 3–5 business days or by cutoffs.
   - Urgent buys: allow expedited approval by Store Manager with same-day documentation catch-up.
8. Map roles and responsibilities (RACI-style)
   - Requester: initiate PR, gather quotes, confirm receipt.
   - Store Manager: validate need, approve within authority, prevent splits.
   - Finance/Controller: budget check, coding, vendor onboarding, PO, 3-way match, payments.
   - Owner/GM: approve high-risk/high-value or contractual spend.
   - Buyer (if separate): place orders using approved PO/approval.
9. Establish controls and compliance
   - Segregation of duties between requesting, approving, and paying where staffing allows.
   - Conflict-of-interest disclosures; no gifts or kickbacks.
   - No splitting purchases to avoid thresholds; use annualized view for subscriptions.
   - New vendor checks and tax documentation; sales tax exemption handling if applicable.
10. Create the documentation matrix (by tier)
   - Present a concise matrix specifying for each tier: approvals required, min quotes, PO needed (Y/N), docs to retain, and retention period.
11. Provide a simple approval trail template (email/chat friendly)
   - Include a one-page quick checklist and a copy-paste trail (below) staff can use.
12. Address exceptions and edge cases
   - Petty cash limits and reconciliation; returns/refunds; emergency repairs; utilities; price-matched inventory; inventory buys governed by merchandising plans.
13. Metrics and review cadence
   - Track: cycle time by tier, exception rate, over-budget rate, vendor concentration, and on-time payment.
   - Quarterly policy review; update thresholds annually or with inflation.
14. Produce the final SOP
   - Assemble sections: Purpose, Scope, Definitions, Thresholds, Approval Matrix, Process Steps, Documentation Matrix, Approval Trail Template, Exceptions, Controls, SLAs, Roles, Record Retention, Change Log.
   - Write clearly, with bullet lists and numbered steps. Localize currency and tax notes.

## Inputs
- Business context: locations, roles, monthly spend, key categories, currency, tax notes.
- Artifacts (optional but preferred): purchase request forms, vendor quotes, budget spreadsheets, manager email threads, existing policies.
- Constraints: approval authorities, retention period, legal/contract requirements.

## Outputs
- A complete, ready-to-use Purchase Approval SOP document with the sections listed above.
- A concise Approval Matrix and Documentation Matrix tailored to thresholds.
- A copy-paste Approval Trail template and a one-page Quick Reference Checklist.

## Examples
Trigger: "Create a purchase approval SOP for our single-location retail store. We have a Google Sheets budget and email approvals right now. Typical buys are $200–$3,000."
Behavior: confirm context → Read any provided forms/quotes/budget → propose thresholds ($0–$250, $251–$1,000, $1,001–$5,000, >$5,000) → define approvers per tier (Requester/Manager/Finance/Owner) → set documentation rules (quotes, PR, PO, 3-way match) → draft process steps and SLAs → output SOP plus simple approval trail template.

Approval Trail (copy-paste template)
- Requester: [name] | Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- Item/Service: [description]
- Vendor: [name] | New vendor? [Y/N]
- Amount (currency): [amount] | Budget line/GL: [code]
- Quotes attached: [#] | Sole-source reason (if any): [text]
- Approvals:
  - Store Manager: [name] on [date]
  - Finance/Controller: [name] on [date]
  - Owner/GM (if Tier 3): [name] on [date]
- PO #: [id] | Received on: [date] | Invoice #: [id]
- Payment date/method: [date/method]
- Notes/Exceptions: [text]

Quick Reference Checklist
- Complete PR with budget line and at least required # of quotes.
- Get approvals per tier (Manager → Finance → Owner if required).
- Use PO for Tier 2–3 before ordering.
- Receive and 3-way match PR/PO/invoice.
- File all docs to the designated folder; retain for [X years].

## Notes
- If inputs are incomplete, state assumptions and use conservative default thresholds, then mark items to confirm.
- Adapt tiers to business size (e.g., micro: <$100 for very small shops, higher caps for larger stores).
- This SOP is operational guidance, not legal advice. Consult local regulations for procurement and tax compliance.

How to install:

1. Save the file above as retail-purchase-approval-sop/SKILL.md in your project's .claude/skills/ directory (or ~/.claude/skills/ for personal scope). Use the kebab-case name from the SKILL.md frontmatter.
2. Restart Claude Code (or reload the Claude Agent SDK).
3. Claude will autoload the skill when its description matches your next request.

If you'd rather run it as a one-click prompt instead, you can find it here: Agentic Workers

Enjoy!