Oil in Shubra
Hossam has a grocery in Shubra. A bottle of oil cost him 80 pounds and he sold it at 114 with VAT. In September the distributor's invoice said 92. Hossam signed, the boy stacked the cartons, and the till went on selling at 114 for three weeks. At the end of the month the sales were good and the profit was not, and it took him an evening with the invoices to find out why.
The warning at receiving
Now, when Hossam types the new unit cost while receiving, and it is 10% or more above the product's last cost (the percentage is yours), the line warns him on the spot:
Cost was 80.00, now 92.00 (+15%). Margin now 8% at 114.00 (was 20%). Suggested price 131.25 keeps 20%.
[ Apply 131.25 ] [ Keep the price ]
It shows wherever a delivery's cost enters the program: Stock → Receive, receiving a purchase order, and the review page of the supplier's invoice from a photo.
The sum behind it
These are fixed rules, not AI, and you can check every number with a calculator:
| Step | Hossam's oil |
|---|---|
| The price without VAT (VAT is never profit) | 114 ÷ 1.14 = 100 |
| The margin before | (100 − 80) ÷ 100 = 20% |
| The margin with the new cost | (100 − 92) ÷ 100 = 8% |
| The price that keeps 20%, without VAT | 92 ÷ (1 − 0.20) = 115 |
| VAT back on top, rounded up to the quarter pound | 115 × 1.14 = 131.10 → 131.25 |
The suggested price is always rounded up to 0.25 pounds, so it never falls under the margin it is meant to keep. A product without a selling price yet gets the two costs only.
Apply or keep
- Apply changes the product's price at once, on every till, like any price edit, and the change is logged with its reason. It needs the right to edit products, or a manager.
- Keep the price does nothing. Maybe the shop next door has not raised it yet, or it is an offer you want to hold; it is your call.
The margin floor
For the owner who is not at the shop when the goods arrive: in Settings → Selling, set Margin floor (it starts off), say 12%. A delivery that pushes a product under it:
- raises the owner alert Margin squeezed, once per product and delivery, when owner alerts are on;
- appears in the daily summary e-mail and the Telegram summary;
- is listed on the Margins squeezed page with the suggested price and its Apply button, until the margin is back over the floor.
The same page in Settings → Selling holds the warning's percentage: Warn when a cost rises by (%), 10 by default, 0 for never. The steps are in the manual; the alerts are explained in owner alerts.
On the program on your PC
From the Silver package up, the delivery dialog (from the inventory screen or a purchase order) shows the same warning before it closes, asks, and applies the price if you say so. The settings sit in Settings → General, and the inventory screen's Slow stock tab has an “Under the margin floor” list, read from your products as they are now.
What it does not do yet
• It never changes a price by itself. It suggests; you or a manager apply.
• The invoice-from-a-photo review page shows the warning but has no Apply button before you confirm; apply afterwards from Margins squeezed.
• The PC's phone page shows the warning without an Apply button; change the price from the product.
• It needs a cost. A delivery received without a unit cost cannot warn.
Which plans include it
| Edition | Included in | Not in |
|---|---|---|
| PosMasr Cloud | Shop, Business, Chain | Basic, Cashier |
| The program on your PC | Silver, Gold, Platinum | Bronze |
Nothing to switch on: on these plans the warning works from the first delivery, at 10%. Every new online shop starts with 14 days of Business. Prices are on the prices page.
Quick answers
Why is the margin worked out without VAT?
Because the 14% is the tax authority's money, not yours. A margin that counts it looks bigger than it is.
Can a cashier receiving the goods change the price?
He sees the warning; applying it needs the right to edit products, or a manager.
The cost went down. Does it warn?
No, it warns on rises only. A lower cost simply makes your margin bigger.
Does it work with the invoice from a photo?
Yes: the review page uses your percentage and adds the suggested price; the products it squeezed appear on Margins squeezed after you confirm.
Know the day the cost moves, not the end of the month
Start the 14-day trial of Business, no card, receive your next delivery in it and read the first warning. On the program on your PC, it is in Silver and up.
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