# POS system for hardware stores in Kenya

> Wave POS is a hardware store POS system for Kenya that handles thousands of items, imported from Excel. It sells by the piece, the metre or the kilo to three decimals, sells rolls and boxes from the same stock as the loose units, gives fundis and contractors wholesale prices, and keeps contractor accounts within the credit limits you set.

- **Thousands of items from Excel**: Import names, sizes, barcodes, prices and opening stock from one sheet instead of typing each item in.
- **By the metre, kilo or piece**: Quantities to three decimals, so 7.5 m of cable or 2.25 kg of nails rings up at the right price.
- **Trade prices for fundis**: Wholesale prices that start at a set quantity, or a switch at the till for the fundis and contractors you know.
- **Contractor accounts**: Credit limits, a ledger per customer and debtors ageing, so a large site account does not run away from you.

## How a hardware store sells

A hardware store sells thousands of different items, in odd quantities, to two kinds of buyer: the walk-in customer who wants one hinge, and the fundi or contractor who wants forty bags of cement on account. That mix is what breaks a basic till.

A busy morning at a hardware in Thika looks like this:

- Nails and binding wire go by the kilo, cable by the metre, cement by the bag and screws by the piece or the box.
- The same pipe comes in five diameters and the same iron sheet in three gauges, each with its own price.
- Fundis expect a better price than walk-in customers, and contractors settle at month end.
- Goods are loaded in the yard from a list, away from the counter.
- Suppliers invoice on 30-day terms, and cement costs change from one delivery to the next.

## Your whole catalogue, without typing it twice

Wave POS imports products from an Excel or CSV file: name, variant, SKU, barcodes, category, brand, unit, cost, selling price, wholesale price, reorder level and opening stock. A catalogue of 3,000 lines goes in as one file. When prices move, export the list, change the prices in Excel and import it again.

Sizes and gauges sit as variants under one product, each with its own barcode and price: PVC pipe in ½, ¾ and 1 inch, or iron sheets by gauge and colour. Shelf labels with prices print in batches, which helps with bins of small items that have no barcode of their own. The guide to [moving from Excel](https://wavepos.app/guides/move-from-excel-to-pos) covers the columns.

## Selling by the piece, the metre and the kilo

Every product has a unit, and units such as metres and kilos take quantities to three decimals. The cashier types 7.5 for 7.5 metres of cable or 2.25 for 2.25 kg of nails, and the price follows.

Packs sell from the single units in stock. Set up a 100 m roll of 2.5 mm cable as a pack of the metre: a full roll takes 100 m off stock, and loose metres come off the same count. A box of 100 screws works the same way. Packs are added on the product's page once the import is done.

Work that has no stock, such as cutting glass or threading a pipe, goes on the receipt as a service item.

## Prices for fundis and contractors

Wave POS gives you two ways to price trade customers. Set a [wholesale price](https://wavepos.app/features/wholesale-pricing) with a starting quantity, such as cement from 20 bags, and the till switches that line by itself. Or, when a fundi you know is at the counter, switch the whole sale to wholesale with F3 and every item takes its wholesale price.

Contractors who buy on account get a customer account with a credit limit. The till checks the room left under the limit before it puts a sale on account, every sale and payment lands in their ledger, and debtors ageing shows which accounts have gone past 30, 60 or 90 days. See [customer credit](https://wavepos.app/features/customer-credit).

## A contractor's order, worked through

A contractor building in Juja sends his foreman with this list, on account:

| Item | Qty | Trade price | Line |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cement, 50 kg bag | 40 | KSh 780 | KSh 31,200 |
| Y12 steel bar, 12 m | 25 | KSh 1,050 | KSh 26,250 |
| Binding wire | 12.5 kg | KSh 230 a kg | KSh 2,875 |
| Iron sheet, gauge 30, 3 m | 30 | KSh 920 | KSh 27,600 |
| Roofing nails | 4 kg | KSh 260 a kg | KSh 1,040 |

The total is KSh 88,965. The contractor's limit is KSh 150,000 and he already owes KSh 40,000, so KSh 110,000 was free and the sale goes through on account. The receipt prints at the counter, and a second printer prints a large order ticket without prices for the yard to load from. At month end he pays KSh 60,000 by M-Pesa at the till, and the payment goes on his ledger.

## Suppliers, stock takes and branches

Deliveries are received into stock at cost, starting from a draft, and each one updates the item's average cost. When cement goes up by KSh 30 a bag, your profit figures follow. Supplier accounts show what you owe each supplier, and creditors ageing shows what is overdue against their terms. More in [purchasing and suppliers](https://wavepos.app/features/purchasing-and-suppliers).

A [stock take](https://wavepos.app/guides/how-to-do-a-stock-take) can cover one category, so count plumbing one evening and electrical the next, while the counter keeps trading. Adjustments for broken tiles or a dented sheet wait for a manager's approval before the stock moves. If you open a second branch, it gets its own stock, tills and prices, and transfers move goods between the two.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a hardware POS sell nails by the kilo and cable by the metre?

Yes. Quantities go to three decimals, so 2.25 kg of nails or 7.5 m of cable rings up at the right price. A full roll or box can be set up as a pack that sells from the same stock as the loose units.

### How do I get thousands of hardware items into the system?

Import them from Excel or CSV. One file can carry names, sizes, SKUs, barcodes, categories, costs, selling and wholesale prices, reorder levels and opening stock. Packs such as rolls and boxes are then added on each product's page.

### Can fundis pay a different price from walk-in customers?

Yes, in two ways. Set a wholesale price that applies from a quantity you choose, or switch the whole sale to wholesale at the till with F3. Large discounts and any price change at the till need a manager's PIN.

### Can contractors buy on credit?

Yes. Give each contractor an account with a credit limit. The till checks the limit before a sale goes on account, contractors pay at the till by cash, M-Pesa, cheque or bank transfer, and debtors ageing shows how long each balance has been owed.

### Does it print a loading list for the yard?

Yes. Set up a second printer for order tickets: large print with no prices, made for packing or loading orders. The yard works from the ticket while the customer keeps the priced receipt from the counter.

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Source: https://wavepos.app/industries/hardware-stores
Last updated: 2026-10-11