Field notes from the trading day

How to handle tax-exempt customers at the counter without an audit coming back on you

Distributors searching how to handle tax-exempt customers at point of sale usually mean resale certificates — here's how to collect, store and apply them so the counter doesn't create audit exposure.

Oct 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Why two reports in the same system can show different numbers for the same thing

Distributors asking why two reports show different numbers for the same thing usually have a definitions problem, not a math bug — here's where the drift actually comes from and how to stop it.

Oct 11, 2026 · 5 min read

How to set a minimum order value before small orders quietly drain your margin

Distributors searching for a minimum order value policy are usually trying to stop orders that cost more to deliver than they earn — here's how to set one without losing good customers.

Oct 10, 2026 · 5 min read

How to handle a short-paid invoice without losing the difference

A customer pays less than the invoice says and the gap just sits there — here's how distributors sort a short-paid invoice into what's owed, what's valid, and what to collect.

Oct 9, 2026 · 5 min read

How to set up a catch-weight item so the conversion doesn't drift

Distributors setting up a new catch-weight item usually get the item flag right and the unit conversion wrong — here's what the stocking unit, the weight unit, and the nominal weight actually need to do.

Oct 8, 2026 · 5 min read

Cycle counting vs. physical inventory count: which one actually catches shrinkage

A full annual inventory count tells you something's wrong months after it happened. Cycle counting vs. physical inventory count compared for distributor retail counters.

Oct 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Why drivers override the route the software gives them

Distributors searching why drivers ignore route optimization usually assume stubbornness — it's often a constraint the driver can see and the algorithm can't.

Oct 6, 2026 · 5 min read

How to calculate route profitability per stop, and what to do about the ones that lose money

Distributors searching how to calculate route profitability per stop usually have a route that looks fine on revenue — the real picture is in cost to serve, account by account.

Oct 5, 2026 · 5 min read

How to pass a vendor price increase to customers without losing margin

Most distributors pass vendor price increases to customers late and as flat dollar amounts, which is exactly how margin quietly disappears — here's a better way to do it.

Oct 4, 2026 · 6 min read

How to manage will-call orders without overselling the stock behind them

Distributors managing will-call orders often reserve stock in one system while the counter sells from another — here's how to hold a will-call order without quietly overselling it.

Oct 3, 2026 · 5 min read

How to balance delivery routes between drivers without just splitting the stop count

Most dispatchers balance delivery routes between drivers by counting stops. Here's why that fails and what route-balancing software actually optimizes for instead.

Oct 2, 2026 · 5 min read

How to order catch-weight inventory before you know the actual weight

Distributors searching how to order catch-weight products when weight varies by piece need a forecasting method — how to size a PO before the scale has the final say.

Oct 1, 2026 · 4 min read

How often should you visit each customer on a van sales route?

Distributors searching how often to visit each customer on a van sales route are usually running one fixed weekly cycle for every store, and it's quietly costing them on both ends.

Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min read

How to return damaged or expired stock to a vendor without losing the credit

Distributors searching how to return damaged or expired stock to a vendor usually skip the debit memo and write off the loss — here's how to claim the credit instead.

Sep 29, 2026 · 5 min read

Does your POS system still work when the internet goes down?

What actually happens at a distributor's counter during an internet outage, and why the real risk isn't the sale but the inventory count after it.

Sep 28, 2026 · 6 min read

How to deduct tare weight from catch-weight pricing so customers stop paying for the box

Distributors searching how to deduct tare weight from catch-weight pricing want customers billed for product, not packaging or ice — here's how to get net weight right on every case.

Sep 27, 2026 · 5 min read

How to take over a van sales route without losing the customers

Distributors searching how to transition a sales route to a new rep without losing customers are usually already down a route veteran and racing the clock. Here's what actually protects the accounts.

Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min read

How to reconcile vendor rebates without losing the money

Vendor rebate reconciliation breaks down when tiers, accruals, and claims live in a spreadsheet nobody trusts — here's how distributors actually collect what vendors owe them.

Sep 25, 2026 · 5 min read

Why an AI assistant over your business data needs the same permissions as the person asking it

An AI assistant answering business questions in plain English can quietly leak data across roles — here's why it needs the same role-based permissions as everything else.

Sep 24, 2026 · 6 min read

How to allocate one payment across multiple invoices without the cents going missing

How to allocate a payment across multiple invoices when it doesn't cover the full balance, and why naive percentage splits leave the ledger a few cents short.

Sep 20, 2026 · 6 min read

How to stop void and refund fraud at the counter

How distributors catch and stop void and refund fraud at the counter, before a pattern of fake voids and refunds quietly drains cash every shift.

