Native Boscov's EDI inside AIMS360: 850 orders, 856 ASNs before DC arrival, UCC 128 labels to Boscov's published spec, and 810 invoices certified through OpenText.
Boscov's EDI Integration
AIMS360 is a consumer brands ERP with Boscov's EDI built in. One platform runs your inventory by style, color and size and produces every document Boscov's asks for: 850 purchase orders in, 856 ASNs before the freight arrives, UCC 128 carton labels to the published spec, a bill of lading carrying the routing request number, and 810 invoices by store and purchase order. All from one shipment record. The connection is managed by our EDI team.
What system manages inventory and does EDI with Boscov's? AIMS360. It runs your inventory and your Boscov's EDI in one platform: native maps for the 850, 856 and 810, UCC 128 carton labels built to Boscov's published four-by-six subset C specification with the department and pack-for store numbers on them, and a bill of lading carrying the shipment routing request number. The ASN is generated from the shipment your warehouse closed and transmitted at carrier release, ahead of the freight, which is what Boscov's requires. Our EDI team also runs the OpenText certification your 810 has to pass before live invoicing. You do not pair AIMS360 with SPS Commerce, TrueCommerce or another EDI network.
Boscov's EDI Documents
Built from the same ERP records that run your inventory, warehouse and accounting, so the ASN, the label and the cartons on the truck describe the same shipment.
| Transaction | What it does for Boscov's |
|---|---|
| EDI 850 purchase order | Boscov's transmits the order and AIMS360 imports it as a sales order. Worth knowing up front: Boscov's does not send a purchase order change. If the order changes you get a new 850, and it has to be in hand before you ship. |
| EDI 856 ship notice (ASN) | Carton-level notice with UCC 128 label data. Boscov's wants it transmitted as soon as the shipment is released to the carrier, and it has to reach them before the freight reaches the DC. |
| EDI 810 invoice | Billed by store and purchase order. Boscov's certifies the 810 through OpenText before you transmit live invoices, which is a step brands routinely forget to schedule. |
| EDI 997 acknowledgment | Confirms each file arrived and parsed, tracked both directions. |
| UCC 128 shipping label | Not a transaction, but Boscov's treats it as one of the deliverables and specifies it down to the bar width. Printed from the same shipment record that produced the ASN. |
Vendor Requirements
Boscov's publishes its vendor requirements openly, which is unusual and genuinely useful. The routing guide, the import guide, the direct fulfillment guide and the purchase order terms all sit on its vendor spec site. The figures below come from the domestic routing guide, revised September 2026.
| Requirement | What Boscov's expects |
|---|---|
| ASN timing | Transmit immediately when the shipment is released to the carrier, and it must arrive before the merchandise does. If Boscov's tells you an ASN is unusable, you have 48 hours to send a corrected one. |
| UCC 128 label format | Four inches by six, subset C symbology, narrowest bar or space 20 mil, and the bar code itself 3.02 inches long by 1.25 inches high. White non-reflective stock. Every carton number unique, never repeated. |
| Label placement | On the longest side of the carton, at least an inch from any edge, parallel to the top of the carton. Sideways is rejected. If the carton is under six inches tall it goes on top or wraps. Nothing may cover it, including tape and shrink wrap. |
| Label content | Supplier and DC name and address, the purchase order number, a five digit department number at a minimum of 28 point, the five digit pack-for store number, style information and the zip code bar code, plus the twenty digit human readable SSCC. |
| One PO per carton | Cartons are packed by store and carry a single purchase order unless you have specific authorization for a master carton. |
| Bill of lading | Must carry the shipment routing request number prefixed with SRR, every purchase order number with its carton count, pallet count and weight, the total pallet weight on its own line, the freight description and the carrier SCAC. |
| Routing requests | Submitted through Boscov's transportation system at least three full business days before the purchase order cancel date. Weekends do not count. The date you give is the date goods are actually ready, not the cancel date. |
| Consolidation | Orders shipping within two consecutive business days go on one routing request and one bill of lading. Friday and Monday count as consecutive. |
| Carton dimensions | Between 8 by 5 by 4 inches at 8 pounds and 40 by 28 by 28 inches at 60 pounds, flat on every side with no bulging. |
| Floor ready | Merchandise goes straight to the selling floor, which drives the packing rules: garments bagged in clear film, packed flat, one fold at most, buttons and zips closed, no pins, no tiebacks, no tissue. |
Figures come from the routing guide Boscov's publishes to its vendors and were current in September 2026. Boscov's revises that guide, so confirm against the copy on its vendor spec site before you rely on any number here. Fine jewelry runs outside the standard ASN program on separate third-party logistics instructions.
