In this guide 6 sections
Track party hire items by reserving each set for a date range with a cleaning gap, so that two weddings never claim the same arch on the same weekend. Log count and condition at dispatch and again on return, flag damage with a photo, and keep hired stock in a separate group from stock for sale.
Keep hired stock apart from stock for sale
A balloon arch frame is hired. A packet of balloons is sold. Treat them as different stock from day one. Give each its own group, its own shelf and its own rules about what happens when it leaves the building.
A hire item comes back, so it carries a status, a booking history and a condition grade, while a sale item leaves and carries only a count. Mix them in one list and the website will sell your chiavari chairs by the dozen, while a wedding is still booked for them next Saturday.
Give each piece a code and a tag. A set of ten table runners gets one code, a set size and a component list, so a missing piece shows up when the set is counted back.
- A hire flag on the item record
- An asset code and tag on each piece or set
- Set size and list of components
- Replacement value kept for damage charges
- A home bay in the store
Reserve by date range, with a gap for cleaning
A booking runs from delivery to collection, not just the event date, so a Saturday wedding may hold the arch from Friday afternoon until Monday. Record all three dates.
Availability is the count minus overlapping bookings. Add a turnaround gap for cleaning and repair, a day for linen and longer for a bouncy castle that must dry. Customers never see that gap. The calendar still blocks it.
Quotes should hold stock for a set time only, because a hold that never expires is the commonest reason a popular weekend looks full when it is not. Chase unpaid quotes or release them.
Log what goes out at dispatch
Dispatch is your only proof of what left. Count each item against the booking, grade its condition, photograph anything already marked, and have the packer and the driver both sign the sheet before the van door closes.
Three grades are enough: good, worn, needs repair. Note stains on linen, chips on crockery and missing pegs on a tent, because customers rarely dispute a mark they were shown at the door.
Get a signature at handover. Failing that, photograph the signed sheet. The refundable deposit is held against this record.
- Item count against the booking
- Condition grade for every item
- Photos of marks already there
- Delivery and collection times
- Signature or photo of the signed sheet
- Deposit reference
Check, grade and flag on return
Collection ends with a check, not a tick. Count the items against the dispatch sheet at the depot before anything goes back on a shelf, and compare each grade with the one given at dispatch.
Flag damage in the record with a photo and a reason, whether broken, stained, missing or simply late, and link it to the booking. A deduction from the deposit then has evidence behind it, and a repairable item moves to a repair status and stays off the calendar until it is fixed.
Late returns need a flag too. A tent due back on Sunday and returned on Tuesday has already blocked a Monday booking and forced a scramble for a substitute. Record the real return time on every job.
- A count against the dispatch sheet
- Grade compared with the grade given at dispatch
- Photo and reason for each damage
- A repair status that blocks the calendar
- The actual return time
Close the booking and review the stock
Close each booking with one of three outcomes: deposit returned, deposit part-deducted with a reason, or a charge raised, so that nothing sits half-finished in the system. Then release every item to available. An open booking leaves stock in limbo.
Once a month, read the history of each item. Which sets are always in repair? Which are never hired? A chair that comes back damaged every few jobs may cost more to repair than to replace, so retire it before it ruins another wedding.
Retire lost items rather than deleting them. Their history still counts. This week, run one real booking through the whole sheet, from the dispatch count at the depot to the closing entry, and note every step that felt awkward.
Party hire dispatch and return sheet
A sheet in two halves. The out half lists booking number, customer, delivery and collection dates, then a row per item with code, count, condition grade and photo reference. The return half repeats every row and adds returned count, new grade, damage reason, repair status and the date the item is free to hire again.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How do we stop a hired item being sold online?
Mark the item as hire only. It then never shows a buy button. Sell consumables, such as candles and balloons, as separate sale items. Check the website feed after every catalogue change.
What gap belongs between two bookings?
It depends on the item. Linen needs washing, a bouncy castle needs drying and a lighting rig needs a test, so set the gap per item and let the calendar apply it. Adjust after a month of real turnaround times.
Should every returned item be photographed?
Photograph anything damaged or marked, plus a few random items on every job, because a photo of every return takes time and is rarely opened. Evidence for a dispute is what counts.
What if a customer disputes a damage charge?
Lay the dispatch grade, the return grade and the photos side by side, with the signed sheet on top, and most disputes end there. If the record is thin, waive the charge. Then fix the sheet.