Sep 19, 2026 · 5 min read

How to track lot numbers and expiration dates on catch-weight inventory

Tracking lot numbers and expiration dates on catch-weight inventory is harder when every case weighs differently — here's how to make FEFO picking and recalls work.

Sep 18, 2026 · 5 min read

How to manage multiple customer price lists without the wrong price reaching the invoice

Distributors juggling multiple customer price lists usually find the errors at the counter, not the office — here's how to stop the wrong price from ever reaching the register.

Sep 17, 2026 · 5 min read

Which van sales KPIs actually predict a route going bad

Most van sales KPI dashboards track units sold and mileage; the numbers that actually predict a route going bad, like strike rate and stop margin, rarely make the list.

Sep 16, 2026 · 5 min read

How to allocate stock when a shipment comes in short, without losing your best accounts

Distributors searching how to manage backorders and short shipments need a fair allocation rule before the truck arrives short, not a scramble once the calls start.

Sep 15, 2026 · 5 min read

How to process a catch-weight credit memo without losing track of the weight

A catch-weight credit memo has to say whether it's crediting a whole case or a measured weight — get that wrong and your inventory and your vendor ledger stop agreeing.

Sep 14, 2026 · 5 min read

How to reconcile a cash drawer at the end of the day when three payment methods are in play

Distributors searching for cash drawer reconciliation usually have a shortage they can't explain — the fix is tracking each tender by shift, not just totaling cash.

Sep 13, 2026 · 5 min read

How to build a van sales load list that doesn't guess

Distributors searching how to build a van sales load list usually inherit a driver's memory instead of a system — here's how to set it from real sales history instead.

Sep 12, 2026 · 5 min read

How to stop offline sync from silently overwriting someone else's edit

When a field app and the back office both edit the same customer record, last-write-wins sync can quietly erase one of the changes — here's how to design around it.

Sep 11, 2026 · 6 min read

What is a distribution management system, and does your business actually need one?

People asking what a distribution management system is usually already have half of one, built from spreadsheets and an accounting package that were never meant to talk to a route.

Sep 10, 2026 · 5 min read

How to stop overselling when your sales team works offline

When offline vans and counters share one stock pool, the wrong sync design lets you oversell — here's how to prevent overselling without giving up offline-first.

Sep 9, 2026 · 5 min read

Why catch-weight inventory keeps losing weight after it's already been received

Distributors searching for why catch-weight inventory loses weight in storage usually blame theft or bad counts — the real cause is often moisture loss, and it needs a different fix.

Sep 8, 2026 · 5 min read

How to stop a counter sale from busting a customer's credit limit

Distributors searching for a credit limit check at point of sale usually already set limits — the register just can't see them. Here's how to catch it before the invoice prints, not after.

Sep 7, 2026 · 5 min read

How to use an accounts receivable aging report to collect faster

Distributors searching how to use an accounts receivable aging report usually already have one — the report just sits unread until statement day. Here's how to work it weekly instead.

Sep 6, 2026 · 4 min read

How to stop cash leakage in van sales before it looks like theft

Distributors searching for cash leakage in van sales usually suspect a thief. Most of the gap is unrecorded discounts and late deposits — here's how to find it without accusing anyone.

Sep 5, 2026 · 5 min read

How to stop an offline sales app from creating duplicate orders when it syncs

Offline sales apps that retry a failed sync can quietly create duplicate orders — here's why it happens and how idempotency keys stop it before it hits the ledger.

Sep 4, 2026 · 5 min read

How to calculate cost of goods sold when your inventory is catch weight

Distributors searching how to calculate cost of goods sold for catch-weight inventory usually find their books are costing by case, not by measured weight — and margin is wrong because of it.

Sep 3, 2026 · 5 min read

How to know when a van sales route needs to be split in two

Distributors searching how to split a van sales route usually notice the symptoms — late visits, thin stock, tired reps — long before they can prove the route itself is the cause. Here's how to tell, and how to split it well.

Sep 2, 2026 · 5 min read

How to sell catch-weight products at the counter without breaking your inventory

Distributors searching how to sell catch-weight products at the counter usually mean one thing: the scale gives a real weight, the register wants a clean unit, and the two stop agreeing with the warehouse by lunchtime.

Sep 1, 2026 · 4 min read

How to tell which vendor is actually cheaper

Distributors comparing vendor prices often pick the lowest quote on the invoice and end up paying more overall — here's how to see which vendor is actually cheaper.

