A markdown plan is a specific instance where you want to implement scheduled price changes for certain merchandise. For example, you have received a shipment of swimwear and want to schedule markdowns for it through the end of the season.

First you must select a markdown type for this plan; this will cause certain data (markdown rule, sales price, purchase price) to default to each article in the plan. Then you select stores and an assortment of articles for which the markdowns are to be applied. Articles and stores can be chosen based on various selection criteria.

The system then displays the articles in the plan, each on its own line. The markdown rule is copied from the markdown type and appears on each line, but you can change them on a line-by-line basis if necessary. You can also add or delete articles from the list.

You enter the total quantity of each article that you plan to sell, along with the starting sales price. When you press Enter, the system shows detailed calculations, including the planned revenues based on the purchase price, expected write-off amount based on the sale prices for all the price phases for that article, planned residuals (both quantity and value), and so on. (You don’t have to wait until you have filled out the screen before pressing Enter; you can keep making changes and pressing Enter to update the calculations until you are satisfied with the results.)

By clicking a button, you can expand the display to show each price phase for each article, including such additional information as expected sales quantity, sales price at each price phase, expected revenue, margins, and so on. The time period for each price phase is based on the markdown rule you applied to it. You can delete price phases for an individual article, add new phases, or change the quantities or prices.

You can also branch to a screen where you can maintain the list of sites to which the plan applies. You can add or delete sites from the list as desired.