Item returns - refund and exchange at POS

Use these procedures to take back an item a customer has bought, either exchanging it for something else or refunding it. Apply your own business policy when deciding whether to accept the return.

The same process applies to an order placed on the web storefront. Order lookup at POS is not restricted by the channel or location that created the order, so a customer can return an online order in store. This is known by the industry term BORIS (Buy Online, Return In Store). See Omnichannel fulfillment models for how this compares to other fulfillment models.

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Process a return

Select the items for return

1. At the POS register, find the order. If the customer brought a receipt, use the transaction details on it to look the order up.
2. Open the order.
3. Select Order actions, then Return or exchange items. A list of the order’s items appears.

4. Select the item or items being returned.

   

5. Select Return [n] items.

The returned items appear in the cart. Follow the exchange or refund procedure below.

Process an exchange

1. Add the replacement item to the cart.
2. Compare the price of the replacement against the returned item, then follow the matching path:
   • Same price — select Process order to complete the transaction, then print the receipt.
   • Customer owes the difference — select Process order, take the payment as normal, then issue a new receipt.
   • Customer is owed the difference — follow the refund procedure below.

The exchange is recorded against the original order, and the receipt shows both the returned and replacement items.

Process a refund

1. In the cart, select Refund [$amount].
2. Select the refund method. Only payment methods currently enabled in your POS configuration appear here, so if an expected method is missing it has been disabled. Check with your store administrator.
   • Cash — enter the cash amount, then select Process refund. Hand over the cash when the drawer opens.

   • Credit card — process the refund on the EFT machine using the customer’s card, then enter the amount and reference number and select Process refund.

     

   • Pay on Account — available only when the original transaction included a Pay on Account payment. Enter the amount to refund, up to the original Pay on Account payment amount, then select Process refund. The original purchase order number is shown for reference, and the refund is credited back to the customer’s account. If the original payment was split, you can combine a partial Pay on Account refund with another method such as cash.
3. Print and issue the receipt.

The refund is recorded against the original order and appears as a negative amount against that payment method in the shift totals.

Returns on deposit orders

Orders where only a deposit has been collected (incomplete orders) can also be returned at POS, provided at least one payment has been made. The return process is the same as for fully paid orders.

1. Find the deposit order using order history or the customer’s order lookup.
2. Open the order and select Order actions > Return or exchange items.
3. Select the items to return and proceed as normal.

If all returnable items on a deposit order have been fully refunded, the Make payment button is hidden, because there is nothing left to collect.

:::note If a return is processed on a deposit order and the order is then updated in Salesforce (for example, items are added or modified), the POS will reflect those changes on the next sync. :::

Issue a voucher

If your policy allows, you might provide a voucher for the customer instead of cash or a refund. If so, treat the transaction as an exchange and add the voucher as the exchange item in the cart.

Issue store credit

Store credit can only be issued to customers who have an account with your store. Check with your store outlet manager for details.

Inventory impact of a return

Processing a return at POS does not automatically add the returned item back into available stock. Returning an item only records the return against the order, and the related Stock Level record’s Available to Sell quantity is unaffected.

If a returned item is in resellable condition and you want it back in available stock, increase Available to Sell on the item’s Stock Level record manually in Salesforce, or set up a Salesforce Flow (attached to a Quick Action on the Order, for example) that prompts staff to confirm whether the item is resellable and updates the stock level accordingly. There is no built-in setting that does this automatically.