Duplicate invoices can disrupt inventory, inflate costs, and create accounting issues. Preventing double invoicing is essential for liquor stores to maintain accuracy and avoid costly mistakes. These errors often happen through manual entry or when invoices are re-downloaded without verification.
Cheers POS is designed to catch these issues early. The system checks every invoice number against past entries, flags duplicates during batch downloads, and alerts you to cost changes. It ensures invoices are matched to received inventory and verified before closing. These safeguards help store owners stay in control, protect margins, and reduce errors.
Why Does Double Invoicing Happen
Manual Entry Mistakes
One of the most common ways a double invoice gets submitted is through manual data entry. If more than one person handles invoice input, it’s easy to forget what’s already been entered, especially during busy hours. You might think you only entered it once, but someone else could have already submitted it.
Re-downloading Files
Another issue we’ve seen is with invoice downloads from distributors. Many systems don’t check if an invoice has already been entered, which leads to duplicates showing up in your records. That throws off your inventory and creates reporting headaches.
How Cheers POS Helps With Preventing Double Invoicing
Automatic Invoice Number Detection
Cheers POS has built-in protections to prevent double invoicing. Each time an invoice number is entered, our system checks it against all past entries. If that invoice has already been submitted by you or another staff member, the system flags it immediately. You’re notified before anything gets added to your records.
This alone has helped countless store owners avoid duplicate charges and inventory mismatches.
Finalizing and Printing Invoices
Once an invoice has been balanced in Cheers POS, it can be finalized and printed. A copy is stored digitally, but we always recommend printing a physical copy and attaching it to your records. This makes it easy to track what’s already been entered and reduces the chance of another team member redoing the same work.
Streamlining Invoice Downloads and Cost Checks
Batch Invoice Downloads with Duplicate Flags
Our system also supports batch downloading of invoices from distributors. During that process, Cheers POS automatically checks each invoice to ensure it hasn’t already been entered, whether manually or from a previous download. That’s another layer of protection for store owners managing multiple vendors and deliveries each week.
Detecting Cost Increases Before It Hurts Your Margin
Cheers POS doesn’t just help with preventing double invoicing. It also protects your profit margins. When you download an invoice, our system checks for product cost increases. If a product suddenly costs 50% more than the last order, it’s flagged. You can then update your retail price, markup percentage, or both, on the spot.
Once those updates are made, the system queues a new shelf tag to print. That way, your store pricing matches your cost, and no customer is surprised at the register.
Built-In Profit Margin Tools That Keep You in Control
Set Your Markup Rules and Let the System Do the Math
Cheers POS lets you set specific markup percentages by category or product. Whether you want a 30%, 40%, or 50% markup, it’s tied to each item, so you always know exactly how pricing is calculated. After invoice costs are updated, the system recalculates your selling price and makes it easy to approve changes.
There’s no need to estimate the retail price; simply review and adjust it according to the rules you’ve already established.
Checks and Balances That Work in Real Time
Checks and Balances That Work in Real Time
Every invoice in Cheers POS tracks the number of cases and individual bottles. If your delivery receipt says 45 cartons and 0 bottles, you can count and verify before signing off. The same applies to invoicing; 45 cases received should match 45 cases entered. Our system won’t let you close the invoice until everything lines up, including the dollar amount.
No Shortcuts on Balancing
Before closing any invoice, the system ensures the totals match what you received. If you paid $1,000 and received $1,000 worth of product, and the inventory items match the physical delivery, then and only then can the invoice be closed.
This step might take an extra moment, but it’s one of the most important safeguards in the process. It confirms that you’re paying only for what was delivered and prevents the same invoice from being entered more than once.
Key Takeaways
- Preventing double invoicing protects your store’s bottom line and inventory accuracy.
- Cheers POS checks every invoice number to avoid duplicates, even across users.
- Batch downloads flag duplicates and update cost changes instantly.
- Shelf tags and price updates are automated after you approve retail changes.
- Every invoice must balance before it can be closed; no shortcuts, no surprises.
Ready to Simplify Your Invoicing?
If double invoicing has led to lost time, added costs, or inventory errors, we’re here to help. At Cheers POS, we’ve built our system to protect store owners from common mistakes and help them run tighter, more efficient operations. Preventing double invoicing is just the start.
Let’s talk about what your store needs. Contact us today for a quick demo or learn how Cheers POS can streamline your workflow.