Aug 31, 2026 · 5 min read

How to receive a catch-weight purchase order when the box never weighs what the PO says

Distributors searching how to receive catch-weight purchase orders usually mean one thing: the PO says 60 lbs, the dock scale says 59.82, and someone has to reprice the line before it hits the ledger.

Aug 30, 2026 · 5 min read

Real-time van inventory tracking: why end-of-day reconciliation isn't enough

Distributors searching for real-time van inventory tracking usually already reconcile at day's end — the real gap is not knowing what's on a van at 11am, when it still matters.

Aug 29, 2026 · 6 min read

How to process a return at the counter without wrecking your inventory count

Counter returns look simple until the credit note doesn't match the stock or the ledger — here's how to process returns without breaking either one.

Aug 28, 2026 · 5 min read

How to calculate sales rep commission for distributors without the month-end spreadsheet fight

Distributors searching how to calculate sales rep commission usually mean flat rate on gross sales — and usually pay reps for revenue the business never actually collected. Here's a structure that holds up.

Aug 27, 2026 · 6 min read

Why your invoice total doesn't match the sum of the line items

A look at why invoice totals sometimes don't match the sum of line items, and how distributors can fix the rounding and money-math bugs behind it.

Aug 26, 2026 · 5 min read

How to know when to reorder stock from a vendor before you run out

Distributors searching how to know when to reorder stock usually find out the hard way — a stockout on a fast mover. Here's how to set a reorder point per vendor, per SKU, before that happens.

Aug 25, 2026 · 4 min read

How to price and invoice catch-weight products by actual weight, not the case label

Distributors searching how to price catch-weight products want to bill by actual weight, not a nominal case weight — here's how outbound invoicing gets it right without slowing the driver down.

Aug 24, 2026 · 5 min read

How to manage inventory across multiple stores without losing track of stock

Multi-store inventory management usually fails the same way: each counter tracks stock its own way until nobody can say what's on the shelf.

Aug 23, 2026 · 5 min read

How to reconcile van stock at the end of the day, not the end of the week

Distributors searching how to reconcile van stock usually mean the daily match of loaded stock, sales, returns and cash — here's how to close it before it becomes next week's argument.

Aug 22, 2026 · 5 min read

How route sequencing decides the order your van actually drives

Distributors searching how route optimization decides visit order don't realize manual sequencing quietly adds 20-30% to drive time. Here's how the math works.

Aug 21, 2026 · 6 min read

How to speed up checkout lines when your counter carries thousands of SKUs

Counter lines back up when staff search for every item by name. Here's how to speed up checkout lines with a quick-pick layout instead of a search box.

Aug 20, 2026 · 5 min read

Why your vendor invoice weight never matches what came off the truck

Distributors searching for vendor weight variance reconciliation usually find the gap after the invoice is paid. Here's how to catch it at the dock, by vendor, before it's a write-off.

Aug 19, 2026 · 4 min read

Van sales vs pre-sales vs DSD: which model actually fits your routes

Van sales, pre-sales and DSD aren't competing software categories — they're different ways of taking an order. Here's how to tell which one your routes actually need, and why running the wrong one costs you.

Aug 18, 2026 · 4 min read

How to stop van stock shrinkage before it eats your margin

Van stock shrinkage rarely looks like theft — it looks like rounding, memory and paper counts. Here's how to stop van stock shrinkage by closing the gaps where it actually happens.

Aug 17, 2026 · 5 min read

How to ask your business data questions in plain English — and actually trust the answer

Distributors want to ask their business data questions in plain English instead of waiting on a report. Here's why most bolted-on AI assistants guess, and what makes an answer trustworthy.

Aug 16, 2026 · 5 min read

Your counter sale isn't a retail checkout — treating it like one is costing you

Distributors who bolt a generic retail POS onto their counter get a fast checkout and a broken ledger. What a counter register actually needs to share with the rest of the business.

Aug 15, 2026 · 5 min read

Credit control for van sales distributors: catching bad debt before it's bad

Most distributor bad debt doesn't start as a bad decision — it's a good customer's balance creeping up one route visit at a time. Here's how to catch it early.

Aug 14, 2026 · 5 min read

What is catch weight, and why your margins are probably wrong without it

If you buy produce by the crate and sell it by the kilo, your PO quantity is a guess. Catch weight makes the scale reading — not the guess — your stock, your cost and your margin.

Aug 13, 2026 · 3 min read

Running van sales routes that actually make money

Route profitability is decided before the van leaves the yard. How loading discipline, visit order and a guided day close turn a route from a cost center into a measurable P&L.

Aug 12, 2026 · 2 min read