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You finished a market. The card total looks right, but the stock count does not. Check the records separately before treating one total as the answer.
All figures below are a fictional worked example.
1. Count what should be left
The bookmark example starts with 20 items. Five more were added. Twelve were sold, one came back in sellable condition, and one was damaged.
20 + 5 − 12 + 1 − 1 = 13 expected bookmarks.
If you count twelve, the stock difference is minus one. That tells you to investigate the record; it cannot tell you whether a sale, damage or count was missed.
2. Work out the recorded sales money
Twelve bookmarks at $6 make $72. Subtract $2 of discounts and a $6 refund: $64. The fictional pouches add $72. Total recorded sales are $136.
3. Compare the payment records
If cash, card and other net receipts total $132, there is a $4 difference from the recorded $136. Recheck the records and refunds. Do not label that difference theft or a missing sale without evidence.
4. Check the cash box separately
An opening float of $40 plus $48 cash receipts, less $20 costs paid from that box, leaves $68 expected cash. A $68 count agrees with the cash-box record. You can still have the stock and payment differences above.
Try the workbook with your own records
The Craft Market Closeout Planner includes this fictional worked example. Its free version supports five products; the full $3.99 version supports sixty, with a blank workbook and worked example. It uses manual figures and does not move money or connect to your shop.
Try the free five-product starter. Use the full sixty-product workbook only if its capacity and workflow fit your event.
A simple paper tally may be enough for a small stall. This workbook is for checking several records together after the event. Keep the original records and confirm your figures. “Money remaining after direct costs” excludes unrecorded costs, labour and taxes; it is not certified net profit.
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By Value Addition. Original AI-assisted workbook and illustrated examples.