Making change quickly at a busy booth
Card readers get the attention, but cash is still a large share of market takings, and a
queue forms fast when someone hands over a $50 for a $12 item and you have to think about it.
The tool does the arithmetic; the rest is preparation.
Change = Amount tendered − Total due
How much float to bring
The starting cash you bring is your float, and running out of small notes
is a genuine way to lose sales. A workable starting point for a one-day market:
- $100–$150 in $1 and $5 notes — the ones you will actually run out of
- $50 in $10s
- A roll of quarters, and only bother with smaller coin if your prices are not round
- Very few $20s — customers will supply those all day
If your prices end in round dollars you can skip most coin entirely, which is one of the
better arguments for tax-inclusive pricing at markets.
A worked example
A $27 sale, paid with two $20 notes. Change is $13: a $10, and three $1s.
Counting up out loud — "twenty-seven, thirty, forty" — is the old shopkeeper's
method and it is still the fastest way to be sure in front of a customer.
Practical habits that prevent disputes
- Leave the note on the till until the change is counted out. It settles
any argument about whether it was a $20 or a $50.
- Count change back into the customer's hand, out loud.
- Keep large notes separate from the working float, out of sight.
- Do a mid-day skim if takings are good, so a busy afternoon is not
carrying the whole day's cash in an open box.
Related tools
If you price tax-inclusive, the reverse sales tax
calculator pulls the tax back out at the end of the day, and the
inventory counter reconciles what sold against what you
took.
Frequently asked questions
How much change should I bring to a craft fair?
For a one-day market, roughly $100–$150 in $1 and $5 notes, about $50 in $10s, and a roll of quarters. Bring few $20s — customers hand those over all day.
How do you make change quickly?
Count up from the sale total to the amount tendered rather than subtracting. For a $27 sale paid with $40: 'twenty-seven, thirty, forty.' It is faster and easier to verify in front of a customer.
How do I avoid disputes about what a customer handed me?
Leave the note visible on the till until you have counted the change back. It removes any argument about whether it was a $20 or a $50.
Do I still need cash if I take cards?
Usually yes. Signal is unreliable at outdoor events, readers fail, and some customers only carry cash. A card-only booth loses sales when any of those happen.
Should I use round, tax-inclusive prices?
It speeds up every transaction and removes most coin handling. The trade-off is that you then need to work the tax back out of your total at the end of the day.
Is the change calculator free?
Yes — no sign-up, and it works offline in your browser once loaded.