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POS and Retail

POS and Retail is the point of sale for shops, cafés and quick-service restaurants. Cashiers bill on a tablet, PC or phone with a barcode scanner, take any mix of payments, and keep billing when the internet drops. Stock is deducted from Inventory (or Books), and each shift closes into the Books ledger with a Z report.

Who uses it​

  • POS admin: sets up stores, registers, receipt templates, the catalogue, prices, promotions and settings.
  • Store manager: runs one or more stores; approves discounts, voids and returns with a PIN, closes shifts, approves cash variances and stock takes.
  • Cashier: bills at the register in their store and runs their own shift.
  • Finance admin: reads sales reports, Z reports and shift journals.

Before you start​

  • Your company is set up in Thoshika and POS is switched on for it.
  • Books is on if you want journals, GST returns and B2B invoices; your GST registrations are set up in Books.
  • Inventory is on if you want bins, lots and transfers between registrations; without it, stock moves through Books. Without either, POS bills and closes shifts but does not move stock.
  • Staff are members of the company with the POS admin, Store manager or Cashier role, scoped to their stores.
  • You have the store's UPI ID (VPA) for payment QR codes and, for food businesses, the FSSAI licence number.

Set up​

  1. Store. Add the store with its kind (retail, restaurant or both), address, warehouse, GST registration, UPI ID, FSSAI number and default price list.
  2. Registers. Add a register for each counter with a bill series prefix, mode, receipt width and printing method. A register is paired to the first device that opens it.
  3. Receipt template. Choose header and footer lines and what to show: HSN, tax break-up, MRP and savings, FSSAI number, loyalty balance and a receipt QR.
  4. Catalogue. Add categories and items with HSN or SAC, GST rate, MRP, selling price and barcodes. Add variants, add-on groups and, for prepared food, recipes.
  5. Prices and offers. Create price lists (including happy hours), automatic promotions and coupons.
  6. Staff PINs. Each cashier and manager sets a POS PIN for unlocking the register and approving overrides.
  7. Restaurant set-up (if needed). Add floor areas, tables and kitchen stations, and open the kitchen display on a screen in each station.
  8. Settings. Review the cashier discount limit, loyalty rules, variance tolerance, idle lock time and whether e-invoicing applies to your company.

Key workflows​

Bill a customer at the counter​

  1. Open the register and start a shift with the opening float.
  2. Scan items or search by name, code or PLU. Weighed items are read from scale barcodes.
  3. Add the customer by mobile number if they want loyalty points or a B2B invoice.
  4. Apply a discount or coupon. Above the cashier's limit, a manager enters their PIN.
  5. Press Pay, take one or more tenders, and print or share the receipt.

Keep billing when the internet is down​

  1. Carry on billing. Items, prices and the bill series are already on the device.
  2. Only cash, UPI and card are accepted offline, because balances cannot be checked.
  3. When the connection returns, bills sync automatically. A manager reviews any conflicts, such as stock that ran short, in the sync review screen.

Take a table order​

  1. Open a table from the floor plan and enter the covers.
  2. Add items with add-ons and send them to the kitchen. One KOT is printed or shown per station.
  3. Hold courses and fire them later if needed. Move, merge or split tables and bills as guests require.
  4. Print the bill, then settle it like a counter sale. The table frees up.

Close a shift​

  1. Run an X report at any time to see sales and expected cash.
  2. At close, count cash by denomination and enter the float to keep.
  3. If the variance is above tolerance, it goes to the store manager for approval.
  4. The numbered Z report is saved and, with Books on, the shift journal is posted.

Handle a return​

  1. Scan the receipt QR or enter the bill number.
  2. Pick the lines and quantities to return and give a reason; mark items as restock or damaged.
  3. Refund to the original payment mode, to the wallet, or as a credit note.

India specifics​

  • Prices are MRP-inclusive, and the taxable value and CGST, SGST or IGST are back-calculated per line. A selling price above MRP is blocked.
  • Each bill is a tax invoice or a bill of supply as the rules require. Bill series run per register and financial year.
  • B2C sales and credit notes feed GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B in Books, including cancelled bill numbers. B2B bills are Books invoices, so e-invoice JSON comes from Books.
  • UPI payment QR codes carry the exact amount; the cashier confirms receipt. No payment gateway is needed.
  • Food bills show the FSSAI number and veg, non-veg and egg marks; service charge is optional and can be removed at the guest's request.

Works with other apps​

  • Books: shift journals, cost of goods, GST returns, B2B invoices and customer accounts.
  • Inventory: stock deduction, store warehouses, transfers between registrations and purchases.
  • CRM: customers who consent are added as CRM contacts.
  • People: cashiers and managers as company members.
  • The mobile app offers counter billing with camera scanning, captain table ordering, shift close and a manager view, with the same offline queue.

Next steps​