Hardware, Electrical & Sanitary Store – Project-wise Sales and Stock Under Control
Hardware, electrical and sanitary shops serve walk-in customers, house owners and contractors at the same time. Each bill can include nuts and bolts, cable rolls, pumps, tiles and plumbing fittings together. This module connects item-wise stock, project and contractor accounts, quotations, credit control and reporting so your counter and godown stay in sync.
Overview – One System for Three Linked Trades
This module is designed for stores that deal in building materials across three lines: hardware, electrical and sanitary. Instead of running separate notebooks or files for each category, the system stores all items, customers, contractors and projects in one structure.
From small cash sales to full house wiring and plumbing projects, you can see what you sold, to whom, for which site and how much is still outstanding. That gives you practical control on margin and recovery, not just on daily cash.
Products & Categories – Hardware, Electrical and Sanitary Together
A typical hardware and sanitary store has thousands of small and large items. The module helps you organise them in a way that makes billing and stock checking easier.
- Category-wise product master: Group items into categories like hardware, electrical, sanitary, paints, tools, tiles and accessories, with sub-categories under each.
- Brand and specification fields: Store brand, model, size, rating (amps, watts, pressure), material and other technical details needed for electrical and sanitary items.
- Multiple units where needed: Support items that can be sold in pieces, boxes, meters or kilograms with proper conversion (for example, cable in meters, tiles in square feet).
- Alternates and similar items: Link alternate brands or equivalent items, making it easier for staff to suggest replacements when one brand is out of stock.
- Barcode and code search: Use barcodes or clear item codes so search at the counter is fast and mistakes in item selection are reduced.
Stock, Units & Batches – Real Picture of Your Godown
In hardware and sanitary, stock is money lying on the shelves and in the godown. The module keeps this stock visible in a practical way.
- Location-wise stock: Maintain separate stock for showroom, godown and warehouse, so you know where material is actually placed.
- Unit-wise quantities: Track quantities in the most logical unit for each item: pieces, boxes, meters, feet, sets or rolls, with optional conversion to a base unit.
- Batch and quality notes: For items where batch, colour tone or lot matters (for example, tiles or paint), record batches and basic notes to avoid mixing wrong material on one project.
- Damage, short and excess recording: Record damages, short supply or excess supply from suppliers and during handling, so stock differences are visible in reports.
- Reorder and fast-moving items: Identify items that move fast (like common pipe sizes, cable gauges, taps, fittings) and keep reorder levels for them to avoid lost sales.
Billing, Quotations & Delivery – From Counter to Site
A hardware and sanitary sale is not just one cash bill. Often it starts with quotations, then material issues in parts, and final settlement at project end.
- Fast POS billing: For normal walk-in customers, use a quick POS style screen with item search, quantity, discounts and mixed payment options.
- Quotation and estimate creation: Prepare item-wise quotations for house wiring, plumbing or renovation projects, and later convert approved quotations into sales invoices.
- Delivery challans and part-issue: Issue material in parts against a project or contractor, using delivery challans that can be linked to a final bill later.
- Transport and labour charges: Add transport, loading, unloading or labour charges where required, so the final invoice reflects the actual cost to the customer.
- Return and replacement handling: Manage returns for unused or wrongly supplied items with proper stock adjustment, especially when material is sent to remote sites.
Contractors, Projects & Credit – Knowing Who Owes What
Many hardware and sanitary shops work closely with contractors, builders and electricians. They buy on behalf of multiple projects and settle amounts over time. The module supports this pattern clearly.
- Contractor and customer master: Maintain separate profiles for contractors, builders, electricians, plumbers and normal customers, with contact details and basic terms.
- Project and site tagging: Tag invoices and challans to specific projects or sites (for example, “House #27”, “Plaza Project”, “Factory Extension”) so you can see material issued per site.
- Credit limit and ageing: Define credit limits and payment terms for contractors. Ageing and outstanding reports show how long invoices have been pending.
- On-account receipts and adjustments: Record payments received from contractors and allocate them against multiple invoices or keep as advance against future material.
- Project-wise profitability view: Combine sales, returns and basic cost to see approximate profitability per project or per contractor, not just overall.
Reports & Control – Daily, Monthly and Project View
With many items and slow-moving stock, reports are the only way to know where your capital is tied up and which lines are actually profitable.
- Day-wise and month-wise sales: See daily, weekly and monthly sales by counter, by branch (if multi-branch) and by cash vs credit.
- Category and brand-wise performance: Check which categories (hardware, electrical, sanitary, tiles, paints) and brands are moving better and where margin is stronger.
- Slow-moving and dead stock: Identify items that are lying for too long so you can plan offers, returns to suppliers (where possible) or clearance.
- Outstanding and ageing reports: View contractor-wise and customer-wise outstanding with ageing buckets (for example, 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 days and above).
- Margin overview and discount analysis: Track approximate gross margin across categories and monitor discount behaviour, so pricing remains disciplined.