A visitor bought a youth medium T-shirt in the gift shop, got home, and found it was too small. Now they’re back at the counter with the receipt, asking for a large. In a standalone retail system the clerk would hit “exchange” and be done. In Altru it usually takes two transactions, and how you handle those two steps decides whether your merchandise revenue and inventory counts still make sense at the end of the month.
Below is how most Altru shops handle exchanges, where the money and stock can go wrong, and how to make the process repeatable for whoever happens to be working the register.
The short version
Altru doesn’t give most shops a single “swap this item for that item” transaction for merchandise. If you’ve looked for one and not found it, you’re probably not missing a hidden button. The reliable approach is:
- Return the original item against the original sale (a refund on that order).
- Sell the replacement item as a new merchandise sale in daily sales.
- Settle the difference so the guest pays or receives only the net amount.
Capabilities can differ by version and configuration, so if you want to be certain, test an exchange end to end in a sandbox or ask Blackbaud support whether your environment offers anything more direct. Plan your procedure around the two-step method either way, because it works everywhere.
Why the two-step method is worth the extra clicks
It’s tempting to skip the return and just hand over the large shirt. Don’t. When nothing is recorded:
- Inventory drifts. The medium went back on the shelf but Altru still thinks it’s sold, and the large left the building without a sale against it. Two counts are now wrong.
- Revenue reports lose detail. If you track sales by item or size to decide what to reorder, unrecorded swaps make your best sellers look different than they are.
- Audits get harder. Whoever reconciles the drawer or reviews batches later has no trail explaining why stock and sales don’t match.
Recording the return and the new sale keeps each item’s history honest, even if the guest only sees one quick interaction.
Handling the price difference
Exchanges come in three flavors, and staff should know which one they’re in before they start.
Same price
Refund the original item and sell the replacement for the same amount. If your process allows the refund and the new sale to net to zero at the register, no money changes hands. If your setup requires the refund to go back to the original tender, refund the card and charge it again for the new item. It’s clunkier, but the books stay clean.
Replacement costs more
Refund the original, ring up the replacement, and collect the difference. The guest should see one net charge, so explain it at the counter: “We’ve returned the medium and you’re paying the extra for the hoodie.”
Replacement costs less
Refund the original, sell the cheaper item, and return the difference. Decide in advance whether the difference goes back to the original payment method, or whether you offer store credit. If you use gift cards or another credit mechanism outside Altru, write down how that ties back to the refund so finance can follow it.
Inventory: check what Altru actually did
Whether a refunded item automatically goes back into available stock depends on how your merchandise and inventory are set up. Don’t assume. Run one test exchange, then look at the on-hand count for both items before and after.
Also decide what happens to returned goods that can’t be resold. A shirt with a coffee stain shouldn’t go back into sellable inventory. If Altru adds it back automatically, someone needs to adjust that count afterward and note why.
Write a one-page exchange procedure
Exchanges are infrequent enough that most staff won’t remember the steps. A short sheet at the register prevents improvised workarounds. Include:
- Your exchange window (for example, 30 days with a receipt) and what to do without one.
- The exact order of steps: find the original sale, return the item, sell the replacement, settle the difference.
- How refunds go back: original tender only, or store credit allowed.
- What to do with damaged returns.
- Who to call if the original sale can’t be found.
Keep it to what fits on one page. If it needs more, the process is probably too complicated for the counter.
Spot-check exchanges monthly
A simple query on merchandise refunds for the past month, paired with the sales made the same day by the same user, will show whether exchanges are being recorded properly. Look for refunds with no matching new sale (possibly a plain return, which is fine) and for staff whose registers show swaps that never appear at all. A quick conversation now beats an inventory surprise at year-end count.
Quick answers
Can I just edit the original order to change the item?
Editing a completed sale is generally not how Altru expects corrections to happen, and it can blur the audit trail. A return plus a new sale is safer. If you’re unsure what your configuration permits, test it in a sandbox first.
What if the guest has no receipt?
Try finding the sale by date, time, and amount, or by the constituent if they’re a member. If you can’t locate it, follow your no-receipt policy, which might be store credit at the current price, and record it as a return so inventory still adjusts.
