Using POS / Counter
One catalogue, one reporting view, one set of audit records — staff work counter shifts while you keep oversight from the Manage Portal.
The POS / Counter module lets you sell in person — at a stall, pop-up, event, or permanent counter — using your existing PayBru store catalogue. Items sold at the counter and items sold online share one catalogue and one reporting view, so you don't have to run two systems.
Before You Start
- POS / Counter is an optional module. Enable it under Settings > Modules if you don't see it in your Manage Portal yet.
- Your Merch Store products are what staff sells at the counter — make sure they're set up first. See Using the Merch Store.
- If anyone other than you will work the counter, set them up under Managing Moderators with the POS permissions you want them to have.
Open POS
- Open the Manage Portal for the community.
- Select POS / Counter (also referred to as Counter in some surfaces).
Permissions for Counter Staff
When you invite a moderator who'll work the counter, you can grant them a focused set of POS permissions:
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Use POS | Open the counter interface and ring up sales. |
| Take cash | Record cash payments and handle change. |
| Apply discounts | Apply a percentage or fixed-amount discount (with a reason). |
| Refund or void | Refund a paid order or void an unpaid one. |
| Manage inventory | Adjust stock counts (for example, after a physical stock-take). |
| View POS reports | See shift summaries, reconciliation, and exports. |
Start narrow. Give counter staff only what they need for their role.
A Typical Counter Workflow
- Open a shift at the start of the day or the event. Record the opening cash float.
- Ring up items — pick products from the catalogue, adjust prices or quantities, apply discounts where allowed.
- Take payment — see "Payment methods at the counter" below.
- Repeat for the next customer.
- Close the shift at the end. Reconcile cash on hand against the expected amount and resolve any variance.
- Review the report for the shift if needed.
Payment Methods at the Counter
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| QR code | The customer scans the on-screen QR with their phone and completes checkout through Paystack. |
| PayLink | A guest payment link the customer opens to pay through Paystack. Useful when QR isn't practical. |
| Cash | Staff records the amount received; the system calculates change. Requires the Take cash permission. |
QR and PayLink checkouts at the counter are processed through Paystack in ZAR, the same as online sales. The fees that apply are the same as anywhere else on PayBru — see Billing Basics for Creators for the canonical breakdown.
Discounts and Price Overrides
Staff with the Apply discounts permission can:
- Apply a percentage or fixed-amount discount to an order.
- Override the price of an item (with a reason).
Every discount and price override is logged with the staff member's name, the reason given, and the amount — see the audit trail below.
Refunds and Voids
- Use Refund on a paid order to reverse the charge through Paystack. Refunds reduce your creator balance.
- Use Void on a pending order to cancel it before payment is captured.
- Both actions require the Refund or void permission.
- Both actions are logged with reason and staff name.
For full refund handling across all sales channels, see Support and Refunds.
Reporting
POS reports show, for any shift or date range:
- Total orders — settled, pending, and failed counts.
- Gross revenue, captures, refunds, voids, and net sales.
- Breakdown by channel — QR, PayLink, cash, and online store.
- Discount and fee summaries.
- Export as CSV for your own bookkeeping.
The reporting view filters online and counter orders together by default — useful when you want a full picture of the day's sales. Filter by channel when you only want one view.
Audit Trail
Every meaningful action at the counter is logged with the staff member, timestamp, order reference, and (where applicable) a reason:
- Sale started, payment initiated, payment completed.
- Cash recorded (amount received, change given).
- Discount applied (amount and reason).
- Price override (original price, new price, reason).
- Refund or void (reason, transaction ID).
- Inventory adjustment (delta, reason).
- Report export and shift cash-up.
The audit trail makes it straightforward to investigate a variance at the end of a shift, settle a dispute, or review staff activity.
Inventory at the Counter
POS draws on the same product catalogue as your online store. Selling an item at the counter decrements the same stock count an online sale would. If you do a physical stock-take, staff with the Manage inventory permission can adjust the count — that adjustment is logged.
Digital products can be sold at the counter the same way as physical ones; the buyer receives the download link by email.
Tips at the Counter
POS handles sales, not tips. The Tips module (Pay-a-Bru) is separate and runs through your community page and stream alerts. See Managing Tips.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| QR code doesn't generate | Confirm the device has internet. Refresh the counter screen. |
| Cash button missing | Confirm the staff member has the Take cash permission. |
| Discount option missing | Confirm the staff member has the Apply discounts permission. |
| Order shows as Pending for too long | The Paystack checkout hasn't confirmed. Ask the customer to retry on their phone, or void the order and ring it up again. |
| Refund not appearing in the customer's bank | Refunds may take a few business days to reflect after Paystack processes them. |
| Stock count looks wrong | Use Manage inventory to adjust to the physical count, with a note in the reason field. |
| Shift won't close because of a variance | Investigate via the audit trail — discounts, refunds, voids, and cash entries are all there with staff names and timestamps. |
Good POS Habits
- Open and close a shift for every working session — even a short pop-up. It keeps reporting clean.
- Give clear reasons when applying discounts, overrides, or refunds — the audit trail is only as useful as the notes left on it.
- Reconcile cash at the end of each shift while the day is still fresh.
- Review reports after a busy day to spot trends — which items move at events, which don't.
- Train counter staff on the permissions you've given them — they'll only see what they're allowed to do, but it helps to explain why.