# Full sample: prices and discount rules

**FIGURES MADE UP FOR THIS EXAMPLE. No real client, payment, application or business improvement is claimed.** Version CRL-PRICING-EXAMPLE-3.0, prepared September 15, 2026. USD, all prices and costs on a supplied basis that leaves out tax the business can reclaim. A real business must confirm its own taxes before customer-facing prices are applied.

## The problem and what is included

A two-location shop wants staff to stop giving the same 10% discount on every product. The owner wants at least $8 from each mug sale, $7 from tea and $10 from a tote after costs tied to each sale. These minimums were chosen for this example. They may not cover all the business’s other costs.

There are three products and four separate item-and-cost rows. The same mug has different costs at North and South, so it counts twice against the one-off service's limit of 20 separate rows. The work includes a checked price list, seller rules, steps to put the result to use, answers to one set of questions and one follow-up 14 days after confirmation that the changes were made. Correcting a significant CRL mistake is separate from the included set of follow-up questions and answers.

## Starting figures

Every amount below is supplied within this educational scenario. Delivery, packaging/other cost tied to each sale and expected cost of returns are per item. The example models one item per order; any real per-order charge on a multi-item order must be shared between the items using an agreed method. A separate fixed fee per transaction is explicitly confirmed as $0.00 for all four item and location rows. Unknown costs cannot be filled with zero.

| Item and location | Price | Cost to buy | Delivery | Other sale costs | Expected cost of returns | Fee on actual sale price | Owner's minimum |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Mug, North | $24.00 | $10.00 | $1.00 | $0.50 | $0.25 | 3% | $8.00 |
| Mug, South | $24.00 | $11.50 | $1.25 | $0.50 | $0.25 | 3% | $8.00 |
| Tea, North | $18.00 | $7.00 | $0.50 | $0.25 | $0.10 | 2% | $7.00 |
| Tote, South | $32.00 | $17.00 | $1.50 | $0.50 | $0.50 | 2.5% | $10.00 |

References to the original records are included in `pricing-input-example.csv` and `pricing-sample.json`. The costs and stock figures are from September 15, 2026. The made-up comparison period is September 1–14: 40, 30, 60 and 20 units respectively. Stock is 56, 44, 90 and 29 units. The example does not assume customers will buy more in future. Regular costs such as rent, tax, money the owner takes out and loan repayments are not included in amount left from one item after sale costs; business profit after all costs and tax remains unknown in this pricing-only example.

“Amount left” below means the selling price minus the costs of that sale. Rent and other regular business costs still need to be paid from it.

## Calculation method

1. Sale price = ordinary price × (1 − discount).
2. Fee = fee rate × actual sale price, rounded to USD cents using nearest cent, with half a cent rounded up.
3. Amount left = sale price − purchase − delivery − other sale costs − expected cost of returns − any fixed transaction fee − percentage fee.
4. A guide to the lowest price that leaves the owner’s chosen amount is (sale costs other than percentage fees + chosen amount left) ÷ (1 − fee rate), rounded **up** to cents. This is a guide. Because fees are also rounded, it may be one cent above the exact lowest price. It does not give permission to sell at that price.
5. Required units for the same total amount left after sale costs = round up (previous units × previous amount left per item ÷ new amount left per item). This comparison assumes identical cost per unit, similar stock availability and the same products sold. It does not predict demand. If new amount left after sale costs is zero or negative, selling more is not a solution.

For the North mug at 10% off: price $21.60; fee $0.65; other costs tied to each sale $11.75; amount left after sale costs **$9.20**. Before discount it was $11.53. With 40 previous units, at least **51 units** would preserve the same total amount left after sale costs after rounding: an additional **27.5%**, which may not be achievable.

For the South mug, a blanket 10% discount leaves only $21.60 − $0.65 − $13.50 = **$7.45**, below the chosen $8.00. At 5% off, $22.80 − $0.68 − $13.50 = **$8.62**. A 10% discount on the tote leaves $28.80 − $0.72 − $19.50 = **$8.58**, below its chosen $10.00; 5% leaves $10.14.

## Prepared price list

These are suggested maximum discounts for an offer the owner must approve separately. They do not mean staff should discount every sale. Regular prices stay unchanged. The CSV is a portable working file, not an automatically compatible till upload.

| Item and location | Regular price | Suggested maximum discount | Price with that discount | Left before discount | Left at the maximum discount | Guide to a minimum price | Items needed for the same total |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Mug, North | $24.00 | 10% | $21.60 | $11.53 | $9.20 | $20.37 | 40 → 51 |
| Mug, South | $24.00 | 5% | $22.80 | $9.78 | $8.62 | $22.17 | 30 → 35 |
| Tea, North | $18.00 | 10% | $16.20 | $9.79 | $8.03 | $15.16 | 60 → 74 |
| Tote, South | $32.00 | 5% | $30.40 | $11.70 | $10.14 | $30.26 | 20 → 24 |

The owner wanted simple 5% or 10% rules. At the supplied costs, each suggested discount still leaves at least the owner’s chosen minimum. Alternatives are no discount, a smaller discount or an offer with a different item; all can be preferable if demand does not respond. Possible downside: lower amount left after sale costs on existing purchases, customers moving from full-price items, discount expectations and added work for staff.

