Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for discount stores.
A checklist built from how discount stores work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Item master with job-lot receiving
- Price tiers and shelf labels
- Multi-buy deals and promotions
- Till billing and drawer count
- Aisle counts and shrinkage log
- Seasonal stock and ageing list
- Branch transfers and replenishment
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For store managers
- For cashiers
- For stockroom staff
- For buyers
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Sales and margin by item group and by store
- Multi-buy deals by units sold and margin left
- Drawer differences by cashier and shift
- Shrinkage by aisle, reason and week
- Seasonal lines by days on shelf and units remaining
- Job-lot cost against sell-through
- Transfers sent and received by branch
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Barcode scanner
- Receipt and label printer
- Card payment terminal
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can we create items when a closeout lot arrives with no barcodes?
- How are three-for-a-price deals set at the till?
- Can shelf labels and till prices change together?
- Does it count the drawer for us?
- Can it tell which seasonal lines are overstaying?
- Can stock move between our stores and the stockroom?
- Do we need a barcode scanner at each till?
- Can we start with a single store?
- What happens to our old item list?
- How is the price decided and who supports it?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Shelf prices and till prices disagree
- Closeout lots arrive without item codes
- Multi-buy deals are set by memory
- Slow lines hide behind fast ones
- Shrinkage is found only at stock take
Prefer to talk it through? See the discount stores page.