How to Add & Manage Reason Codes

When reason codes are enabled for a transaction type, WinSale pauses the sale and asks the cashier to pick a reason from a list you define. That reason is saved alongside the transaction and available for reporting.

There are four transaction types that support reason codes:

Reason code prompting is controlled per transaction type in POS Options. You must enable a type before cashiers will be asked to select a reason during that type of transaction.

To open POS Options

1. From the main WinSale screen, click the Tools menu in the menu bar.
2. Click POS Options.
3. Locate the Reason Codes section.

Checkboxes and what they control

Reason codes are added from inside WinSale — no files need to be edited. The easiest method is to trigger the reason picker during a test transaction and add the code on the spot.

Step-by-step

1. Start a transaction of the type you want to add a code for (e.g. begin a Sales Refund).
2. When the reason code picker dialog appears, you will see the current list of reasons.
3. Press Insert on your keyboard, or click the Add button if visible.
4. A small input box will appear asking you to type the new reason description.
5. Type your description in capital letters — for example: CHANGED MIND or PRICE MATCH — then press Enter or click OK.
6. The new reason is saved immediately and will appear in the list from this point on for all transactions of that type.
7. Select your new reason and complete the transaction normally, or press Esc to cancel if you were only managing codes.

If a reason is no longer relevant, you can remove it so it no longer appears in the picker. Deleting a reason code does not affect any past transactions that already used it.

Step-by-step

1. Start a transaction of the type whose codes you want to manage.
2. When the reason code picker appears, click the reason you want to remove to highlight it.
3. Press Delete on your keyboard, or click the Remove button if shown.
4. A confirmation prompt will appear. Click Yes to permanently delete the code.
5. The code disappears from the list immediately.
6. Press Esc to cancel out of the transaction if you do not want to complete a sale.

When a reason code is required, WinSale displays the reason picker and the cashier cannot proceed until a reason is selected. The dialog title shows which type of reason is being collected.

The cashier can select a reason by clicking it in the list, using the ↑ ↓ arrow keys to navigate, or typing the code number directly into the Code field. Double-clicking a reason also confirms it immediately.

• ✏️
  Keep descriptions short and consistent. All-caps works best — WinSale converts entries to uppercase automatically. Aim for 2–4 words: CHANGED MIND, PRICE MATCH, DUPLICATE ORDER.
• ⚡
  Always include an “OTHER” code. WinSale automatically falls back to code 09 — OTHER in some scenarios. Having it in your list ensures it displays with the correct label. Add it to every type you configure.
• 🔒
  Check POS Options first if prompts are not appearing. If the reason picker is not showing up for a transaction type you expect, verify the corresponding checkbox is ticked under Tools → POS Options → Reason Codes.
• 🌐
  Changes are store-wide and immediate. Any reason code you add or remove is available on every terminal in the store straight away — there is no per-terminal setting and no restart required.
• 📋
  Reason codes are separate per transaction type. The list under Refund is completely independent from the list under Discount. Plan your codes for each type individually before adding them.