Same curtains, two prices
A customer brings in a pair of lined curtains. On Monday, the assistant prices them by the pair and quotes one figure. The customer's neighbour brings the same curtains on Wednesday, to a different assistant, who prices them by the width and drop and quotes something quite different. The neighbours compare notes.
The same thing happens with evening dresses with beading, heavy wool coats, suede jackets, king-size duvets and children's christening gowns. Each assistant has a mental list, learned from whoever trained them, and the lists do not match.
The manager knows the prices vary, but has never had the time to write down the rules properly.
It shows up in the takings too. A Saturday assistant who is nervous about quoting high will price a heavy wool overcoat like a jacket. A long-serving assistant who knows the work involved in a beaded dress will price it properly. Both are trying to be fair, and the shop ends up with whichever price the customer happened to get.
The price list only covers the easy items
The till has buttons for shirts, suits, trousers and dresses. Everything else goes through as a miscellaneous item with a typed price. The pricing rules for those items live in people's heads.
- Items priced by size (curtains, rugs, bedding) have no measurement prompts.
- Extras for beading, pleats, linings and trims are added by some staff and not others.
- Discounts for regulars are given informally.
- Miscellaneous items are not reviewed, so under-pricing goes unnoticed.
- New staff learn pricing from whoever is on shift with them.
Lost margin and uncomfortable conversations
Under-quoting is the quieter problem: items that take a lot of work go out at a low price and nobody notices. Over-quoting loses the job. Inconsistent quotes damage trust, especially in a local shop where customers talk. And a manager who wants to review prices has no data, because everything unusual went through as miscellaneous.
How we build consistent pricing at the counter
- We sit with you and write down your pricing rules for the items that vary: what drives the price, and what extras apply.
- Each of those items becomes a guided entry on the counter screen. Curtains ask for width, drop and lining; a dress asks about beading, length and fabric.
- The screen calculates the price from your rules and shows how it was built, so the assistant can explain it.
- Staff can override the price with a reason, such as a regular's discount or an unusual job, and overrides are logged.
- The manager sees a weekly list of overrides and miscellaneous items, which shows where the rules need adding to.
- Prices are passed to your point of sale as normal ticket lines, so payment and receipts work as before.
| Item | Today | With guided pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Lined curtains | Priced per pair or per width, depending who | Width, drop, lining prompts |
| Beaded evening dress | Extra added sometimes | Beading prompt every time |
| King-size duvet | Remembered price | Fixed by size and filling |
| Regular's discount | Informal | Override with reason, logged |
You set every price and rule. We only make sure the rules are applied the same way whoever is on the counter.
Quotes that match, whoever is on
The neighbours get the same price for the same curtains, and the assistant can show why. New staff price unusual items correctly in their first week. The manager can review prices using real data about what is being brought in, rather than guessing.
Is pricing inconsistent in your shop?
- Unusual items are keyed in as miscellaneous with a typed price.
- Customers have noticed different prices for the same thing.
- Staff learn pricing informally.
- Extras like beading or linings are charged inconsistently.
- You have never reviewed what goes through as miscellaneous.