# Cost Discounts

Cost Discounts brings the selling price down to the item's cost from Clover Inventory. Your catalogue prices stay as they are; the discount only exists on the order it was applied to.

- Price: $0.99 / month
- Platform: Clover POS (United States and Canada)
- Install: https://www.clover.com/appmarket/apps/HYGJD8RGFZQ0M
- Manual: https://howto.payplaxe.com/en/cost-discounts.html

## How it works

1. **The cost field decides the amount** — For each line the app reads the item's cost from Clover Inventory and discounts the difference between the line price and that cost. If the cost is not lower than the price, the payment-screen option discounts the whole line to 0.00, and the automatic rules treat that case differently. For items sold by weight or with priced modifiers the amount can differ between the two as well. Check the lines before payment.
2. **You choose the scope** — **All items** or a hand-picked **Selected items** list.
3. **You choose the trigger** — Manually from the payment option named `Cost Discounts` on the payment screen, automatically for selected customers, or for all customers.
4. **Rules live in your account, each device keeps a copy** — Rules are stored in your PayPlaxe account. Each Clover station copies them when **Cost Discounts** is opened on it, and the discounts are applied from that copy. After a change made in the browser or on another station, open the app on every device.
5. **Nothing is repriced** — The catalogue keeps its normal prices.
6. **Cost data has to be right** — If the cost field is empty the item is treated as costing 0 and is discounted to 0.00. If the cost is equal to or higher than the price, the payment-screen option puts the line at 0.00 as well, so check loss-leaders and clearance prices. If the cost is wrong the discount is wrong too. Check the cost prices in Clover Inventory before you switch a rule on.

## What it does

- **Discount down to cost** — Each line is discounted by the difference between its price and the item's cost in Clover Inventory. Check items sold by weight or measure and items with priced modifiers before payment — the amount can differ between the payment-screen option and the automatic rules.
- **All items or a selection** — **All items** covers the catalogue. **Selected items** restricts the rule to the products you pick.
- **Three trigger types** — **Manually** from the payment option named `Cost Discounts` on the payment screen, for **Selected customers**, or for **All customers**.
- **Customer search and filters** — When picking customers, the `Search…` box finds a customer by name. The filter has three options: **No filters**, **Non-selected only** and **Selected only**.
- **Several rules** — A manual staff rule and an automatic partner rule can exist side by side. When there is more than one manual rule, the cashier picks one from the list on the payment screen.
- **One switch to stop** — `App enabled` stops the automatic rules (**Selected customers** and **All customers**) without deleting them. It is a setting of the Clover device you change it on, so switch it off on every device; the web version does not have it. Manual rules can still be applied from the payment screen: delete them if you need to stop them.
- **Web version** — [costdiscounts.payplaxe.com](https://costdiscounts.payplaxe.com) opens the rule list, the rule editor, the item picker and the customer picker in a browser. It is not a separate product: this is the setup side of the app you already have, with nothing extra to buy. Sign in with `Login via Clover`: your Clover account, no password and no QR code. Open **Cost Discounts** on the Clover device once before you use it. Everything that happens at the register stays on the Clover device: the payment-screen option, the discount on the order and `App enabled`.

## First setup

1. In Clover Inventory make sure every item a rule can touch has a **cost** value — an item with an empty cost field is treated as costing 0 and is discounted to 0.00.
2. Open **Cost Discounts**.The list shows your rules with their trigger type.
3. Tap `+` and enter a name for the rule.
4. Choose `ALL ITEMS` or switch to selected items and pick the products.
5. Choose the trigger type: **Manually (Via the button on the payment screen)**, **Selected customers** or **All customers**.
6. Save, then check `Settings` — `App enabled` must be on. It applies to this Clover device only, so check it on every station.
7. Run a test sale with a plain single-quantity item and confirm the line drops to the cost price. For a manual rule, open the payment screen and tap the payment option named `Cost Discounts`. For items sold by weight or with priced modifiers, check the amount before payment.

> An item with an empty cost field is treated as costing 0, so a rule discounts it to 0.00 and the customer pays nothing for it. The payment-screen option does the same to an item whose cost is equal to or higher than its price. Fill in the cost of every item a rule can touch, and check it, before you switch the rule on.

## Setup scenarios

### Staff buy at cost

Employees pay what the goods cost you — with no manual arithmetic at the till.

1. Make sure your items have a **cost** filled in in Clover Inventory — the discount is calculated from it.
2. Open **Cost Discounts** and tap `+`.
3. Name the rule `Staff at cost`.
4. Choose **All items**, or **Selected items** if only part of the catalogue qualifies.
5. Set the trigger type to **Manually (Via the button on the payment screen)** and save.
6. At the till, ring up the whole order, open the payment screen and tap the payment option named `Cost Discounts`, then pick the rule from the list.

> An item without a cost value is treated as costing 0 and is discounted to 0.00 — it becomes free. An item whose cost is equal to or higher than its price is also discounted to 0.00 by the payment-screen option. Fill the cost field in Clover Inventory before you switch the rule on.

### A partner account that always buys at cost

A regular B2B customer should get the rule automatically, with no cashier decision.

