Pinogy POS

This how-to explains how to configure Discount Reasons for manual discounts in the Pinogy Cash Register. You’ll learn where Discount Reasons are set, how to add/edit them (fixed, percent, and variable), how to restrict cashiers to approved reasons, recommended governance, and how to audit usage in reports.

What are Discount Reasons?

Discount Reasons are predefined explanations and rules for manual discounts applied at checkout. Defining them standardizes cashier choices, enforces policy (e.g., max percentage), and produces clean reporting by reason and employee.

Discounts vs. Promos: Manual discounts use Discount Reasons at the register and are chosen by staff. Promotions are automatic, product-specific price rules configured in Products and applied at checkout without cashier selection.

Prerequisites and permissions

You must have permission to access Cash Register Settings.
Manager or Admin access is required to change discount configuration and enforcement options.
Plan your discount reasons before setup: name, type (fixed, percent, variable), typical amount/cap, who can use it, and whether it should require manager approval.

Where Discount Reasons are configured

Discount governance spans two places:

Cash Register → Settings → Options → Client: Restrict usage and predefined Discount Reasons. Also set a general discount allowance that triggers manager override if exceeded on variable discounts.
Discount Reason (accessible to managers/admins): Create and edit the list of Discount Reasons available at the register.

Best practice: Using “Manual Discount Reasons” is considered a best practice as is standardizes the discounts granted to customers, and allows for clear audit trails and tighter controls.

Create or edit Discount Reasons

Open the Cash Register and go to Settings (1)->Options (2)->Client (3). This section is only accessible by Managers and Admins.
If it’s not checked already, check the “Use Manual Discount Reason Lines” checkbox (1).
Set a maximum percent that any staff member is allowed to give on variable discounts (1). % Off and $ Off discounts will not be limited by this amount as it only applies to variable discounts.
Click the “+” (1) to add a new Discount Reason, and fill in the fields as appropriate.
1. Description - This is the description of the discount you are giving. It will show up on the customer’s receipt and also in the Discount Reports.
2. Type
  1. % Off - Choose this option to have the configured Amt subtracted from the product as a percentage.
  2. $ Off - Choose this option to have the configured Amt subtracted from the product as a dollar amount.
  3. Variable - Choose this option to have a keypad pop up in the Sales Screen when this reason is selected. The user can then enter a dollar off (Ex: 5.00) or a % Off (15%) into the keypad to have that discount apply. Discounts configured as this type will prompt for manager or admin permission if the effective amount is greater than the configured Manager Override Required value set in step 3 above.
3. Amt - Set this to the Amount off or Percentage off based on the type selected.
4. Min Role - This sets the minimum role that can apply a discount. For instance, if the Discount reason is set to Clerk, then Cashiers will not see or apply this discount in the cash register.
5. Do Not Auto Order - Set this option to have any products sold under this discount not count toward your reorder points. This can be helpful for discounts like “Expires Soon Discount”, which would then reduce that amount of stock the system thinks you need to reorder.
Repeat this process for all your Discount Reasons, and then press Save.
Restart the Cash Register application on devices where changes need to appear for cashiers.

Best practice: You can also require “Manager Override Required for Price Reductions” at the device level (Options → Devices). This blocks users from being able to lower the price on a product without first getting a Manager or Admins permission, and will help enforce the usage of Discount Reason Lines for better tracking.

How cashiers use Discount Reasons at checkout

Select the item or items (1) on the sale and click Discount (2).
Choose a Discount Reason from the list (1) an press Apply. The UI will auto-calculate for fixed and percent reasons; variable reasons prompt for amount or percent via a pop up keypad.
If the discount exceeds allowance or the reason requires approval, a manager is prompted to authorize.

Discount creation recommendations

Keep the list short and descriptive: Map each reason to a real policy and intended use case.
Use caps: Define max fixed/percent values aligned to roles (e.g., clerks up to 10%, managers higher).
Separate “write-off” reasons: Mark them to exclude from replenishment so they don’t skew reorders.
Require reasons for price changes: Turn on approval for any manual price reduction to force Discount Reason usage and auditability.

Reporting and auditing

Use Cash Register reports to review discount activity by employee, reason, and time period. Look for unusual spikes, repeated variable discounts, or frequent manager overrides. Pair findings with CCTV/timeclock if necessary for investigations.

Best practice: The “Discounts (xls)” or “Discounts with Cost (xls)” report should be scheduled to be emailed to the manager or owner once a week. This makes the review process much easier and more time efficient as all reports can be scheduled for the same time each week, and the person reviewing the reports doesn’t have to remember that it’s time to generate and review the reports.

Troubleshooting

Reason not showing on register: Ensure it’s saved/enabled and restart the Cash Register app on that device to have it take effect.
Cashier can enter freeform discounts: Turn on “Manual Discount Reason lines” in Cash Register → Settings → Options → Client to restrict to your defined discounts.
Manager override prompts too often: Increase the Manager Override Required fir Variable Discounts, or review your predefined discounts to reduce how often you are using a variable discount.

FAQ

Can I limit certain Discount Reasons to managers only?

Yes. Set “Manager Approval Required” on the reason and/or set a low Discount Allowance for clerks so higher amounts trigger a manager override.

What’s the difference between Variable and Percent types?

Percent applies a fixed percentage you define during setup. Variable prompts the cashier to enter the discount at the moment of use (either amount or percent), useful for ad hoc price matches within a governed allowance.

Why exclude discounted items from reordering?

For damage/write-off reasons, excluding those sales from replenishment prevents abnormal discount quantities from inflating demand forecasts.