There are four order types within Cloud POS for use in different circumstances.  Each type requires a customer to be set on the order before you'll be able to save it.

Special Order

Special Orders are designed for holding stock of items that a customer wishes to purchase. You can set a due date and take a deposit.  Adding items to a Special Order will commit the stock against the order.  So, for example, if you have 1 in free stock of an item and then add the item to a Special Order, that item will update to 0 in free stock.

You might choose to use Special Orders for occasions where the customer would like to buy something you don't hold in local stock and you need to obtain the stock from the supplier or another of your stores.

Layaway

Layaways are similar to Special Orders in that they are designed for holding stock of items that a customer wishes to purchase. You can set a due date and take a deposit.  Adding items to a Layaway will commit the stock.

You may choose to use Layaways for orders where you have local stock, but the customer doesn't want to take the item(s) immediately or would like to pay off the balance in increments.

Workshop Job

Workshop Jobs carry the same features as orders but are also linked to the workshop calendar. You can set a due date and take a deposit. 

Quote

Quotes are used to list items and prices for a customer for future reference.  Quotes can be left open on the system until a customer is ready to purchase or order the items.  Quotes do not commit the stock for the customer and deposits cannot be taken against them.  Once a customer commits to making a purchase you must convert the quote to either a Layaway, Workshop Job, or a Special Order to be able to complete the transaction in POS.

There are some key differences between the order types, which are explained below: