I don't track or record sales now. Earlier, I used to track my sales by writing them down in a register. I was able to maintain the register for 5-10 days, but I stopped doing it after that. Now, if five or more customers come to my shop and buy different types of products from me, it won't be possible for me to write everything down in a register.
There are times when I ask my customers to share the screenshot of the payment that they are making through an app like PhonePe or GPay with me on WhatsApp. So, this is how I deal with the customers. However, there are customers who don't use any payment apps like GPay or PhonePe. Those customers buy the products from my shop and assure me that they will pay for those products the next day. Now, if I have trust in a customer, I will allow them to buy products from me and pay for them by the next day. I have to conduct my business in this way. If I don't get any customers at my shop throughout the day and a customer comes to my shop when I am about to close it, I will sell products to them on a credit basis and take assurance from them that they will pay for those products the next day. So, trust plays a big factor in any business. I note down the money customers owe me in my diary.
I keep customers numbers written in my diary. On Truecaller, you can see who you have called; you can send WhatsApp message from Truecaller also. There is no need of saving name/contacts. Earlier I used to write contacts in diary, but in Truecaller every information is visible; you can see their name and you can send WhatsApp message from there.
I give the bills to customers. I have to file the account for GST. I have separate registers for sales and purchases. I can check the sales and stocks that came in a month. There are 2 registers for sales and stock.
My memory has declined. I used to have a sharp memory before. After Corona, my memory has also become slower. Previously, I could even remember people's phone numbers. Now, I can't even remember a single number. I write down the brand names on a piece of paper and buy them when I go to the market. I don't have a separate notebook for that. I write them down and once I have them, I cross them off. I do it in a similar way to how it is done in a medical shop.
Yes, I note down daily sales and the amount that I need to pay at the place where I purchase items. I buy items on credit from vendors. Yes, I need to maintain an account of payments with vendors. Otherwise, I would not get to know the transactions. Customer sales are noted on paper, whether it's the sale of a day. Then I make payment to the vendor. I have a single notebook for both.
I haven't hired anyone here; they are just doing the work on their own. They are here because they need to run their homes, and here it is being met, so that is all. He is my friend's nephew, so he is like my nephew too. There is no such rule being applied here. I have to go to the market, and someone has to manage the shop, so I asked him to come here. The qualities that I would look for if I hire someone are: they should behave well, when they remove the product, they should check it and then give it to the customer. They should talk well; when the customer comes, he should ask what they want and what not. I don't plan to hire right now. I don't need them. I have a small shop, how many people will I hire for it? If the business grows by God's grace, then I will hire. The place is small right now, how can we manage? If there is a requirement, then I will hire, but when it is not needed, then why do I need it? I keep track of the holidays the staff took in a notebook.
No, customers used to take loans and then pay later. We have not given anything on credit so far. Initially, I did it. I made a note of it in the notebook and many told me that they will come and give it and but later they did not. I didn't find it right.
Yes, we have regular customers. They are very nice customers. Till now, we have 40% regular customers, which we have calculated. We make Excel entries of our yearly estimated bill. For example, if your name is Priyanka Kesharwani or Priyanka Shrivastav or Priyanka Singh, this is your mobile number, you belong to Shanti puram, and you have taken furniture from me in 2021 and 2022. So, when I add the information of 2022 in Excel, the sheet will show me that you have taken a product on this date and this year. Therefore, I can know that you have taken 2 furniture items from me in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This helps me identify you as a regular customer, Priyanka ji. I see that 400 customers repeated their purchases next year among 1000 customers, which means they are our regular customers. We make the entry and provide gifts to our regular customers during festivals. We message them and invite them to come during Dhanteras and Deepawali. We give a 5% discount to our regular customers on pillow, mattress protector, and bedsheet. In Deepawali, my shop will be 3 years old, so I will see who those regular customers are who have done shopping from us in these 3 years. It might be a small chair or a big furniture item, and we will give them a 50% discount or a buy 1 get 1 free offer to increase our sales. If we motivate and give things to regular customers, they will also advertise for us. Instead of investing money on advertisements and keeping staff for advertisement, they will not go to every locality to do this. Allahabad has many localities like Taliyarganj Fafamoj, Shanti puram. I should catch the customers, give them a buy 1 get 1 free offer, and then they will feel that Vinayak furniture respects us. They will advertise this to 4 more people to purchase things from us. We are good. This is a concept to increase the business.
Yes, sir. There are a few customers who have been with me for 5-6 years. I have a diary. I write in it. I don't remember it and I forget it sometimes. So there are a few customers who give me half payment. They are very nice. I don't have to call them for the payment. They come and give me the money. Then I cut their names once the payment is done. They come to buy one item but they take 4 of them from my shop. They bring the money for just one item so they take that but they also don’t leave the rest of them because they think what if they don’t get it afterwards. So I ask them to take the rest of them and do the payment afterwards. I know most of them and that’s how you build your customers. Loan is a must in any business. And there are a lot of ladies. They get pocket money. So they give according to that. So they get a lot of benefit in my shop. If they want to wear a necklace for a function then they take it and do the payment afterwards. Their work is also done. And I have to go every two months. My money comes before two months. So work is also done. Sometimes they give in installments. Some customers give in installments. Sometimes they give the whole amount together.
Ma'am, that's my cash memo. I keep everything in it to record sales. Whatever is sold, I write it all. And the money that is pending, I write that too. And there is a separate account of the pending payments. Yes. There is a diary like this, I write in that too. So I will give you one receipt and I will keep one with me so that I remember what you took from me if you come to return it. If I get a receipt from you, I have it. So I write the date and time and I will write your name. I'll take out your receipt and give it to you and you can't say that I didn't give you this much or that much.
For retail customer purchases, we keep a day book. Normally, we don't keep records of retail transactions. With years of experience, we understand that customers will come and purchase the product. We have a list of customers who have opened small shops. I record daily transactions in my day book. I don't keep any customer records, only the retail transactions that occurred in a day.
I rarely create manual bills. If a customer buys something, I give them a manual bill instead of using a computer. Later, I adjust the bill accordingly by entering the information manually into my laptop. I keep a daybook where I record all the transactions. For example, if you came here and gave me 2000rs, I would write down that information in my book. In the evening, I transfer all the entries from my daybook to my laptop, whether they are credit or cash transactions. This is part of my daily activities. I use Tally Prime software to do all the entries on my laptop.
Yes we have their files with us, we note down there when we return the material to the vendor.See this is of Tuli international Pvt. Ltd. This is GST bill. We had placed order to them like this. We have files of all parties separately.
We record the credit given to customers in our diary. We simply write down their name, mobile number, and the amount they need to repay. It's a small amount. I can see that I'm not losing anything. It's a 50% discount, so I'm not losing anything even if they run away. In the past, some people have run away and caused losses, but it's not like that anymore. When I was new, one of my staff members, Suraj, quit his job. He was new and so was I. There are two rates for Kiran books, the SSC ones. There's a rate for the top and a rate for the bottom. The original rate for the top was Rs. 500 and for the bottom, it was Rs. 300. Suraj sold the book for Rs. 300 without checking the actual price. I asked him why he sold the Kiran book for such a cheap price, and he said he didn't know the correct price. He thought they were regular customers. He also mentioned that two girls would come, but they never did. It's alright though, as it only cost us Rs. 200-300 each. This kind of thing happens in schools too. There was a Muslim guardian during the school season who needed to pay around Rs. 8000 for three children's books. He told me that he only had Rs. 4000 and that he wouldn't lie and give me the rest because he was fasting. Fasting is very important for Muslims, and they don't lie during this time. So, we sold him the books, but he never came back. I don't know if he was actually fasting or not, but he did confirm that he was Muslim and fasting. There are people like this, and we have to consider both honest and dishonest individuals. Yesterday, a girl got her form filled and paid Rs. 750. She gave me Rs. 400 initially, and today she sent me the remaining amount. In return, I gave her the printout of the online form.
We maintain a record of our available cash on hand and write down the expenses for the next day. Additionally, we keep track of our overall expenses and the remaining balance. Furthermore, we also keep a record of the funds in our account. We diligently record your daily sales, whether they are made in cash, through Google Pay, or Paytm, and jot them down in a diary. We carefully note down all expenses to ensure accurate record-keeping.
No I don’t keep the record of the material but I check on the rack, if I find the material less then I place the order. We write the name of the material and number of pieces and place the order with the party. No on simple paper we write the order and place it to the party whose name would be written there.
I face stocking the material on rack. We plan to do a lot but it becomes difficult for us to carry that out. Space is short, it should be more. Too much record is to be maintained. I have to do a lot; I have to arrange entirely different set up for that. I myself note it down. There is lack of time; I have to maintain it manually. I send the material written on the paper to the party and party places order for us further.
Yes, I have a register for payment.
With customers, the payments are in cash. We don't offer credit. Some make online payments, while others pay with cash. Yes, we have a register. If the customer is a regular, I take their phone number because sometimes they tell me that they will pay later. I write it down under their name.
