Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Do you have issues with your Price Book? Is your product list a tangled mess of mismatched or missing categories?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place. Managing thousands of SKUs across a c-store or gas station isn’t easy, especially when your product categories aren’t properly aligned. But cleaning it up doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
If you’re using Petrosoft’s Price Book, you’ve already got the right tool in place. Now, let’s walk through how to make the most of it by troubleshooting common issues related to NACS product categories—the industry standard for organizing convenience retail inventory.
Why NACS-Approved Categories Matter
NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) categories bring structure to your product list. They help you group similar items, improve reporting accuracy, and make better merchandising decisions. When used correctly, they:
• Create consistency across store locations
• Improve your data visibility and reporting
• Help your team price, track, and promote items more efficiently
• Support cleaner integration with POS and back-office systems
Common Issues You Might Run Into
Here’s what most store owners and managers run into when assigning or updating NACS categories—and what to do about it.
1. You can’t find the right category
Not every item fits neatly into a single category, especially regional or niche products.
What to do:
Use Petrosoft’s category search tool to find the most relevant match. You don’t need to be exact—go broad if needed, as long as it makes sense for your reporting and store layout.
2. Categories won’t save to an item
You choose a category, but it doesn’t stick or doesn’t appear on the item profile.
What to do:
Double-check that you hit “Save.” Then, look for any missing required fields—like UPC, vendor, or price—which could be blocking the update.
3. You’re seeing duplicate or incorrect categories
This often happens after bulk imports or manual edits.
What to do:
Review your item list and look for inconsistencies. If you’re importing data, double-check your file formatting and ensure you’re using the correct column headers for categories.
Best Practices for Using NACS Categories in Price Book
• Reference the official NACS category structure when in doubt
• Use broader categories to avoid mismatches—but stay relevant
• Audit your category assignments during inventory reviews
• Align category naming with your in-store signage and promotions
Wrapping Up
Cleaning up your Price Book and organizing your products under NACS-approved categories isn’t just about tidiness—it’s about making smarter decisions, running a tighter operation, and setting your store up for long-term success.
If you’re ready to simplify your inventory management, visit the Price Book product page to learn more. Want deeper control across your operations? Explore how C-Store Office® connects the dots across your business.
Still sorting through the mess? You don’t have to do it alone—Petrosoft’s team is here to help.
