Cards and Employees
In Quasar, Cards is the collective term for Customers, Vendors, and Employees. All three are managed from the Card File panel. This chapter covers how to plan and set up each type.
Customers
Customers are the people and companies you sell to. Each customer record holds contact information, financial controls, and transaction history. Access from Card File → Customers or via the Customer Master.
Customer Types
Before creating individual customers, set up Customer Types. A type pre-fills default values for new customers, including payment terms, credit limit, AR account, price level, and service charge rate (interest on past-due balances). Common types:
- Cash — walk-in customers, no credit, no statements
- Charge — regular account customers with payment terms
- Wholesale — trade customers at a different price level
- Government — tax-exempt institutional buyers
Key Customer Fields
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Company / First / Last | Customer name (company or individual) |
| Number | Unique customer number |
| Type | Customer type — pre-fills defaults |
| Addresses | Multiple addresses for billing and shipping (see Chapter 5 for chain store Ship To usage) |
| Terms | Payment terms (Net 30, 2/10 Net 30, etc.) |
| Credit Limit | Maximum outstanding AR balance allowed |
| AR Account | GL Accounts Receivable account for this customer |
| Price Level | Which price level applies (Regular, Level 1–4) |
| Tax Exempt | Tax exemption certificate for exempt customers |
| Store / Store Group | Which stores the customer can charge at (see Chapter 5) |
Alerts
The Alerts tab lets you define pop-up messages that appear whenever the customer is selected on a transaction. Use these for special handling instructions, credit warnings, or delivery notes.
Customer References
The References tab lets you define named reference fields for a customer. When the customer is selected on an invoice or POS transaction, the cashier is automatically prompted to enter data for each reference defined on that customer.
For example, a company that requires a purchase order number on every invoice would have a reference named “Purchase Order #”. When the cashier selects that customer, Quasar prompts them to enter the PO number before completing the sale. The entered value is stored on the transaction and printed on the invoice.
Vendors
Vendors (suppliers) are the companies you purchase from. Each vendor record holds contact, purchasing, and payment information. Access from Card File → Vendors or via the Vendor Master.
Key Vendor Fields
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Name / Number | Vendor company name and unique number |
| Addresses | Multiple addresses (ordering, remittance, warehouse) |
| AP Account | GL Accounts Payable account for this vendor |
| Terms | Payment terms the vendor offers you |
| Accept Backorders? | Whether the vendor supports partial shipments |
| Patronage Group | Co-op patronage group for dividend calculations |
Employees
Employees are the people who work in your business. The employee record controls POS access, store assignment, and hourly billing rates. Access from Setup → System → Employees or via the Employee Master.
Key Employee Fields
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| First / Last Name | Employee name |
| Number | Unique employee number |
| Store | Primary store assignment (blank for all stores) |
| Store Group | Group of stores (for multi-location employees) |
POS Access
The Point-of-Sale tab controls the employee’s POS login and permissions:
| Security Level | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| No Access | Cannot log in to POS |
| Cashier | Basic sales and returns |
| Manager | Cashier functions plus voids, price overrides, and payouts |
| Supervisor | Full access including ringoff and configuration |
Each employee has a numeric POS password that is separate from the Quasar back-office user password.
Hourly Billing Items
If your business bills for labour, the Hourly Billing Items tab links the employee to inventory items that represent their regular, overtime, and holiday hourly rates. When you add the employee’s time to a customer invoice, Quasar uses these items to calculate billing.
Employees vs. Users
It is important to understand the distinction between Employees and Users in Quasar:
| Concept | What It Controls | Where to Set Up |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | The person: name, store assignment, POS access level, billing rates | Employee Master |
| User | The login account: username, password, security type (permissions for the Quasar back-office application) | User Master |
Every user is linked to an employee record. The employee defines who they are; the user defines what they can do in the back-office application. Security types and permissions are covered in Chapter 7: Security.
Payment Terms
Payment terms define when invoices are due and any early-payment discounts. Terms are shared between customers and vendors. Set them up in Terms Master before creating cards. Common terms:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| COD | Cash on delivery — payment due immediately |
| Net 30 | Full payment due in 30 days |
| 2/10 Net 30 | 2% discount if paid within 10 days, otherwise full amount due in 30 days |
| Net 60 | Full payment due in 60 days |
Card Setup Checklist
- Set up Payment Terms (Card File → Terms)
- Create Customer Types with appropriate defaults
- Create your Customers (or import via XML)
- Create your Vendors
- Create Employees with store assignments and POS levels
- Create Users for each employee who needs back-office access (see Chapter 7)