3,000 Nights of Spreadsheets, Now One Closing App
A family-owned beverage store had run its nightly close on the same spreadsheet since 2015. We replaced it with a private app that reads the register, checks the count, and keeps every number the bookkeeper relies on.
- 3,000+ Nights of history moved into the app
- 100+ Monthly spreadsheets replaced
- 26 Spreadsheet columns, all accounted for
What wasn't working
Every night's close lived in a spreadsheet built in 2015, with a new file every month. The closing crew changed, the columns changed, and each night's numbers were typed in by hand from the register. The bookkeeper needed all of it to be right to the penny, because those figures went straight to the outside accountant.
Vendor checks and lottery numbers lived in their own tabs and sheets, so answering a simple question often meant opening several old files.
What we did
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Found What the Register Already Knew
The register's end-of-day statement already held most of what the crew was retyping. We tied the app directly to it, so the night's expected numbers show up without anyone entering them.
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Built the Close Around the Crew
Closers count the drawer and the app compares it to the register. If the count is off by more than a few dollars, they leave a note before finishing. Only the owner or bookkeeper can reopen a finished night, and they have to give a reason.
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Brought the History Along
We moved years of old spreadsheets into the app, then added the vendor check ledger, lottery numbers, and a sales dashboard, so the bookkeeper's reports kept every figure she was used to.
What changed
Closing now happens in one place, with the register's numbers already filled in and a record of who changed what. More than 3,000 nights of history can be searched from one screen instead of 100+ separate files.
Key takeaway
Before you build anything, check what your software already knows. Most of this spreadsheet was people retyping numbers the register had already worked out.
Questions people ask
Did the business have to change registers?
No. The app reads from the register system they already had, so the crew rang up sales exactly the same way.
What happened to the old spreadsheets?
Their numbers were moved into the app, so past nights show up in the same reports as new ones.
Who can change a finished night?
Only the owner and bookkeeper can reopen one. They have to give a reason, and the change is recorded.