# Discount rules for a seller

Use one row in the blank spreadsheet for each item and cost version. The filled example is a made-up draft with no real approval. A product with different costs in two locations needs separate rows.

1. Keep the current price and calculate all costs tied to each sale, including the fee on the discounted selling price. Account for returns and delivery. If an order contains several products, state how any order fee is shared between them.
2. The owner chooses the minimum amount to retain after costs tied to each sale. The money left still needs to help pay regular business costs such as rent. It is not final profit. The calculated guide to a minimum price is not enough by itself to decide which discounts staff may give.
3. Complete `approver`, `approved_version`, `valid_from`, `valid_until` and a clear reason for offering the discount before using the rule. A draft does not give permission to use a discount. Staff must not choose their own discounts until the owner approves the exact version and where it applies.
4. A seller may apply an approved discount only to the listed item code and location, within the amount and dates, with the specified costs and sufficient stock. Do not combine it with another offer or change delivery, the payment method or the number of items the costs cover without checking the calculation again.
5. For a price below the rule, a return, a changed supplier cost or an unlisted product, stop and ask the owner. Record the exception and its approval; never overwrite the original version.
6. Record the price actually charged, units, fee, refunds and permission reference. Compare selected transactions with the approved file after application.
7. After 14 days of confirmed use, compare matched periods for money left after sale costs, purchases, refunds and availability. Too few purchases, changes caused by the time of year or other changes may mean you cannot yet tell whether the rules helped. Correct an incorrect price immediately; a decline beyond the owner's agreed limit triggers review.

Filled example caps are proposed 10%, 5%, 10%, 5% for MUG-NORTH, MUG-SOUTH, TEA-NORTH, TOTE-SOUTH. They are not instructions to discount every purchase or evidence of increased demand. Approval cells intentionally remain blank.

You can open this CSV file as a spreadsheet. Your till may need a different file format. Before importing into the live till, check that each item code matches the right product, save the old settings and reopen a test sale to check the result.

## 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 |
|---|---|
| `rule_id` | A different reference for each entry, rule, or item-and-cost row. |
| `position_id` | A different reference for each entry, rule, or item-and-cost row. |
| `currency` | Currency code: USD means US dollars; KZT means Kazakhstani tenge. |
| `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. |
| `minimum_chosen_contribution` | Minimum the owner wants left per item after sale costs. |
| `approver` | Person who approved this version of the rule. |
| `approved_version` | Exact version the owner approved. |
| `valid_from` | First and last dates the rule may be used. |
| `valid_until` | First and last dates the rule may be used. |
| `exception_route` | Who to ask when a request falls outside the rule. |
| `status` | Whether this version is a draft or approved for use. |