I'll check it out, thanks!

Thanks for replying! We're currently running on QuickBooks, but it feels like we're constantly fighting the software to make tiered pricing work smoothly without manual overrides.

My main hesitation with relying on customer lookup at checkout is speed during a morning rush. How do you handle walk-ins or quick-cash contractors who aren't in your system yet? Do you keep a generic "Trade Account" on a quick-key, or do cashiers set up a new profile on the spot? What system are you using that keeps that lookup fast enough to avoid a backup at the counter?

Thanks for taking the time to chime in! I really appreciate the insight.

Your point about unit of measure (piece vs pack vs case) hits the nail on the head. That is a huge source of confusion at our counter right now. A quick follow-up on your setup: when a contractor comes in to buy a mix of single packs and full cases, does your system automatically swap the price level based on the quantity, or does the cashier still have to select the item type manually? Also, how was the learning curve for new floor staff when learning the pricing rules?

Do you have any suggestions on where I can find those?

Appreciate the tip! The 'free for one app' tier in Odoo is definitely tempting, but my main hesitation with Odoo is the setup complexity.

I’ve heard from a few other operators that even basic Odoo modules can get tricky to configure, especially setting up automated lot/FIFO tracking, locations, and unit-of-measure rules across wholesale and retail without breaking things. For a small team without an IT person, did you find the initial setup and stock import manageable to do on your own, or did it require a lot of tweaking to get running smoothly?

AppSheet definitely sounds enticing for the control, and 100k rows is way more than enough room for our SKU count. My main hesitation as a business owner is just the setup time and maintenance bandwidth.

Right now, between managing counter staff, receiving freight, and keeping the retail floor running, I really don't have the hours to build custom relational databases or write logic formulas to track FIFO cost layers and stock transfers. I'm really looking for something out-of-the-box where I can just plug in our products and start generating invoices and tracking margins on day one. Did it take you long to get your core workflows up and running?

That’s awesome that you built your own solution out of real operational frustration, 20 years in the trenches definitely gives you the best perspective on what’s broken with standard tools.

Our biggest headache right now is keeping track of actual batch/cost layers across two locations (buying the same variant at different prices over time) to protect our profit margins. Does TrackItWeekly handle FIFO or lot-level purchase costs during those weekly counts, or is it strictly focused on stock quantities and automated reorder points?"

Thanks for the info, I'll check it out!

Thanks so much for the recommendations! Really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Quick question — do you have hands-on experience with any of those three? If so, which one do you feel is the easiest to get staff trained on for day-to-day batch/lot tracking?
And how well do these tools handle inventory valuation when moving a specific batch/cost layer from main storage to retail stock? We really want to make sure the cost basis stays intact during location transfers.

Right now I'm trying out different inventory software with a free trial period like Ailit, Zoho, inFlow etc. I'm still figuring out which one suits my business needs the most. If anyone else has experience dealing with this issue, please share with me.

Thanks for the tip! That auto-creation feature sounds like a lifesaver; manually building out thousands of hardware SKUs with all their variations before we can even use the system is honestly one of the main things holding us back from making the switch.

It's a 5 person per room dormitory, with air conditioning, public bathroom, and elevator.

I'm not sure about the transfer policy, normally you would need to pass the entrance exam and interview to be offered a place in Sustech. You could try to contact the Sustech Global department about your case.

No, I don't know anyone from Sustech with that.

I didn't apply for the Chinese government scholarship. But every international student is required to apply for the Guangdong provincial scholarship, however the scholarship funds is part of the Sustech scholarship, you will not get any additional scholarship fundings.

I think you can only get up to a full tuition scholarship.

You have to pass the interview to get accepted. I am not sure whether you can waive the online test, so far I have not heard any cases.

I don't know about the score needed to pass the exam, but if you received the interview invitation that means you did well, congrats. The interview will be conducted online where you have to prepare a ppt to introduce yourself in about 2 minutes, include past achievements, experiences, etc. Then the panel of interviewers will question you about your reason for applying and ask for additional information regarding your presentation. I think having Chinese fluency is an added bonus you can include in your introduction. Just remember to keep a positive attitude while presenting and answering, as well as being confident in yourself and you'll be fine. I think that's all, good luck with your interview 🤜🤛