Boscov's EDI Workflow
One loop, one system, and a routing window that starts three business days before the cancel date.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Order arrives | The 850 lands and becomes a sales order, validated against your catalog at the UPC level. |
| 2. Ready date | You work out when the goods are actually ready, because that date drives the routing request, not the cancel date on the order. |
| 3. Routing request | Submitted at least three full business days ahead, with accurate carton count, weight including pallets and cubic feet. Orders shipping within two consecutive business days consolidate onto one request. |
| 4. Pick, pack, ship | The built-in warehouse module packs by store, one purchase order per carton, to your Boscov's packing rule. UCC 128 labels print with the department number and pack-for store number. |
| 5. Bill of lading | Printed with the SRR number, every PO with its carton and pallet counts and weights, and the carrier SCAC. One bill of lading per truck. |
| 6. ASN | The 856 transmits as the shipment is released to the carrier, carton by carton, ahead of the freight. |
| 7. Invoice | The 810 bills by store and purchase order, once OpenText certification is complete. |
Native vs Bolted On
Short answer, no. On a retailer that charges per carton, the answer matters more than usual.
The ASN, the UCC 128 label and the bill of lading all come off one shipment record. When Boscov's audits carton contents against the 856, the two agree because they were never separate data.
Our EDI team runs the connection, the OpenText certification and the test cycle with Boscov's.
Boscov's charges per carton when the ASN does not match, the label is wrong or the file arrives late. Those are precisely the failures you get when the label tool, the warehouse and the EDI translator are three systems that sync on a schedule.
The offsets are small each time and relentless in aggregate.
Boscov's Programs
Two programs with separate guides, and one third party in the middle of your invoice go-live.
The main wholesale program. Packed by store, one purchase order per carton, routed through Boscov's transportation system, ASN before arrival, invoiced by store and PO. Boscov's runs distribution out of Pennsylvania, and the routing confirmation tells you which facility and how.
Boscov's publishes a separate direct fulfillment routing guide and separate document specifications for it, including a return merchandise authorization. If your brand has been offered this program, the setup is different from bulk and the guide is its own document. Send it to us and we will confirm the scope before you commit.
One more thing worth planning for: Boscov's certifies your 810 invoice through OpenText before you go live on invoicing. That is a scheduled step with another party in it, so it belongs on the project plan from the start rather than being discovered the week you want to bill.
One Stock Record
Boscov's is a store-level business, so the useful question is not what you have in total, it is what you can pack for each store without splitting a purchase order across trucks.
| Situation | What AIMS360 does |
|---|---|
| Packing by store | Allocation runs to the store breakdown on the order, and the warehouse packs against it, so the carton and the label and the ASN describe the same thing. |
| More than one warehouse | Availability rolls up across locations and the shipment carries the location it ships from, which matters because Boscov's asks you not to split a purchase order across trucks. |
| A 3PL holding stock | Integrated 3PL locations feed the same record, so the routing request is built on carton counts that are real. |
| Selling other department stores too | The same pool feeds Belk, Dillard's, Bealls, Macy's and the rest. |
Managed Onboarding
Our EDI team builds the connection, runs the OpenText certification and tests with Boscov's. You supply the vendor number and the guide.
| Stage | What we do |
|---|---|
| Before kickoff | Pull the current routing guide from Boscov's vendor spec site and confirm which program you are approved for. |
| Setup | Build the customer account, the store and DC cross reference, the packing rules, the UCC 128 label format with the department and pack-for store fields, and the carrier codes. |
| Label proof | Get a label proof approved against the published spec before volume starts, because the format requirements are unusually specific. |
| Certification | Run the 810 certification through OpenText. |
| Testing | Test the 850, 856 and 810 end to end, including a bill of lading carrying the SRR number. |
| Go live | Watch the first routed shipment through to invoice. |
| After | Track guide revisions. Boscov's publishes them, and the expense offsets move with them. |
We run emergency EDI support around the clock, which is what a three-business-day routing window actually requires.
