The problem: buying by voice note
In many Gulf kitchens, buying still happens by phone call or a WhatsApp voice note to the supplier. Nobody approves the order, the price is whatever appears on the invoice, and when the delivery arrives one box short nobody writes it down. At the end of the month the owner sees a food cost that does not match the menu and cannot tell why. Purchase order software puts every order, every price and every delivery on record, so you can see what was ordered, what came and what it cost.
Step 1: suppliers, packs and prices
Open Purchasing, then Suppliers, and click Add Supplier. Add the contact person, phone with the country code, and email, so orders can go straight to them. Under When you pay them choose the payment terms, and tick the days they deliver so every new order gets the right expected date. Then open the supplier and click Add product for each item you buy: under How do they sell it choose the pack, such as a tub or a bag, type how much is inside, and enter the price per pack. You also see the price per kilo. Turn on Preferred supplier so new orders use them first.
Step 2: create the purchase order
- Open Purchasing, then Purchase Orders, and click New order. Choose Blank order, From reorder suggestions, or Copy a past order.
- Pick the supplier. Their delivery days set the Expected delivery date.
- Search each item. The supplier pack and price fill in by themselves, and you set how many packs you need.
- Optionally add a Message to supplier, which they see, and a Private note, which they do not.
- Each line shows the quantity in your counting unit, and the total and VAT update as you go.
Step 3: approval before anything is sent
Purchase orders need a second pair of eyes. A team member clicks Send for approval, and the order waits under Needs approval. The owner or another manager opens it, checks each item, its packs and price against the stock you have now, and clicks Approve, or uses Send back with a note to return it as a draft. Someone who made an order cannot approve it themselves, unless they are the business owner or the only person at that branch who could approve. The owner can use Approve and send in one step.
Step 4: send it by email, WhatsApp or paper
On an approved order click Send to supplier and tick Email, WhatsApp or both. Email uses the address on the supplier card. WhatsApp sends a message from the Wink You WhatsApp sender to the phone on the supplier card, with a button that opens the order. Either way the supplier gets a link where they can view, print, and confirm or reject the order, with no account needed. You can also open More and use Copy link for the supplier, or open Document to print it or save it as a PDF. Suppliers who want a full view of all your orders can be linked to the supplier portal, where they confirm orders and upload invoices.
Step 5: receive what really arrived
When the delivery comes, open Arriving and click Receive on the order. Each line is filled with what is due, in the supplier packs. Change any line that does not match, type the number on the delivery note, and click Confirm delivery. Stock goes up at once. Anything missing stays open under Part received, where you can Receive the rest, Remind supplier about the rest, or Stop waiting for the rest. Orders past their date show under Late. If a delivered price is more than 10 percent above the agreed price, the receive screen asks for a short note, so price creep never slips through unseen.
A leaking crate or a short dated tub can be refused on its line with a reason such as damaged, expired, wrong item or short dated. Refused goods never enter stock and stay on the order so you can claim them. Goods already received can go back later with Return items, and every return is listed under Returns to suppliers.
Reorder and supplier bills
Purchasing, then Reorder lists every item below its minimum, grouped by supplier, with the packs to order. Click Create purchase orders and you get one draft per supplier, ready to check and approve. Drafts are never sent on their own. When the supplier bill arrives, Wink Accounting can build it from the received order, so the bill matches what you actually took in. On each stock item, Suppliers and prices compares everyone who sells it, cheapest per unit first, with a price history chart.
What is and is not included
Purchasing needs inventory tracking on your plan and the Manage stock, purchase orders and counts permission. Purchase orders are never deleted: a cancelled one stays under Cancelled with who cancelled it and why, and an order can be cancelled only before anything arrived. WhatsApp sending needs the supplier phone saved with its country code. Wink You does not connect directly to a supplier's own ordering system; the supplier works from the link, the email, or the supplier portal.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send a purchase order to a supplier on WhatsApp?
Approve the order, click Send to supplier, tick WhatsApp and click Send. The supplier receives a message with a button to view the order. If WhatsApp shows Not available, add the phone with the country code on the supplier card.
Why can't I approve a purchase order I made?
Because orders need a second person. Click Send for approval so the owner or another manager can approve it. The owner, or the only approver at a branch, can approve their own.
What happens when only part of the order arrives?
Receive what came. The rest stays open under Part received until you receive it, remind the supplier, or stop waiting. What already arrived stays in stock.
Put every order on record
Purchasing is part of Inventory at winkyou.com/products/inventory. Step by step guides: winkyou.com/support/purchasing/how-to-create-a-purchase-order, winkyou.com/support/purchasing/how-to-approve-a-purchase-order and winkyou.com/support/purchasing/how-to-receive-a-delivery.
