A voucher from two Christmases ago
A customer hands over a gift voucher written in your handwriting, from a book of carbon copies. It says a round amount, and on the back someone has written a smaller figure and a date. The customer thinks they have more left than that. Your carbon copy book from that year is somewhere in the stockroom.
Later the same day, a customer tries to use a gift card they bought on your website in the shop. The till does not recognise it, because online gift cards live on the website and paper vouchers live in the book.
Vouchers are sold in too many ways
Gift vouchers are popular in independent shops, especially at Christmas and for birthdays when someone does not know what to buy. They grew up one route at a time.
- Paper vouchers from a carbon book, written by hand at the counter.
- Gift cards on the website, which the till cannot see.
- Vouchers given for raffles, school fairs and refunds, recorded nowhere in particular.
- Part-spent balances written on the back of the voucher.
- Expiry rules that vary depending on when the voucher was sold.
Some till systems, such as Square and Shopify POS, have their own gift card features. If yours can handle paper, online and part-spent vouchers together, we will point you at it.
What scattered vouchers cost
Disputes over balances are uncomfortable at the counter, and staff do not know whose version to trust. Forged or copied paper vouchers are rare but possible, and hard to spot when there is no central record.
There is also the bookkeeping side. Vouchers sold are money taken for goods not yet supplied, and your accountant will want to know what is outstanding. How to account for them is for your accountant to advise; what you can do is give them an accurate list.
How we build one voucher register
- Every voucher gets a unique code, whether it is sold at the till, bought online, given as a prize or issued as a credit note.
- Paper vouchers are printed with the code and a QR code, replacing the carbon book, while keeping the look of your shop.
- The till checks the code when a voucher is used, shows the current balance and deducts what is spent, through its API or a small screen beside it if the till cannot do this itself.
- Online gift cards and shop vouchers share the same register, so either can be used in either place, if you want that.
- Old paper vouchers are entered as they come in, with the balance you agree with the customer, so the register fills in over time.
- A report lists outstanding vouchers, their balances and ages, for you and your accountant.
| Voucher type | Before | With the register |
|---|---|---|
| Paper voucher | Carbon book, balance on the back | Printed code, balance in the register |
| Online gift card | Only works on the website | Works in the shop too, if you choose |
| Raffle prize | Not recorded | Issued with a code |
| Credit note | Handwritten slip | Issued with a code |
Your terms, such as expiry and whether vouchers can be exchanged for cash, are yours to set. The register applies them consistently.
Vouchers at the counter afterwards
A customer hands over a voucher, staff scan or type the code, and the balance appears. Part-spent vouchers need no writing on the back. Online gift cards work over the counter if you have chosen that, and a lost voucher can be reissued because you know its code and balance.
At the end of the year you have a list of every voucher still outstanding, rather than a box of carbon books.
Signs your vouchers need sorting
- You still sell handwritten vouchers from a carbon book.
- Part-spent balances are written on the back of the voucher.
- Online gift cards cannot be used in the shop.
- You have had a disagreement with a customer about a balance.
- You cannot say how much is outstanding on vouchers today.