Explanation of House Coupons - Another

Introduction

House Coupons exist to define a purchase requirement and a discount. They were originally implemented as barcoded coupons. EVERYTHING built on top of them is just alternatives to using barcodes. The coupon requirements and value are always defined in the core_op/opdata.houseCoupons and core_op/opdata.houseCouponItems tables. The latter is only used when the coupon applies to particular items; if it applies to the entire transaction no houseCouponItems need to be specified. What the coupon does is always defined in houseCoupons; the other related tables (?) give the cashier alternate entry methods.

Virtual coupons, core_op/opdata.houseVirtualCoupons, associate a coupon ID (houseCoupons.coupID) with a membership. They are a good fit for a monthly or quarterly coupon where each individual member gets to decide when they're using their coupon. This individual decision means it's going to be an extra step for the cashier, and the member has to say when they want to use the coupon.

Auto coupons is a list of coupon IDs that will be applied to every applicable transaction. The basic requirements in houseCoupons still apply - e.g., member only, expiration date, any minimum purchase, etc - but it's automatically added when the cashier subtotals.
The API here is TotalActions and it shows up on the lane install's Extras tab under "Subtotal Settings".

In all cases, the actual transaction records are going to be UPC prefix 4, manufacturer code 99999, and then coupon ID. So the first coupon is 49999900001. The auto and virtual options should be functionally identical to scanning or keying that barcode.

Operations

Setup

Enable the HouseCoupon plugin in the Fannie > Install > Plugins tab.
Navigate to the House Coupon editor and enter the specifics for your coupon.
The houseCoupons, houseCouponItems and houseVirtualCoupon tables need to be on the lanes. If you are going to be using coupons regularly it might be a good idea to add them to the automated nightly syncing of data. Otherwise, use the Fannie > Synchronize options
Apply Coupons automatically. If there are coupons (discounts) that should be applied without the customer having to present the physical coupon, then on each lane:
Lane > Install > Extras tab > Subtotal Settings > AutoCoupon

Terms and options

The simple ones

Expires: when the coupon runs through, inclusive. E.g., if the expiration date is January 31, 2010, the coupon will ring as "expired" starting February 1, 2010
Limit: is the number of times the coupon can be used per transaction
Member-only: coupons can only be used by members
Department: dictates how the discount gets coded by the POS

Discount type

Quantity discount gives a certain number of items free. Fractions are OK, so this ends up being like a percent discount. A value of 1.0 gives an item for free, a value of 0.5 gives an item for 50% off, etc. The discount is always applied to the cheapest valid item.
Set Price discount locks in the coupon price. Regardless of the regular price, the price with coupon will be exactly what's specified here.
Scaling Discount (Item) discounts the chepeast applicable item by the specified amount. This scales with quantity to deal with by-weight items.
Scaling Discount (Department) is the same as above except for an item in the specified department(s) instead of a specific UPC
Capped Discount (Department) ??
Flat Discount removes exactly the given amount, once, from the transaction
Percent Discount (End of Transaction) provides a percentage off all discountable items (e.g., member appreciation month)
Percent Discount (Department) provides a percentage off all discountable items (e.g., member appreciation month) ??in the named Department.
Percent Discount (Anytime) provides a percentage off all discountable items (e.g., member appreciation month) ??
All Discount (Department) ??

Minimum Type

The bulk of features are here. The settings for minimum purchase dictate which kinds of discounts can be applied. Many of these have similar options for at least and more than. The usage is the same for all of them and affects how the minimum is applied. E.g., if a soda coupon requires a quantity of at least 2, then purchasing 2 sodas is enough to use the coupon. On the other hand, if the requirement was a quantity of more than 2, then 3 (or more) soda purchases would be needed.

Quantity (Q, Q+) requires a minimum purchase of specific items. Quantity is measured by each or by the pound depending on the setting for the item. A quantity minimum must have items associated with it. This is one of the more flexible minimum types; it works with every discount type except scaling discount (department)
Department (D, D+) requires a minimum total purchase across the selected departments. Purchase is measured in dollars rather than quantity. Applicable discount types are scaling discount (department), flat discount, and percent discount.
Mixed (M) is the most complicated minimum type (yet). The customer must purchase at least the specified quantity of qualifying items and some quantity of discount items. Mixed discount is the only case where an item's QUALIFIER/DISCOUNT/BOTH setting should be used. Like quantity discount, mixed discount can be used with any discount type except scaling discount (department)
Total ($, $+) discount simply refers to the total of the entire transaction in dollars. No specific items or departments are associated with this minimum. The only applicable discount types are flat discount and percent discount
No minimum (blank) is exactly what it sounds like.