Use the Points tab on a client record to claim items with points. Select Shop to open the claim dialog. The Shop panel explains that clients can only claim what you have in stock at their center: inventory items are the shop listings clients pick from, and stock is the quantity actually on hand. The dialog shows the item catalog with quantities and low-stock badges, a cart you can validate before committing, and a list of recent claims you can void if needed. The client's current balance and points activity list stay visible on the Points tab behind the dialog.
The Shop section has a short helper line and an info icon reminding staff of the difference between an inventory item (the shop listing, like "Diapers") and stock (how many units are actually on hand and claimable). Each item in the catalog shows a photo when one is set up, its icon or photo (when the item has one set), point cost,, and, if it tracks inventory, how many units are on hand at the selected center. If an item's photo cannot be reached (a slow connection, a deleted file), the tile shows the item's initials instead so it still stands out from the rest of the catalog.
Scanning a barcode adds the matching item to the cart. This works whether the barcode is the item's canonical SKU or one of the extra barcode aliases set up on it, so a product with a manufacturer UPC and a locally printed label both scan to the same item. See Inventory Tracking for how to add photos and barcode aliases to an item.
Looking for a faster, front-counter checkout with catalog search and SKU scanning instead of this dialog? See Register: Fast Checkout with Catalog Search and SKU Quick-Add.
• Make sure your catalog and stock are set up under Points & Inventory (sidebar module) -> Inventory Items and Stock. See Inventory Tracking for setup, Premium access, adding an icon or photo to an item, and receiving donated goods from in-kind gifts.
• Confirm the client has a points balance (or that you are ready to allow an overdraw).
• Confirm your user group has the right permissions. Viewing the balance only requires Clients (CPC) – View. Claiming items and giving points require Checkouts – Create (may also appear as Material Support Redemptions – Create). Voiding a claim requires Checkouts – Update. Full client Points walkthrough: Points on Client Records.
1. Open the client and go to the Points tab.
2. Select Shop. The claim dialog opens.
3. Choose a center. The catalog loads for that center.
4. Set quantities for the items you are providing, or scan a barcode to add an item directly. Items that are running low show a Low stock badge, and the quantity next to each item is how many units are on hand. Each item shows its icon or photo next to its name to help you find it quickly.
5. Select Validate Cart. Fix any item or stock issues that appear.
6. Select Claim Items to complete the claim. If the client does not have enough points, you will see a warning after validation instead of being blocked. The Claim Items button can turn amber and show the projected balance (for example "Complete anyway, balance will be -4"). Select it again to complete the claim and acknowledge the overdraw.
• A success message confirms the claim. The cart clears, the client's balance updates, and the Recent Claims list refreshes.
Some items carry a limit that is checked separately from the client's points balance, for example "one car seat per client per year." Points answer whether the client can afford the item; a limit like this answers whether they are allowed another one right now. A client with a full balance can still be blocked from claiming a second unit inside the limit's window.
When Validate Cart hits a limit, the dialog shows the plain-language explanation staff configured for that rule, along with how many the client has already claimed, so you can explain the hold-up to the client on the spot rather than seeing a generic error.
A supervisor can waive the limit for that exact cart the same way they clear an overdraw: the operator asks a supervisor to enter their PIN and a reason at the counter. See Boutique Operators: PINs and Supervisor Approval. That approval only covers the cart it was issued for, so adding or changing items after approval requires a fresh one.
The claim keeps a record of which limit was overridden, the supervisor who approved it, and their reason, so the exception stays auditable later even if the item's rules change.
Some items carry a redemption limit that applies on top of, and separately from, the points balance, for example "one car seat per client per year." A limit like this can block a claim even for a client with plenty of points and even when the item is in stock, because the question it answers is not "can they afford it" but "are they allowed another one right now." Limits reset on their own schedule: some never reset (lifetime), some reset each calendar year, and some look back a fixed number of days.
When a cart hits a limit:
• Validate Cart blocks the claim and shows a plain-language reason for the limit, along with how much of the allowance the client has already used.
• Acknowledging an overdraw does not help here. Overdraw acknowledgment only waives a points shortfall; it never waives an item limit.
• A supervisor can approve a one-time exception at the counter using the same PIN-and-reason approval used for overdraws. See Boutique Operators: PINs and Supervisor Approval.
• An approval only covers the exact cart it was given for. Change the cart afterward (add, remove, or change a quantity) and staff need a fresh approval.
When a supervisor approves an exception, the claim records who approved it, when, and why, alongside the rule that was in effect at the time. Voiding a claim later removes it from that limit's count, and editing a limit going forward never rewrites what a past claim's decision looked like at the time.
A completed claim keeps a record of the item's name and point cost as they were at that moment. If staff later rename the item or change its price, past claims and receipts still show what the client actually received.
To award points outside a claim, use Give Points on the Points tab. Enter a positive points amount (minimum 1), optionally choose a reason and notes, then save. Details: Points on Client Records.
In Recent Claims, select Void on the claim you need to reverse. The client's balance and activity list update after the void processes. Voiding also frees up any redemption limit the claim had counted against.
• Claims are never retried automatically, so a failed claim will not be submitted twice. If it fails, review the error message and try again.
• If the catalog, the centers list, or recent activity shows an error instead of loading, select Retry. If the problem continues, refresh the page or contact Support.
• Empty catalog ("No items are set up for this center yet") means Inventory Items / Stock are missing for that center,,, not that Shop is unavailable.
• A claim blocked with a rule explanation instead of a stock or points warning means the item has a redemption limit and the client has already reached it for the current window. A supervisor can approve an exception from the counter if one is appropriate.
• Register: Fast Checkout with Catalog Search and SKU Quick-Add
• Inventory Tracking
• Points on Client Records
• Points Activity: Unified Points Across Sources
• Boutique Operators: PINs and Supervisor Approval
• BrightCourse points and learning data
• Boutique Operators: PINs and Supervisor Approval
