Thank you for your diligence in customizing the Purchase Order (PO) to incorporate the purchase date, Kbaker. I understand this isn't displaying as expected in your item list screen. Let me shed some light on why this could be happening and offer a practical workaround to address the issue. I'm confident we can find a solution that works for you and make the purchase date visible.
 

In QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), if you convert a Purchase Order (PO) to a bill, you can manually input the purchase date in the Description field. This approach ensures that when you generate an Item Quick Report or Purchase by Item Detail, it will appear in the Memo column. Please refer to the steps below:
 

1. Go to Vendors and click pick Enter Bills.
2. Choose the Vendor from the dropdown. A pop-up window will appear stating there are open purchase orders for them. Tap Yes and select the specific PO.
3. Hit the OK button.
4. In the Description field, enter the purchase date information.
5. Click Save & Close.
    

Then, you may run a Purchase by Item Detail report. 
 

1. Go to Reports and choose Purchases.
2. Select Purchases by Item Detail.
3. The description you manually entered from the bill will now be reflected in the Memo section.
    

However, if you need to run an Item Listing report, the purchase date won't be visible as this feature is currently unavailable.

In the meantime, I recommend sending your feedback to our product engineers about this. By voicing your needs, you'll help shape future updates and potentially influence the addition of this functionality. Our engineers are always keen to hear directly from users about how to improve QuickBooks and better serve your business needs. Here's how:

1. Hover to the Help menu.
2. Select the Send Feedback Online option.
3. Choose the Product Suggestion.
4. Type your feature suggestion in the space provided.
5. Click the Send Feedback button.
   
   

Thank you for taking the time to share your recommendations. I look forward to incorporating your insights into our ongoing efforts to enhance the program. If you have other questions about managing POs, bills, or customizing reports in QBDT, leave a comment below.