Multi Location Inventory Limitations and FAQ

Answers to common questions about Multi Location Inventory, and the things it does not do (yet).

Questions #

Do I need the Regular edition? #

Yes. Multi Location Inventory is an add-on to Sales Igniter Rentals & Bookings for WooCommerce Regular 1.0.74 or newer (it includes Lite 1.0.10). It does not run on Lite alone. See Installing and Licensing Multi Location Inventory.

What happens to my existing products and bookings? #

Nothing changes until you decide. Every product starts as Every location, one shared stock, and every booking and stock count from before belongs to the default location, which is made from your store address. When you split a product’s stock, its existing bookings stay at the default location.

Can a product be offered at some stores only? #

Yes. On the product’s Inventory tab, choose The locations below, each with its own stock and tick only the stores that offer it. The other stores do not list it when a customer shops there. See Stock by Location on the Product Inventory Tab.

Does it work for products I sell, not rent? #

Yes. Each location sells from its own count, orders take units from the line’s location, and each location gets low and out of stock emails.

Can a customer return a rental to another store? #

Yes, with one-way rentals, and you can charge a fee per route. See One-Way Rentals and Fees.

Can one store charge more than another? #

Yes, with price rules on each location’s Prices tab. See Pricing by Location.

Can each location have its own theme or design? #

No. All your locations are in one WooCommerce store, so they share one theme, one stock system and one set of orders. Each location does get its own landing pages (such as /rent/orlando/strollers/) with their own introduction, a Shopping in picker, its own prices and availability, and, for a franchise, emails sent in the franchise’s name with its own header image. See What Customers See and Franchises and Settlement. A completely different look per location would mean separate stores or custom styling work.

Can a store deliver instead of having a counter? #

Yes. Tick Delivery on the location and set its delivery area and windows. A depot can deliver without customers ever visiting it. See Setting Up Locations.

Can staff see only their own store? #

Yes. Give them the Location manager or Location staff role and their location. See Location Staff and Permissions.

Can I call my stock something else on the staff screens? #

Yes. Under Location settings > Words, What staff call the stock changes the word, for example to Gear, and the menu then reads “Gear by location”.

I only have one location. Should I install it? #

You can. With one location nothing changes for your customers, and you are ready for your second store.

What if I switch the add-on off? #

The shop goes back to one shared stock per product. Your locations, stock per location and the location on every booking are kept, and come back when you switch it on again.

Limitations #

Products #

• Variable products: a variable product’s parent cannot have stock per location. A variation you sell that manages its own stock can. Rental variations cannot: rent each model as its own simple product.
• Bundles and composite products: for products you sell, the parts come from one location. A rental inside a bundle or composite product is not location-aware; it uses the shop’s total stock.
• The “from” price on the product page’s pricing card and in shop listings is the product’s own price, not a location’s.
• Subscription renewals are priced at the product’s price, not the location’s.
• Products shown outside their own product page, for example with the [product_page] shortcode or a quick-view plugin, do not show the location choice. For a product offered at several locations, adding to the cart from there asks the customer to choose a location first.

Dates and times #

• The date pickers offer one opening and one closing time for the whole week (the earliest and latest). Each day’s own hours and special hours are checked when the customer adds to the cart, with a message naming that day’s hours.
• Rental times are always on your site’s clock. For a location in another time zone, customers are told how the times compare.
• A full delivery window cannot be greyed out in the date picker; the customer is told when they add to the cart.

Orders, staff and reports #

• WooCommerce’s order list has no location filter for administrators. Location staff see only their own locations’ orders.
• Customers’ order emails name the location on each line. The location’s address, hours and instructions can be added to reminder emails with merge tags.
• A rental returned to the wrong location is noted on the order; no fee is charged automatically.
• Readings and photos at transfer dispatch and receipt are not recorded.
• Location reports and calendar feeds cover rental products only. Products you sell outright show on Stock by location.

Integrations #

• REST API keys cannot be limited to one location or one franchise.
• Stripe Connect payouts for franchises need a Connect-capable gateway plugin; Multi Location Inventory provides the hooks.
• The rental queue in Sales Igniter Subscriptions, WooCommerce’s own Local Pickup, and lending stock between franchises are not location-aware.

Caching #

The location a customer chooses is carried in the page address (?sib_loc=), so page caches serve the right store’s listings. On a cached product page, the calendar still loads fresh availability for the chosen location.