The Unit Description is an optional field in the ingredient's vendor product section. It describes a single product unit; for instance, you purchase a case of 48 croissants, each weighing 3 oz. The Unit Description can be either 3 oz (the same as the Pack Size), "each" (representing a single croissant within the case), or left blank (in which case, reciProfity defaults to the Pack Size)
Unit Description is also used to help with Ingredient Conversions and Inventory Management in both count sheets and vendor invoice receiving.
Ingredient Conversions:
Sometimes, the Unit Description can act as a shortcut to conversions.
1) In this image, the Unit Description is the same as the Pack Size, 3 oz.
2) Change the Unit Description from 3 oz to ea, as in the image below:
3) By changing the Unit Description to "ea" and setting the Pack Size to 3 oz, reciProfity can now calculate weight and volume. The recipe uses 1 ea in the image below, and reciProfity provides a cost. You can easily replace "1 ea" with "3 oz," and the calculation still works. However, we tend to think of volume instead of weight when using a croissant in the recipes.
Inventory Management:
The Unit Description field is included on count sheets and vendor invoices. Since staff may not be familiar with your specific counting or receiving units of measure, the Unit Description field helps clear up any confusion. Additionally, to provide a complete picture of inventory management, the "all of it packed in a" field is also on the count sheets and vendor invoice receiving. Staff can count inventory or receive products using either the "all of it packed in a" field, the Unit Description field, or a combination of both.
Here are two inventory examples:
1) You purchase a case of almonds containing five 5 lb bags
If you leave the Unit Description field blank, the count sheet and invoice will display "case/5 lb." This means you can count using either cases or 5-pound increments, where 5 pounds equals one unit (or bag).
If you enter "bag" in the Unit Description field, your count sheet will show "case/bag." As mentioned earlier, this allows reciProfity to incorporate weight (in pounds) and volume (in bags) in a recipe, ensuring accurate cost calculations.
2) You purchase wine by the case in 750 ml bottles
If you enter the bottle in the Unit description field, it will appear as case/bottle on your count sheet. Otherwise, it will appear as case/750 ml. If you understand that 750 ml refers to a bottle, then there's no need to change the unit description!