A visitor buys a plush animal and a field guide in your shop and asks, “Can I get a gift receipt?” It sounds simple: a receipt without prices that the recipient can bring back for an exchange. In Altru, it often isn’t that simple, and the cashier is the one stuck improvising.
Here’s what we know about gift receipts for merchandise in Altru, how to confirm what your own setup can do, and the workarounds that hold up when someone comes back to exchange an item.
Does Altru print gift receipts?
As far as we know, Altru doesn’t offer a dedicated “gift receipt” option at the point of sale, meaning a one-click receipt that lists the items but hides the prices. Merchandise sold through daily sales prints on your standard sales receipt, which includes amounts and payment details.
We’re not certain about every configuration, and Blackbaud updates the product over time. Before you build a workaround, confirm it two ways:
- Test in a sandbox or training environment. Run a merchandise sale and look at every print and reprint option you have for the receipt. Check whether your receipt layout lets you remove or suppress price and payment fields.
- Ask Blackbaud support directly. Ask whether a price-free receipt layout is supported for daily sales, and whether you can pick a different layout per transaction. A clear yes or no from them saves a lot of guessing.
If the answer is that you can build a second receipt layout without prices and choose it at print time, use that. The rest of this article is for when you can’t.
What a gift receipt actually has to do
It helps to separate the guest’s wish from your operational need. The guest wants the price hidden. Your shop needs to be able to find the original sale later so an exchange or return is handled correctly in Altru. A good gift receipt has:
- The item name (or a short description) for each item being gifted
- The date of purchase
- Something that ties back to the original transaction, such as the order or receipt number
- Your return and exchange policy, including any time limit
- No prices, no payment method, no card digits
That last line is the guest’s concern. The order number is yours. Any workaround that drops the order number creates a headache at the return counter.
Workarounds that work
1. A preprinted gift receipt slip
This is the most common fix and the easiest to train. Print a small card or half-sheet with your logo, return policy, and blank lines for date, items, and order number. The cashier fills it in by hand from the Altru receipt and tucks it into the bag. The regular receipt goes to the buyer.
It’s low-tech, but it’s consistent, costs almost nothing, and seasonal staff can learn it in a minute. Keep a stack at every register that sells merchandise.
2. Reprint and mark out the prices
Some shops reprint the receipt and black out the amounts with a marker. It works in a pinch, but it looks rough for a gift and it’s easy to miss a line or leave the card’s last four digits visible. Use it as a fallback, not your standard.
3. A gift receipt sticker or stamp
A “Gift Receipt — exchange only” stamp on a duplicate receipt with the totals folded under or trimmed off is a middle ground. It keeps the order number printed (no handwriting errors), but you still need to make sure payment details are removed.
Handling the exchange when it comes back
The receipt is only half of the process. Decide ahead of time what staff do when someone shows up with one:
- Look up the original sale by order or receipt number and date so the return or exchange is recorded against it in Altru, rather than as a free-floating adjustment.
- Decide what the recipient gets. Most shops offer an exchange or store credit for gift returns, not a refund to the buyer’s card. Write that on the slip so nobody argues at the counter.
- Have a rule for missing order numbers. If the slip has only a date and item name, can staff search daily sales by date and item to find it? Test that once so you know whether it’s practical.
Whatever you decide, put the steps in your shop procedures binder or point-of-sale cheat sheet. The return desk is usually staffed by someone who wasn’t there for the original sale.
Quick answers
Can I just email the receipt to the buyer and give the recipient nothing?
You can, but then the recipient has to go back to the buyer for proof of purchase. A paper slip with the order number is friendlier for gifts.
Should gift receipts include the price “in case” of a refund?
No. If you need the amount, the original transaction in Altru has it. The order number is what connects the two.
Does this apply to gift memberships too?
Not really. Gift memberships are handled through your membership programs and typically need recipient details at purchase, which is a different process from a shop gift receipt.