I keep a track of sales in a notebook. I write each and every transaction daily. For each transaction, I write it for myself. We need to know how many items I have given. If someone says you didn’t pay me, I show them the accounts. That's how I do it. We make transactions. I buy, I give, I will definitely write it down. I cannot calculate profit and loss in a month, one month is good, one month there is deficit.
Yes, I have to focus on the shop during the day because I have to maintain the stock and sales for the day. It is manual only. Yes, I have a stock register. I have to update the stock daily. Every day, sometimes it gets delayed by a day or two as well if I don't get time, but I have to keep it updated. They can visit us anytime. The Kurshi Adhikari comes here. He checks everything. He can visit my shop anytime, it is not fixed, so, I have to keep it updated.
I have been keeping a diary for 27 years, with monthly entries. I started writing it in 2004. Today, I planned to do the calculations for this month. The years I mentioned are 2006, 2008, 2011, 2018, and 2023. I usually do calculations for 3-4 months at once, and I had planned to do it today. Each page of the diary represents one month.
I maintain a record of the morning's sales, which is important to me. In fact, I have a brother. Previously, I used to arrive late after dropping off my kids at school. They used to inform me about what items were selling and what remained unsold. It is crucial for me to remember this information. I jot down the unsold items and bring them back. I also record the items that were not sold. My brother maintains a separate diary for this purpose. Additionally, I maintain my own separate diary. I make sure to bring in the items that were not sold and fulfill customer demands.
I have maintained a register for noting the credit given to customers.
All the deals are dealt in cash. For the ones that are on credit, we make check payments. Yes, there is an inventory register maintained.
No, I don't maintain a formal register, but I jot down rough notes at home. It's just a casual record, nothing official. For example, I may note the number of sales I made in a day or month, such as selling 20 to 25 pieces, or the number of customers I served in a day. I usually write these details down when I have free time. Since I work alone, there's no one to remind me or hold me accountable for keeping records. I don't have a supervisor, so it doesn't matter if I write them down today or tomorrow. I keep the records at home because I rarely need them in my work setting. The only records I maintain are for maintenance purposes and I keep the bills as well. If I purchase something, I keep the bills to track my earnings and monitor what's happening.
I have some customers like that to whom I offer goods on credit. I maintain a diary to keep a track of receivables. When I sell the stuff then I pay the vendors accordingly.
Sometimes I make money and sometimes I lose money too, that's just how business works. I keep track of how much stuff I buy, how much I sell, and how much money I lose in this register. Yes, the register is at home. I write in it at night when I'm free, or I tell someone and they take care of it. I write everything down when I get back home and when I have free time, usually after nine. It takes about 30 to 60 minutes, it's not a big deal. My husband helps me with finances, even if he doesn't come here. I have his support.
Yes, I do keep track of the number of customers. Since we have a baby now, she can't come to the shop as often. My staff manages the shop 80% of the time. Therefore, there is CCTV in my shop. Sometimes, I check the sales figures using the CCTV. I don't have any issues, and I also review the sales figures every night. After my staff goes home, I check the sales figures and then close the shop. I have a notebook; there he keeps all calculation, so I check that.
I give credit to customers whom I know and are close to me. The Xerox print cannot be done on credit, as it has very little profit. Then, there are also customers who would do the work and say that they will pay later. They eventually come and pay. There is a place called Mana where many poor kids used to come to us. They would come for one form fill-up and end up doing 2-3 forms. The rate used to be higher and then they wouldn't get the money, so I used to give them credit. I would ask them to pay me later, and they would come and pay later. I used to write the amount and the phone number. I still write that also. I have all hard copy.
Customers can also purchase products on credit. For example, if a customer wants to buy an earring but doesn't have money at the moment, they can leave their phone number and come back after 2 days to make the payment. In this case, I provide a credit option. I write this in a notebook and I keep the record in mobile also.
Yes. I use this notebook roughly. I write down what people buy so that I can maintain the stock. Then we note how much we have to spend daily. I write the credit of customers in another notebook. I also write the names of customers. For example, if anyone takes a product worth 500 on credit, I write it in that notebook. I write everything here. If I get someone's phone number, I write it here. I write how much I could sell daily. I write what I told to whom. Some company people provide products here, so I have to make their payment weekly. I keep daily calculations on it. I save the numbers on my mobile. On the due copy, I write "due" and on the sale copy, I write "sale."
I keep an account of the dues. They are simply slips of paper and we try to pay them back as quickly as possible. We don't really write down small amounts that often.
