Give a discount
Discount a whole order or one item on the POS, set how much each role may give, and get a manager's approval when a discount is above your limit.
On this page
A manual discount lowers the price of an item or a whole order, for a reason you record: a staff discount, a promotion, an unhappy guest. Each role has limits, so cashiers can handle everyday discounts on their own while larger ones need a manager's PIN. Automatic promotions such as happy hour are separate and are set up under Promotions. See Set up promotions.
Before you start
- Your role needs the Apply discounts permission. The Cashier role has it; the Waiter role does not.
- Discounts are given on open orders. A paid order is corrected with a refund.
- To make a single item free, use On the house instead. To charge more than the menu price, use Change price. See Change an open order.
Discount the whole order
- Open the order and tap Discount on the ticket, or open Order actions › Discount the order.
- Pick a Quick percentage (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 50%), or choose Percentage or Amount and type the value.
- Choose a reason: Staff discount, Promotion, Customer satisfaction, Manager approval or Other (with a few words of detail).
- Check what it comes to, for example "−€4.00 · €40.00 → €36.00". Over your own limit, the sheet says so ("a manager approves it next") before you apply. Tap Apply discount · −€4.00.
Discount a quick sale
A quick sale is an order from its first item, so it takes discounts the same way: tap Discount above the basket or tap the total for the whole sale, or tap a line for one item. Discount is also on the payment screen, for any open order.
Discount one item
- Tap the line on the ticket.
- Choose Discount this line.
- Choose Percentage or Amount, enter the value and a reason.
- Tap Apply discount.
The discount shows on the ticket, the bill and the receipt.
Remove a discount
Open Order actions. Under Applied discounts, tap Remove next to the discount. Automatic promotions cannot be removed by hand ("This promotion is applied automatically. Remove the items instead."). Removing a loyalty reward gives the guest's points or stamps back.
How limits work
Each role can have up to two discount limits, set in the back office under Staff › Roles & permissions:
| Limit | What it caps |
|---|---|
| Maximum discount percentage | The percentage of the order or item |
| Maximum discount amount | The money value of the discount |
- Every discount is checked against both, however it is typed: 10% looks small but can be a lot on a big order, and €6 off a €10 item is 60%.
- Discounts on the same order or item add up. Two discounts of €10 count as €20 against the limit.
- A percentage keeps to the money limit it was given under. If items are added later, it grows with the order only up to that limit (or the limit of the manager who approved it): 10% of €100 is €10, and when the order grows to €2,000 a cashier with a €50 limit still gives €50, not €200. The ticket shows the capped amount.
- Automatic promotions and loyalty rewards do not count towards a person's limit.
- An empty limit means no limit.
The built-in Cashier role starts at 20% and 25 in your currency. Owner and Manager have no limits. See Roles and permissions.
Get a manager's approval
When a discount is above your limit, or your role cannot give discounts at all, the POS does not refuse. It opens Manager approval and shows, for example, "Your limit is 20%, this is 30%. A manager's PIN is needed."
- A colleague who may give this discount enters their own 6-digit PIN.
- The POS applies the discount straight away. You do not tap again.
The approval:
- covers only the discount that asked for it: a second discount needs a new PIN,
- stays usable for a retry if the discount fails, for example because of an invalid entry,
- works only on this till and only for you, and expires after 3 minutes,
- must come from someone working at this location, other than you,
- is checked against the approver's own limits.
The discount is recorded under your name, and the approver is recorded in the Activity log. See How manager approval works.
Errors you may see
| Code | Message | What to do |
|---|---|---|
LIMIT_EXCEEDED | This amount is above your limit. Ask a manager to approve it. | A manager enters their PIN on the approval sheet. |
PERMISSION_REQUIRED | You do not have permission to do this. | Your role cannot give discounts. A manager can approve with their PIN, or an owner adds Apply discounts to your role. |
APPROVER_LIMIT_EXCEEDED | The approver cannot approve this amount. | The approver's own limit is lower. Ask someone with a higher limit or no limit, or lower the discount. |
APPROVAL_DENIED | This PIN cannot approve this action. | The PIN is your own, or its owner may not give discounts. Ask a manager whose role includes discounts. |
APPROVAL_ALREADY_USED | This approval was already used. Ask for a new one. | The manager enters their PIN again. |
DISCOUNT_PERCENT_TOO_HIGH | A percentage discount cannot be more than 100%. | Enter 100 or less. |
PIN_LOCKED | Too many wrong PINs on this terminal. Try again in … seconds. | Wait for the countdown. |
Where discounts show up
- In Reports, discounts are shown separately from sales.
- The X report and the end-of-day Z report show the total of discounts for the till.
- Every manual discount is in the Activity log, with the approver if there was one.
Common questions
Can a discount bring an item below zero?
No. A discount never takes a line or order below zero.
What is the difference between a discount and "On the house"?
On the house makes one item free and is reported as a comp, with its own reasons and its own permission. A discount lowers the price by a percentage or amount.
Discount the order shows a lock
Your role lacks Apply discounts, so the Discount button on the ticket is hidden and the row in Order actions shows a lock. You can still tap that row: a manager approves with their PIN.