## Rules for staff

- Until the exact version is approved, do not apply discounts chosen by staff.
- After approval, use only the stated item code, location, cap, purpose and validity dates. Do not combine discounts with other offers. Confirm stock and the same delivery and payment arrangements.
- Stop and ask the owner if supplier cost, fee, number of items the costs cover, expected customer returns or delivery differs; if a customer asks for more; or if the product/location is not listed.
- Record price actually charged, units, fee, refunds, staff member and approval reference. A return must link to the original purchase and period.
- Do not edit the source file or extend the end date. Request a new version. The owner controls exceptional discounts and campaign costs.

The downloadable seller-rule example intentionally leaves approver and validity fields blank. That is a draft, not an approved record.

## Putting the rules into use and checking them

1. Owner confirms current costs, stock, purpose, loss limits and start/end dates. CRL completes its required internal approval of the first client material after independent checks. Both approvals refer to this exact version and its files.
2. Export the current price/rule settings as a backup. Check the file format required by the till and matching item codes and locations. The sample CSV must not be uploaded blindly.
3. With permission limited to those four rows and the approved window, the owner or an authorized person enters the rules. If CRL cannot connect to the till, CRL supplies the file and these instructions; the task remains awaiting the owner's evidence that the change was made.
4. Reopen the saved settings and test one sale covered by the rules for each position, including fee and whether the till combines discounts. Compare actual charged price with the approved version. Sending a file does not prove the till changed.
5. If a row or transaction differs, suspend the affected rule and restore the saved setting within the permission already given to restore the previous settings. Recheck all affected calculations after a source or file change.

This public example has **not** been applied to a real till or sales system. The download is ready, but there is no real owner approval or evidence that anyone has used it in a business. CRL’s technical report describes separate checks using made-up data. Those checks do not show that these changes were made in a real business.

## Follow-up and what is not yet known

Agree the follow-up at **14 calendar days after confirmation that the changes were made**, and book its exact date when the date of use is confirmed. For illustration only, application on September 16 would mean a check on September 30; no appointment or reminder is represented as sent here.

Compare similar 14-day periods by position/location: transaction count, units, actual sales money less costs tied to each sale, refunds, days in stock and percentage of transactions discounted. Keep the amount left after sale costs before/after calculations separate from observed totals. Record staff or owner active minutes and any exceptions to the rules. Check whether the time of year or other changes could explain a difference before saying the rules caused it.

Status: **no results have been measured after the changes; the effect on the business is unknown**. With no purchases measured after the changes, we cannot tell whether they helped or harmed the business. If too few purchases occur, record that limitation and agree how to collect enough data; do not invent a positive result. Use the stop rule agreed with the owner if the actual money left after sale costs falls below the approved minimum, till prices differ from the approved file, or a significant harmful effect appears.

## Files and limits

- `pricing-input-example.csv`: all four item and location rows and their explicit costs.
- `pricing-calculated-price-list.csv`: prepared regular prices, suggested maximum discounts, amount left after sale costs and approval status.
- `seller-discount-rules-example.csv`: working seller instruction table with approval fields.
- `pricing-full-sample.md`: this complete example, with no login or email requirement.

The pilot one-off price is **$49 for up to 20 separate item-and-cost rows**, subject to the published trial service details and final launch approval. It does not include a subscription. This sample does not promise sales growth, profit after all costs and tax or successful implementation in another business.

## What the spreadsheet columns mean

Keep the column headings unchanged so the files still work with the calculations. Their meanings are below. CSV means a simple spreadsheet file.

| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `position_id` | A different reference for each entry, rule, or item-and-cost row. |
| `sku` | Item code used by the till or stock system. |
| `location` | The shop or business location this row belongs to. |
| `name` | Name of the item or service. |
| `currency` | Currency code: USD means US dollars; KZT means Kazakhstani tenge. |
| `price` | Usual selling price for one item. |
| `target_contribution` | Minimum the owner wants left per item after sale costs. |
| `costs_as_of` | Date the costs were checked or supplied. |
| `source_id` | Reference to the receipt, invoice or other record supporting this row. |
| `tax_basis` | How tax is handled; the example leaves out tax the business can reclaim. |
| `data_origin` | Where the data came from; “synthetic” means made up for an example. |
| `acquisition_cost` | Cost to buy one item. |
| `delivery_cost` | Delivery cost for one item. |
| `per_sale_fee` | Fixed fee charged for a sale, before any percentage fee. |
| `other_variable_cost` | Other costs tied to selling one item. |
| `return_allowance` | Expected cost of customer returns for each item sold. |
| `fee_rate` | Fee as a decimal share of the selling price; 0.03 means 3%. |
| `proposed_discount_percent` | Suggested discount as a percentage; 10 means 10%. |
| `cost_unit` | What each cost covers; this example has one item in each order. |
| `current_price` | Usual selling price for one item. |
| `proposed_discount_cap_percent` | Suggested maximum discount, written as a percentage; 10 means 10%. |
| `price_at_cap` | Selling price after the suggested maximum discount. |
| `contribution_at_current_price` | Money left per item at the usual price after its sale costs. |
| `contribution_at_cap` | Money left per item after the suggested maximum discount and sale costs. |
| `minimum_chosen_contribution` | Minimum the owner wants left per item after sale costs. |
| `mathematical_target_price` | Rounded-up guide to a price that leaves the chosen minimum. Fee rounding can put it a cent above the exact lowest price. It does not approve a discount. |
| `version` | The saved version of this file. |
| `approval_status` | Whether this version is a draft or approved for use. |