Transactions

Open sales, add products, accept payment, and manage the full transaction lifecycle in Stratus.

A transaction in Stratus represents one complete sale — from the moment you open the order to the point where payment is collected and a receipt is issued. This page walks through the full transaction workflow and the tools available for managing sales history.

Opening a new transaction

1. Go to the POS terminal

   From the Dashboard, open the POS terminal. This is your active selling interface.

2. Start a new sale

   Click New sale to open a blank transaction. The product catalog appears alongside the empty cart.

3. Add products to the cart

   Browse by category or use the search bar to find products. Click a product to add it to the cart. If the product has variants, you are prompted to select one before it is added.

   To change quantity, click the item in the cart and enter the amount directly, or use the + and − controls.

4. Apply discounts if needed

   Use the discount tools to reduce the order total. Discounts can be applied at the item level or across the entire transaction.

5. Select a payment method and collect payment

   Choose the tender type, enter the amount tendered if paying by cash, and confirm the payment. The transaction closes and a receipt is generated automatically.

Adding products to a cart

Products can be added to the active cart in several ways:

• Category browse — select a category from the terminal panel and tap or click any item
• Search — type a product name or SKU into the search field for instant results
• Barcode scan — if your setup includes a barcode scanner, scan the item to add it directly

The cart displays each line item with its unit price, quantity, and line total. The running order total, including applicable taxes, is always visible at the bottom of the cart.

Use categories to organize your most frequently sold items for fast access. Putting top sellers in a Favorites category reduces the number of taps during a busy period.

Applying discounts and modifiers

Item discount

Select a line item in the cart and choose Discount. You can apply:

• A fixed amount off (for example, $5.00 off)
• A percentage off (for example, 10% off)

The discount is shown as a separate line beneath the item in the cart and on the receipt.

Order discount

To discount the entire transaction, use Order discount in the cart panel. The same options apply — fixed amount or percentage. The discount is applied to the pre-tax subtotal and shown clearly on the receipt.

Modifiers

For products with configured modifiers (common in food service), modifier selections appear when the item is added to the cart. Free modifiers do not affect the total. Paid modifiers add their charge to the line item price and are itemized on the receipt.

Items marked as not discount eligible in the product catalog cannot have item-level discounts applied. Order-level discounts may still apply depending on your configuration.

Payment methods

Stratus supports multiple tender types. Select the appropriate method when completing a transaction.

Cash

Enter the amount tendered. Stratus calculates and displays the change due. The transaction closes once you confirm payment received.

Card

Select card payment and follow the prompts for your connected payment terminal. The transaction closes automatically when the payment is authorized.

Split payment

Divide the total across multiple tender types — for example, part cash and part card. Add each payment amount until the balance reaches zero.

Other tender

Custom tender types (such as vouchers, gift cards, or store credit) can be configured in your account settings and selected at checkout.

Completing a transaction

When the total is covered by the selected payment method(s), click Complete sale. Stratus:

1. Marks the transaction as complete
2. Reduces inventory for any tracked products
3. Records the transaction in your history
4. Generates a receipt

The terminal returns to the New sale state, ready for the next transaction.

Voiding a transaction

A void cancels an entire transaction before or immediately after it is processed, provided payment has not been finalized or has been fully reversed.

To void a transaction:

1. Open the transaction from Transaction history
2. Click Void transaction
3. Confirm the action

Voiding a transaction reverses inventory adjustments for tracked products. It does not automatically process a payment refund if the customer paid by card — you must process the refund separately through your payment provider.

Refunds and returns

For completed transactions where a customer returns a product or requests a refund:

1. Find the original transaction

   Go to Transaction history and search for the transaction by date, customer name, or transaction ID.

2. Initiate a refund

   Open the transaction and click Refund. Select the specific line items being returned or choose Refund full amount.

3. Choose the refund method

   Select how the refund is issued — back to the original payment method, as store credit, or as cash. The available options depend on your payment configuration.

4. Confirm and complete

   Confirm the refund. The transaction record is updated to show the refund, inventory levels are restored for returned items, and a refund receipt is generated.

Partial refunds are supported. You can refund individual line items rather than the entire transaction total.

Transaction history and lookup

All completed, voided, and refunded transactions are stored in Transaction history. From this view you can:

• Search by date range, transaction ID, amount, or cashier
• Filter by status: completed, voided, refunded
• View the full detail of any transaction including line items, discounts, taxes, and payment method
• Reprint or resend a receipt for any historical transaction
• Initiate a refund directly from the transaction detail view

Use the date range filter at the start and end of each business day to review daily sales totals and catch any discrepancies before closing.