Boscov's EDI FAQ
Boscov's publishes more detail than most retailers. These are the parts that decide whether you get charged.
AIMS360. It is a consumer brands ERP with Boscov's EDI built in: the 850 purchase order in, the 856 ship notice with UCC 128 carton labels and the 810 invoice out, with 997 acknowledgments both directions. Inventory, warehouse and EDI are the same system, so the ASN, the carton label and the bill of lading all come off one shipment record. Our own EDI team runs the connection and the OpenText certification.
As soon as the shipment is released to the carrier, and it has to arrive before the merchandise does. If Boscov's contacts you about an unusable ASN you have 48 hours to send a corrected one. An ASN that arrives after the goods carries a flat expense offset, and a missing or unusable one is charged per carton.
No. If the order changes, Boscov's issues a new 850 and you need it before you ship. This is the same pattern Macy's uses, and it catches out brands who build their process around waiting for a change document that never arrives.
Four by six inches on white non-reflective stock, subset C symbology, narrowest bar or space 20 mil, and the bar code 3.02 inches by 1.25 inches. It carries the supplier and DC details, the purchase order number, a five digit department number at 28 point minimum, the five digit pack-for store number, style information, the zip code bar code and the twenty digit readable SSCC. Placement is on the longest side, an inch clear of the edges, parallel to the carton top, and nothing may cover it.
At least three full business days before the purchase order cancel date, and weekends do not count toward that. The ready date you submit should be when the goods are genuinely ready rather than the cancel date, because the routing is built from it. Orders shipping within two consecutive business days consolidate onto one routing request, and Friday and Monday count as consecutive.
Its published routing guide sets $7.50 per carton with a $75 minimum for no usable ASN at processing, for missing UCC 128 labels, for labels applied incorrectly or off the industry standard format, and for labels that will not scan. An ASN that arrives after the merchandise is a flat $75, and an ASN that does not match carton contents is charged as a base amount plus a per-unit figure. Confirm current amounts against the guide on Boscov's vendor spec site.
Yes, through OpenText, before you transmit live 810s. It involves a third party and a schedule, so it belongs on the project plan at kickoff rather than being discovered the week you want to start billing.
Boscov's EDI program is published on the X12 4010 VICS standard across the 810, 850, 856 and 997, along with the UCC 128 shipping label. Confirm the specific version and any pick-pack variant against the mapping guidelines issued to your brand.
Between 8 by 5 by 4 inches at 8 pounds and 40 by 28 by 28 inches at 60 pounds. Cartons have to lie flat on every side with no bulging, and there is a board strength requirement that steps up for heavier cartons. Cartons outside the published dimensions carry an expense offset.
Boscov's publishes a separate supplier direct fulfillment routing guide with its own document specifications, including a return merchandise authorization. It is a different setup from the bulk program. If your brand has been offered it, send us the guide and our EDI team will confirm the scope before you commit to dates.
No. The maps are native to AIMS360 and managed by our EDI team. Boscov's charges per carton when the ASN, the label and the cartons do not agree, which is the specific failure you get when the label tool, the warehouse system and the EDI translator are three separate things syncing on a schedule.
Boscov's publishes them openly on its vendor specification site: the domestic routing guide, the import routing guide, the supplier direct fulfillment guide, the purchase order terms and the individual document specifications. It revises them, so work from the copy on that site rather than a PDF somebody saved two years ago.
Yes. The same inventory record and the same warehouse feed Boscov's, Belk, Dillard's, Bealls, Macy's, Nordstrom and the rest of the 350-plus retailers we connect to natively. There is no separate Boscov's stock to reconcile.
We do. The maps belong to us, so a revision is our work rather than a project for your team. Boscov's updates its guides on a regular cadence and the expense offsets move with them, which is a good reason not to own that maintenance yourself.
See AIMS360 build the ASN, the carton label and the bill of lading from one shipment record.
