Cart Operations Guide

# Cart Operations Guide Learn how to use the Cart for multi-item checkouts, real-time holds, modifications, payments, and refunds. This guide is for front-desk and operations staff. > Important: Carts are the only way to reserve bookings in RecSystems. A cart may contain one or more bookings. A “single booking” is simply a cart with one item. ## 🎯 What You Can Do with Carts - Build an order with multiple bookings in one place - See a unified countdown timer for all items - Modify dates/units/add-ons in a safe, staged workflow - Collect deposits or full payment via Stripe - Apply gift cards, vouchers, or promo codes - Issue intelligent refunds for cart changes - Print or resend consolidated receipts ## 🧭 Where to Find Carts - Customer site: Cart icon shows items added during shopping - Dashboard: Go to Dashboard → Carts for front-desk workflows (check-ins, balances, modifications) ## 🧩 Cart Statuses - **Active**: Items in a customer cart (shopping/incomplete) - **Checked out**: Customer reached payment stage - **Paid**: Payment completed, bookings are Reserved - **Completed**: Fully paid and all associated bookings have been checked in - **Expired**: Hold timer elapsed; items released and gift card associations cleaned up - **Abandoned**: No recent activity; can be recovered (extends timer) - **Refunded**: Fully refunded cart ## ⏱ Unified Hold Timer - The cart shows a single timer for all items. When you add or change items, all pending/checkout bookings share the same expiration time. - Timer duration is set by your account settings (typically 15–30 minutes). See “Inventory Holds” for options. - When a cart expires, holds are released and provisional gift card links are removed. ## 🔒 Cart Locking - During payment, the cart is “locked” for the current user/session to prevent double payment or edits. - If you see a lock message, wait a moment or ask a teammate who is processing it. ## 🛒 Building and Managing a Cart (Staff) 1. From Dashboard → Carts, open a cart card to view details 2. Use “Modify Cart” to change dates, units, add-ons, or locations 3. Apply gift cards or vouchers as needed 4. Review the sidebar summary to see the difference: charge, no change, or refund 5. If payment is required, process it; if a refund is due, the system allocates intelligently ## ✏️ Modify Cart (Safe Staging) - All edits are staged first; nothing is final until you click “Apply Changes”. - The sidebar shows Original vs New totals and whether payment/refund is required. - Conflicts: If availability issues exist, you’ll see a clear warning and suggested alternatives. ## 💳 Payments (Cart vs Booking) - Cart checkout can collect a deposit or full payment depending on your account settings. - Balance due later? The Carts page lets you record partial payments (cash/card/check) and it will update the cart status appropriately. - Receipts: Print or resend consolidated receipts from the cart. ## 🎟 Gift Cards, Vouchers, and Coupons - **Vouchers/Discounts/Coupons**: Reduce price before tax (pre‑tax). - **Credit Gift Cards**: Apply to the final total like cash (post‑tax). Can be combined with card payments. - During cart modifications, stored value amounts are auto‑clamped so you never over‑apply more than the amount due or remaining balance on the card. ## ↔️ Intelligent Refunds for Cart Changes - When a modification results in a refund, the cart allocates the refund from the newest payments first (LIFO): - Restores value back to gift cards that were used (when applicable) - Refunds the credit card for the remaining portion - This prevents over‑refunding and keeps records accurate. ## 🧾 Receipts & History - Cart receipts show the combined purchase. You can print or resend from the cart page. - The cart maintains a payment history for gift cards and credit card transactions to ensure accurate refunds later. ## ✅ Quick Checklist - [ ] Review unified timer and availability - [ ] Stage changes in Modify Cart - [ ] Verify price difference (charge or refund) - [ ] Apply/collect payments or process refunds - [ ] Print/resend receipt if needed ## 📚 Related Guides - [Booking Workflow](booking-workflow.md) - [Booking Modifications](booking-modifications.md) - [Payment Processing](../03-revenue-optimization/payment-processing.md) - [Managing Cart Reservations (Inventory Holds)](../03-revenue-optimization/soft-inventory-holds.md) ## 🧠 Cart vs. Booking Responsibilities (At a Glance) - **Cart (money & order):** deposit/full payment, balance settlements, consolidated receipt, payment/refund history, intelligent refunds, lock during payment. - **Booking (operations):** status workflow (Reserved → Rented → Returned → Completed), unit/timeslot/locations/add-ons, damage/fuel/misc charges at return, photos and notes. - Think: Cart = money and collection; Booking = equipment and lifecycle. ## 🔄 Status Actions & Guidance (Cart) - **Active:** Customer is shopping or staff is building. Timer shows unified hold. OK to modify items. - **Checked out:** Customer is on payment page. Cart is locked. Avoid edits; wait until success/failure. - **Paid:** Bookings are Reserved. Use check-in workflows. Balance may remain if deposit-only. - **Completed:** Fully paid and all associated bookings inspected/closed. Archive for reference. - **Expired:** Timer elapsed; items released; provisional gift card links cleaned. Rebuild a new cart if needed. - **Abandoned:** No recent activity. Can recover (extends timer) from Dashboard. - **Refunded:** Fully refunded across tender; use only when the entire order was reversed. ## ⏱ Unified Holds – Staff Rules - One timer for all items; adding/changing items keeps the same expiration when possible. - If the cart expires, all holds are released. Do not promise availability after expiry. - Extending a hold (staff): If capacity allows, use the cart action to extend the timer briefly for the customer. - Display: The badge/timer reflects the earliest hold; if nothing valid remains, the cart will show as expired. ## 🔒 Locking During Payment – Do’s and Don’ts - When a cart is on the payment screen, it is locked to avoid double charges. - If you see a lock banner, give it a moment. Ask who is processing it before attempting edits. - If a payment succeeds but the UI hasn’t updated yet, navigate to the cart success route or re-open the cart; updates are idempotent and safe to retry. ## 💳 Balance Settlement (Staff) When a deposit was taken at checkout, collect the remaining balance at check-in or before: 1. Open Dashboard → Carts and locate the cart. 2. Click **Collect/Settle Balance**. 3. Choose a method: card on file, new card, cash, or check (recorded in the cart’s balance payments). 4. Confirm and save. A consolidated receipt can be printed or resent. 5. Cart status advances appropriately when fully paid and after all bookings are completed. ## 🧩 Modifications (Safe Staging) - Use **Modify Cart** for date/unit/add-on changes; the sidebar shows Original vs New. - If additional payment is required, you’ll be prompted to process it. - If a refund is due, the system allocates intelligently (stored‑value first, then card) to prevent over‑refunds. ## 🛠️ Troubleshooting (Staff) - **Payment succeeded but cart not updated:** Re-open the cart; if needed, go through the cart’s success path from the payment confirmation screen. - **Lock appears stuck:** Confirm who is processing; locks decay shortly. Re-open after a minute if needed. - **Cart expired unexpectedly:** Holds elapsed. Rebuild a new cart; do not revive expired timers without explicit staff action. - **Gift card totals look off:** Ensure codes are applied at cart/modify stage; stored value will be clamped to avoid over-application.