Pickup Locations

Pickup locations define where and when recipients collect their food parcels, and control order cutoff times for each site. This feature applies to food banks using the pickup location fulfilment mode.*

Overview

Pickup locations are physical sites where recipients come to collect their orders. Each location has an address, a scheduled day and time, and a cutoff window that controls when new orders stop being accepted.

*HelpingHand supports several fulfilment modes including scheduled pickup locations, drop-in kiosk, registration only, and delivery. If your food bank does not use scheduled pickups, this section may not apply to you.

During checkout, recipients select a pickup location. The system checks whether the location is still accepting orders based on the cutoff time. If the cutoff has passed, the location is unavailable until the following week.

You only see and manage locations that belong to your own food bank.

Key Concepts

• Pickup Location: A named site with an address where recipients collect orders on a set day and time.
• Cutoff Time (Hours Before Cutoff): How many hours before the scheduled pickup that new orders stop being accepted. For example, 24 hours before cutoff means orders must be placed at least one day ahead.
• Minutes at Location (Duration): How long the pickup window stays open at the location. A pickup starting at 1:00 PM with 30 minutes duration runs from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM.
• Priority: Controls display order. Lower numbers appear first in lists. A location with priority 0 appears before one with priority 5.
• Default Cutoff: If a location does not have its own cutoff hours set, it uses your food bank's default. If no default exists, it falls back to 24 hours.

How It Works

Pickup Schedule

Each location has a weekly schedule defined by:

• Day of week (Monday through Sunday)
• Hour (0-23, shown in 12-hour format with AM/PM)
• Minute (in 5-minute increments, from 00 to 55)
• Duration (5 minutes up to 15 hours, in 5-minute increments; defaults to 30 minutes)

The system calculates the pickup time window automatically. A location set to Wednesday at 1:15 PM with 30 minutes duration displays as "01:15pm - 01:45pm".

Cutoff Logic

The cutoff prevents last-minute orders that cannot be fulfilled. Here is how it works:

1. The system finds the next occurrence of the location's pickup day and time.
2. It subtracts the cutoff hours from that pickup time.
3. If the current time is past the cutoff, the location is unavailable for ordering.

Example: A location picks up on Wednesday at 2:00 PM with a 24-hour cutoff. Orders must be placed before Tuesday at 2:00 PM. Any orders attempted after that time will not see this location as available.

Each location can set its own cutoff, or leave it blank to use the default. The grid displays whether a location uses a custom or default cutoff value.

Relationship to Orders

When a recipient places an order, they select a pickup location during checkout. The order stores this association. Orders are then grouped by pickup location in reports for fulfilment planning.

Admins can also change an order's pickup location after it has been placed, from the order detail page.

Priority Ordering

Locations appear in lists sorted by priority (lowest number first), then alphabetically by name. Use priority values 0-30 to control the display order. Locations you want at the top of lists should have lower numbers.

Common Tasks

View All Pickup Locations

1. In the admin sidebar, go to Settings > Pickup Locations.
2. The grid shows each location's name, address, day, time, and cutoff hours.
3. Use the column headers to sort the list.

Create a New Pickup Location

1. Go to Settings > Pickup Locations.
2. Click + Create in the top right.
3. Fill in the required fields:
   • Name: A short, recognisable name (up to 50 characters).
   • Code: A unique identifier (up to 20 characters).
   • Address 1: The street address (required).
   • Address 2 and Address 3: Additional address lines (optional).
4. Set the pickup schedule:
   • Pickup Day: Select the day of the week.
   • Pickup Hour: Select the hour (displayed in 12-hour format).
   • Pickup Minute: Select the minute.
   • Minutes at Location: How long the pickup window lasts (defaults to 30 minutes).
5. Set the ordering controls:
   • Hours Before Cutoff: Choose a value, or leave as "Use default".
   • Priority: Set the display order (0 = highest priority).
6. Click Create to save.

Edit a Pickup Location

1. Go to Settings > Pickup Locations.
2. Click the Edit icon next to the location you want to change.
3. Update the fields as needed.
4. Click Save changes.

Delete a Pickup Location

1. Go to Settings > Pickup Locations.
2. Click the Delete icon next to the location.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Note: You cannot delete a pickup location that has orders or customers associated with it.

Change an Order's Pickup Location

1. Go to Activity > Orders and open the order.
2. Use the Actions menu to edit the pickup location.
3. Select a new location and save.

FAQ

Q: What happens if I do not set a cutoff time on a location?

A: The location uses your food bank's default cutoff. If no default is set, it defaults to 24 hours before the pickup time.

Q: Can I have a pickup location without a scheduled day and time?

A: Yes. If you leave the day and time fields empty, the location is always available for ordering and the cutoff logic does not apply. This is useful for locations that accept orders on a flexible schedule.

Q: How do recipients see pickup locations during checkout?

A: Recipients see a list of available locations sorted by priority. Each entry shows the location name, address, pickup day, and time window. Locations past their cutoff time are hidden.

Q: What does the "no_pickup_dates" setting do?

A: When this setting is enabled, the day-of-week and time fields are hidden from the pickup location form. The grid displays only the name and address without schedule details. This is for food banks that do not operate on a fixed weekly schedule.

Q: Can two locations have the same priority?

A: Yes. When locations share the same priority, they are sorted alphabetically by name within that priority level.