Paper Book, Excel or POS: Which Is Best for Your Shop in Ghana?

Ask ten shop owners how they keep track of their business and you will hear three or four different answers. Some use a notebook. Some use Excel on a laptop. Some use a POS system at the counter. And a few will tell you, “It is all in my head.”

Each way can work for a while. But what works for a small stall may not work for a shop with staff, many items, and customers paying with cash, MoMo and cards. Using the wrong tool costs you money. You lose sales when shelves run empty. You lose cash through small mistakes. And you lose hours every week counting and adding things up.

This guide explains, in simple words, what a paper book, Excel and a POS can and cannot do. It will help you choose the best way to run your shop, and it shows when a POS system is the best choice for small shops in Ghana.

What does a shop need to know every day?

Before we compare the tools, let us be clear about what you need from them. Every day, a shop owner should be able to answer four questions:

• What did I sell today, and how much money did I make?
• What is left on my shelves, and what is running low?
• Does the money in my drawer match what I sold?
• Who sold what, and when?

If your way of keeping records can answer these quickly and correctly, it is working. If it takes hours, or you are not sure the answers are right, it is not.

Option 1: The paper book

The paper book is where most shops start. You write each sale in a notebook, and at the end of the day you add up the numbers.

What paper does well

• It costs very little. A notebook and a pen are cheap.
• It needs no power and no network.
• Anyone can learn it in a few minutes.
• For a very small stall with a few items, it can be enough.

Where paper struggles

• It is slow. Writing every sale takes time, and queues grow when the shop is busy.
• It is easy to make mistakes. One wrong number, one missed line or one hard-to-read word can change your total.
• Adding up takes hours. At the end of the day or the month, someone has to add every page by hand.
• It does not update your stock. The book tells you what you sold, but not what is left. You have to count the shelves to find out.
• It is easy to change or lose. A page can be torn out, a number can be changed, and a book can get wet or go missing. There is only one copy.
• It gives you no reports. It is hard to see your best-selling items, your best days or your slow stock.

A paper book is a good start. But once you have staff, more items and more customers, it becomes hard to trust.

Option 2: Excel

Excel is a big step up from paper. It does the adding for you, and you can sort your sales and make simple reports. Many shop owners keep their books in Excel, and for good reason.

What Excel does well

• It adds and calculates for you, so there are fewer maths mistakes.
• You can make simple reports and charts.
• You keep a digital copy that you can back up.
• It is cheap if you already have a laptop.
• It is flexible. You can set it up the way you like.

Where Excel struggles

• Someone must type everything in. Sales are written at the counter, then typed later. Doing the same job twice gives you more chances to make mistakes.
• Stock does not update by itself. Unless you build a careful system, you must change the stock list by hand after sales.
• It was not made for the counter. There is no barcode scanning, no receipt, no link to a cash drawer, and it is hard to record a bill that is paid part in cash and part by MoMo.
• It lives on one laptop. If the laptop is lost, stolen or broken, your records can go with it, unless you have a backup.
• Files get messy. You may end up with many versions of the same file, broken formulas, or a row deleted by mistake.
• Anyone with access can change it. And nobody can tell who changed what.
• It takes skill. Someone has to build the sheet and fix it when it breaks.

Excel works well for the person who does the books in the back office. It is not a good way to serve customers at the counter.

Option 3: A POS system

POS means “point of sale.” It is the system at your counter that you use to sell. A good POS does many jobs in one go. When you scan an item and take payment, it:

• records the sale,
• takes the item off your stock,
• records how the customer paid (cash, MoMo or card),
• prints a receipt, and
• adds the sale to your daily report.

You do the work once, and the system does the rest.

What a POS does well

• It is fast. Scanning items is quicker than writing or typing prices, so queues move faster.
• Stock updates by itself. You can see what is running low without counting every shelf.
• There are fewer mistakes. Prices come from the system, and the system does the maths.
• You get clear reports. See what sells best, what sells slowly, and how each day went.
• Each sale has a name on it. You can see who made each sale, which makes it easier to find the cause of a problem.
• Your records are safer. They are not in one notebook that can get lost or torn.
• It handles mixed payments. One bill can be paid part in cash and part by MoMo or card.

What to watch out for

• Monthly cost. A POS is not free. Work out what it costs compared with what you lose now through mistakes, missing stock and lost time.
• Set-up and learning time. You need to enter your items and prices, and your staff need to learn the system.
• Equipment. You may need things like a barcode scanner and a receipt printer. [Confirm what a shop needs and what Rootech supplies.]
• Power and network. If the system stops working when the internet goes off, it is a problem. Choose one that works offline.
• Support. Choose a company that will answer when you have a problem.

How Venta POS fits in

Venta POS is made by Rootech for businesses in Ghana. It keeps billing even when the power or internet goes off, and it syncs your records when the network comes back. It handles cash, MoMo and card, including bills split across payment types. It supports barcode scanning and receipts, and it tracks your stock. On the Boost and Retail Suite plans, VentaHub lets you check your sales and stock from your phone, with your data backed up in the cloud. Plans start from GH₵299 a month. [Confirm the current price before publishing.]

Side by side

Which one is right for your shop?

Here is a simple guide.

• You work alone, have few items and make few sales a day. A paper book can be enough. Keep it neat and count your stock every week.
• You keep your books on a laptop but still sell by hand. Excel can help for now. But expect to outgrow it as the shop gets busier.
• You have staff, many items or a busy counter. It is time to look at a POS.
• You run a pharmacy, mini-mart, cold store, supermarket or wholesale shop. A POS is the safer choice. You have a lot of stock to track, and small mistakes add up fast.

Signs you have outgrown paper or Excel

• Your stock count never matches your sales.
• Queues grow at busy times.
• You cannot say what sold best last month without hours of work.
• You cannot tell if cash is missing or if it is a counting mistake.
• You are adding a second till or a second branch.
• You worry whenever you leave the shop.
• Customers pay by MoMo and card, and your records are a mess.

If you said yes to two or more, it is time to look at a POS.

How to switch without stress

Moving to a POS does not have to be a big shock. Here is an easy way to do it.

1. Count your stock first. You need a true starting point. Count by category and write down what you find.
2. List your items and prices. Your POS provider can help you load them.
3. Start with one till. Do not change everything in one day.
4. Run the old way and the new way together for a week. Compare the numbers at closing. This builds trust and helps you find mistakes early.
5. Train every person who will use it. Show them how to sell, take payment and fix a wrong entry.
6. Check your reports every day for the first month. Learn what the numbers are telling you.

Common worries, answered

“It is too expensive.” Think about what you lose now. Add up the sales you lose when shelves are empty, the cash lost to mistakes, and the hours spent counting. Then compare that with a fixed monthly fee. Only you can say which is bigger, but it is worth doing the sum.

“My staff cannot use computers.” A good POS is built for cashiers. They scan, take payment and print a receipt. Ask the provider about training. 

“Our network is bad.” That is why you should choose a POS that works offline. Venta keeps billing and syncs later.

“I will lose my old records.” Keep your old books. Start the new system with a fresh stock count, and you will have a clean record from that day on.

Choose the tool that fits your shop today, and tomorrow

There is no shame in using a paper book if it fits your shop. Many great businesses started that way. But your shop will grow, and the tool you use should grow with it. If you are spending more time counting than selling, or you do not trust your own numbers, a POS can give you that time and trust back.

Venta POS tracks your sales and stock, works when the network is down, handles cash, MoMo and card, and lets you see your numbers on your phone. Want to see how it would work in your shop? Book a free walkthrough with the Rootech team on WhatsApp: +233 54 631 0011.