I manage credit with vendors like I told you that they write it down and then pay it off via small microfinance loans. I pay off the loans one by one. I have to pay off the vendors before I take the next batch of goods. I get a certain credit period from them, so I make my purchases there. They provide the goods even if I don't have cash with me. I get the goods on credit and give them cash when I receive it. I might make a partial payment. for example, I take goods for 50k and give them only 10k. They provide me credit for about 40k. Then I take a microfinance loan and clear their funds. That way, I might get more goods. perhaps 1 lakh more. I write my inventory down in a book. I write down how much I owe, the goods I have and so on and so forth.
I have provided loans to customers. There are ₹400, ₹500, and ₹600 amounts given to around 70-80 people. They haven't returned the money to me. If I have sold something for ₹1000 and the customer has only paid ₹800, they might say that they will give the remaining amount after a couple of days, and that is usually fine with me. I write that down in my notebook. I simply note down the amount they owe me for the goods. I record the credit amount.
If someone wants to buy on credit, I assess their capacity to determine whether I can afford it or not, and whether I have sufficient capital. I offer credit amounts of 400, 200, or 100 rupees, but no more than that. The maximum credit limit is 500 rupees. The bill size could be 400, 500, or even 600 for some people... and some might pay 200 rupees and keep 200 rupees as pending payment. Some might not even give 200 rupees. We provide credit entirely, and they pay the next day. We note down the amount on some paper. There will be copy with the customer. Then we tear the paper off.
We note down how much we sold ourselves. How much is sold out accordingly. We note down in the notebook. Whatever inventory we have, it is all here only. And if something goes down, we note that down immediately. If something gets over, we note it down.
I have maintained a simple notebook for the staff. If they have asked in advance of Rs 100/, I will note that as well.
The payment options that I offer to customers are limited to cash and Google Pay. I do not provide credit to anyone. Occasionally, if there is a small amount left, like Rs 100 or so, they can pay it the next time. However, if I were to extend credit for larger amounts such as Rs 300, Rs 500, or Rs 1000, and note it down, we would not receive the payment later. It is possible that the same person may visit another shop the following month. Therefore, we have made the decision not to offer credit. Mostly when the customer says that the Google Pay isn’t working, then for that I have the card machine here.
Our sales go up on Sundays, once a week. We do business on credit, and when we receive the money, the business goes well. The rest of the time, we keep waiting. In the morning, we have good sales from vegetables. Some people receive weekly wages, so they repay our credit and then purchase items. The business is good on that day. However, on the other days, the sales are very low. We receive back whatever loans we have given. They repay on Sundays. They keep buying things daily. We maintain accounts on a card. They give us money on Sundays or Saturday night. Then the next week, we start a fresh account.At least 25 of them take loans. Both of us maintain accounts. Some of them trust us, so we maintain their accounts. Some of them, whom we trust, ask to maintain their own accounts. The rest of them are people who pass by the shop.
We can give credit to those who have been our regular customers. We don't know who the person is when they come for the first time. When they start buying things and promise to pay the money weekly, then we can trust them. We also give them card, which they keep with them.I write the names in the card. Like in this card, the person has to pay 1674 rupees.
Something that could be improved is if things are sold on time and in large quantities. It would be good if we don't say that our stock is low when people come to buy things. If we forget to buy stock, we have to say no to them. If we don't have the items, we have to say no to them. Sometimes we forget to buy, but then we remember and stock up on those items. It can be any item. I make a note of the item that is not in stock and when my husband goes to the market, he gets it.
We don't maintain any accounts for sales. Whatever comes and whatever items we sell, we just write down that only. We have not done any consolidation. We have not recorded our earnings. We simply sell and buy items. If we have a good sale, we can record our income and expenses. We deposit money in the bank and keep a check of our bank account. When we receive items, we give them a cheque, so we know how much money we are paying.
When customers ask for items that we don't have, we write them down and keep them. So, when they go to the market, they buy those items. We would tell the customers to come back in the evening and check with us. They come and buy those items in the evening.
We have cards to note down the credit amount. If we are paying 500 to the financers, we put the date and make a note of it on the card.
I have accounts from about 15 to 20 years ago. However, I no longer record the sales. If we sell 4 sets, we will know how much we have earned and what our profit is. We will find out about the income and expenses on the same day. We write it down in a notebook. We record the purchases we have made, loans taken, profits earned, and expenditures. I have not been using a computer for billing. They ask us for a bill, but I tell them that we don't have bills. If they insist on a bill, we write it on paper and put a seal on it. A computer is required, but I did not complete my education.
We write down the sales happening in a day. Daily I check the accounts before closing the shop. I will write the accounts, the income, expenses, everything.