Why Your Wholesaler Doesn’t Offer EDI (and How to Work Around It)
If you’ve ever asked your wholesaler for EDI support, you might have heard some version of:
“Sorry, we don’t do that.” or "Do we have…what?” or “huh?”
For gas stations and convenience store operators, that answer is frustrating — especially if you’re stuck manually scanning product, fussing with scan sheets, or worst case, typing invoices line-by-line into your back-office system.
The good news: you don’t have to wait for your wholesaler to “get with the times.” You can automate EDI on your side without changing your vendors or software. Good thing, because if you had to wait, you may be waiting forever.
Why Many Wholesalers Don’t Offer EDI
1. Cost & Complexity
Implementing EDI requires software, IT resources, and process changes. Many wholesalers don’t see enough ROI to justify the investment, especially if their customers haven’t demanded it in large numbers.
2. Legacy Systems
Some wholesalers still run on older accounting or ERP systems that can’t easily generate EDI files without major upgrades.
3. Volume vs. Necessity
If the wholesaler’s customer base is small or localized, they may decide manual or PDF invoicing is “good enough.”
4. Training & Support Burden
EDI changes how orders and invoices are processed, which can lead to customer support issues during rollout — another reason many wholesalers avoid it.
The Problem This Creates for Store Operators
Manual Entry: Hours spent typing processing invoices and paperwork into back-office software.
Errors: UPCs mistyped, totals mismatched.
Delays: Invoices pile up during busy weeks, making vendor reconciliation slow.
How to Work Around the EDI Gap
With FileMinder, you can generate your own EDI files from paper or PDF invoices — without changing wholesalers or installing new software.
Here’s how it works:
Scan or email invoices into your Google Drive.
FileMinder reads vendor names, dates, totals, UPCs, and line items.
An EDI file is generated in your back-office’s format.
Everything is filed and named automatically — ready for import.
Example: From Paper to EDI Without Vendor Support
A 4-store operator buys from three different wholesalers — none of which offer EDI.
Before: 10 hours/week of manual entry.
After: Invoices scanned, EDI files ready in minutes, inventory updated same day.
Why This Matters
You can keep your vendors and existing workflow — no renegotiations or headaches. No new software to train on.
Your staff gets hours back each week.
You get the accuracy and speed of EDI without waiting for wholesaler adoption.
Try It Free
We’ll process your first 50 pages free so you can see how easy it is to bridge the EDI gap.
