Billing setup for a new shop: a checklist for kirana stores and supermarkets

The billing setup, in one paragraph

A new shop needs four things to bill properly: a device (computer or Android phone), a printer, an item list with correct prices and GST rates, and a way to take UPI. Everything else, such as a scanner, cash drawer, weighing scale and UPS, depends on your size and can be added later.

The order matters. Build the item list before opening day, enter opening stock on the day before, and run test bills with your staff. The rest of this guide is the detail.

Hardware checklist with rough prices

Prices below are rough ranges as of October 2026. They vary by brand, city and dealer, so take two or three quotes.

A small kirana can start with a phone and a Bluetooth printer for under ₹15,000. A two-counter supermarket with computers, 80 mm printers, scanners and a UPS will usually spend ₹80,000 or more. For the printer choice in detail, read 58 mm vs 80 mm thermal printers. For scanners, read barcodes for a retail shop.

Also check: a stable power point with earthing, a surge protector, and mobile data as backup when the broadband goes down.

Software checklist

Before you pay for any billing software, check these points with a free trial:

• Works offline. Billing must continue when the internet goes. Ask what happens to bills made offline.
• GST-ready bills. GSTIN, HSN, tax by rate, and a proper tax invoice for business customers. See GST invoice format.
• Barcode and fast search. Scan, type a code or the first letters of a name.
• Loose items by weight. If you sell rice, dal or vegetables loose.
• Credit (udhaar). Customer balances and limits. See managing customer credit.
• Stock and purchase entry. So stock goes up when goods arrive and down when you sell.
• Staff permissions. Who can give discounts, delete bills or see profit.
• Import from Excel. Typing 2,000 items by hand takes days.
• Backup. Where the data lives if the computer dies.

Building the item master

The item master is your list of everything you sell. Get it right once and billing is fast and correct every day after. For each item, fill:

Loose items need extra care. Sell rice, sugar and dal in kg with the rate per kg. Then a sale of 750 g bills correctly as 0.75 kg. A common mistake is setting loose sugar as "piece" and then billing 1 piece for half a kilo.

The fastest way to build the list is from your suppliers' bills or their price lists in Excel. Many distributors will share one if you ask.

Opening stock

Count everything on the shelves and in the godown on the day before opening, and enter it as opening stock with the purchase price. If you skip this, stock goes negative from the first bill and your stock reports will be wrong for months.

If counting all of it is too much, at least count the fast movers and anything costly: oil, rice, cigarettes where licensed, baby food, cosmetics. Fill in the rest as each category arrives. The method in stock taking in a retail shop works for the first count too.

Staff roles and PINs

Give each person their own login or PIN. Do not share one owner password with everyone. Then decide:

• Cashier: billing, taking payment. No deleting bills, no changing prices.
• Manager: discounts up to a limit, returns, purchase entry.
• Owner: everything, including profit, deleted bills and settings.

When something goes wrong, a personal PIN tells you who made the bill. This also protects honest staff.

Payment methods

• UPI QR: get a merchant QR from your bank or a payments provider, in the shop's name. Keep it at the counter and get a sound box or payment alerts so staff do not need to check a phone.
• Card machine: useful in a supermarket. Ask your bank about rent and per-transaction fees. Fees for UPI and cards have been changing in 2026, so check the current terms before you sign.
• Cash: keep a fixed opening float, for example ₹2,000 in small notes and coins.
• Credit: decide your udhaar policy before the first regular customer asks.

Record each bill with the way it was paid, including split payments such as ₹500 cash plus ₹300 UPI. This is what makes closing the counter quick.

GST registration basics

As of October 2026, a shop that only sells goods (not services) must register for GST once its aggregate turnover in a financial year crosses ₹40 lakh, in most states. This limit comes from Notification 10/2019-Central Tax, in force since 1 April 2019.

The ₹40 lakh limit does not apply in some places:

• In Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura and Uttarakhand, the lower limit applies: ₹20 lakh, or ₹10 lakh in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
• Suppliers of ice cream, pan masala and tobacco products are left out of the ₹40 lakh exemption.
• If you also provide services, the services limit of ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh in some special category states) applies.
• Selling goods to another state generally needs registration whatever your turnover. Selling online through marketplaces has its own rules.

Two points shop owners often miss. Aggregate turnover counts exempt sales too, such as fresh vegetables and unbranded rice. And many suppliers and distributors prefer to deal with registered shops. Some small shops choose to register early, or choose the composition scheme. Ask your CA which suits your shop. Once registered, see GSTR-1 for retailers.

First-week checklist

1. Day before opening: opening stock entered, 20 test bills printed, staff trained on returns and split payments.
2. Day 1: owner at the counter during rush hour. Note every item that was not found and add it the same night.
3. Day 2–3: check that GST rates on the top 50 items match your suppliers' bills.
4. Day 3: enter every purchase bill the day goods arrive.
5. Every night: close the counter. Cash in drawer should equal opening float plus cash sales minus cash paid out.
6. Day 5: look for negative stock. It means a wrong unit, a missing purchase or a wrong item billed.
7. Day 7: back up the data, review discounts and deleted bills by staff, and fix the item names that cause confusion.

Doing this in Cartix Prime

Cartix Prime runs in a web browser, on a Windows desktop app and on an Android app, with one account. Billing keeps working when the internet goes. You can import items, customers and suppliers from Excel, set roles and counter PINs for staff, and take cash, UPI, card, credit or split payments, with a UPI QR on the bill for amounts due. Every new shop gets 7 days of Silver free with no card needed; after that, a free plan stays with 100 items and 5 bills a day. Starter costs ₹2,499 a year for 1 computer and 1 phone, or ₹599 for phone only, before 18% GST. Weighing scales for loose items are on Silver. See kirana store billing software or start your free trial.