1. Add the partner to the Clover customer list if they are not there yet.
2. Create a cost discount rule and choose the trigger **Selected customers**.
3. Pick the partner's customer record: type the name in the `Search…` box to find it.
4. Limit the rule with **Selected items** if only part of the range is sold at cost.
5. Save, then open **Cost Discounts** on each Clover station. The discount then applies whenever that customer is assigned to the order.

### A short clearance at cost

Clearing a line of stock without profit, for a limited time.

1. Create a rule with **Selected items** and pick the products being cleared.
2. Set the trigger to **All customers** so everyone gets the price.
3. Run the clearance.
4. When it is over, either delete the rule or switch `App enabled` off on every Clover device.
5. Turn it back on when the next clearance starts.

## Cost discounts list

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Your label for the rule. |
| Trigger | How it fires: manually from the payment screen, selected customers or all customers. |
| Pencil / bin | Edit or delete the rule. |
| + button | Creates a new rule. |

## Rule editor

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enter discount name | Required; shown in the rule list. |
| Select items for this discount | **ALL ITEMS** or a selected list of products. |
| Trigger type | **Manually (Via the button on the payment screen)**, **Selected customers**, **All customers**. |
| Trigger type → Selected customers | Choosing **Selected customers** opens the customer list straight away; the trigger button then shows how many are picked. In that list the `Search…` box finds a customer by name, and the filter offers **No filters**, **Non-selected only** and **Selected only**. **All customers** opens no list. |
| SAVE | Stores the rule in your PayPlaxe account. Each Clover station picks it up when **Cost Discounts** is opened there, so open the app on every device after a change. |

## Add discounts manually

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Where to find it | On the payment screen, the payment option named `Cost Discounts`. It opens the `Add discounts manually` screen. The option appears once the app has been opened on that device. |
| Rule list | Every rule with the **Manually** trigger. Tap one to apply it to the order. |
| CANCEL | Closes the screen without applying anything. |
| Apply it last | If a line is added to the order afterwards, the app removes the discount again. Ring up every item first. |
| Apply it once | This screen has no duplicate check. Tapping the option twice, or applying a second manual rule, discounts the lines again. Check the lines before payment. |

## Settings

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| App enabled | Off pauses the automatic customer rules without deleting anything. It applies to this Clover device only: switch it off on every device, and note that the web version does not have this switch. Manual rules can still be applied from the payment screen: delete a manual rule to stop it. |
| Contact us | Support request from inside the app. |
| App version | The installed version. |

## Everyday use

- For a manual rule: ring up the whole order, open the payment screen, tap the payment option named `Cost Discounts` and pick the rule from the list.
- Apply the manual discount last, and only once. Adding another line to the order afterwards removes it, and tapping the option twice applies it twice.
- For a customer rule: assign the customer to the order — the discount is applied automatically.
- Check the order lines before payment. An item with no cost, or with a cost equal to or higher than its price, is discounted to 0.00 by the payment-screen option.
- After editing rules in the browser or on another station, open **Cost Discounts** on this device so it picks up the change.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Nothing is discounted. | The line is a Custom Item (only items from Clover Inventory can be discounted), the rule is limited to **Selected items** that are not on this order, it is a **Selected customers** rule and no matching customer is assigned to the order, or the rule was created in the browser or on another station and **Cost Discounts** has not been opened on this device since. |
| The whole line went to 0.00. | The item has no cost, or its cost is equal to or higher than its price. The payment-screen option then discounts the full line price. Fix the cost in Clover Inventory. The automatic rules treat that case differently, so a rule tested with a customer trigger can still behave this way from the payment screen. |
| The discount is on the line twice. | The payment option was tapped twice, or two manual rules were applied to the same order. That path has no duplicate check. Remove the extra discount from the line, and apply one manual rule once per order. |
| The manual discount disappeared from the order. | The app removes it as soon as the order changes again — for example when another item is added while `App enabled` is on. Ring up the whole order first, then apply the discount on the payment screen. |
| A discount I created in Clover was removed. | The app removes line discounts whose name matches one of your rules. Give your Clover discounts names that no cost discount rule uses. |
| The discount applies to the wrong customers. | Open the rule and re-check the trigger type — **All customers** applies to every order, including orders with no customer assigned. Use **Selected customers** if only certain accounts should get the price. |
| A custom item is not discounted. | Custom Items are never discounted, because they have no cost in Clover Inventory. An inventory item whose price is typed at the till is discounted normally. |
| The app's dialog never appears on the payment screen; Clover shows "Customer is choosing payment method". | Open the Clover **Setup** app → `Payments` and uncheck `Automatically take payment on Connected Device`, so payment is taken on the primary device. |
| Settings cannot be opened or changed. | Sign in with an employee whose Clover role is **Manager** or **Admin**. Some apps also have their own `Restrict access` switch that locks the configuration. |
| The app works erratically, or stops reacting after the device has been idle. | Turn off Battery Saver in the device's Android settings and keep the device online. |
| A change made on one device is not visible on another. | Settings sync through the cloud; give it a minute and make sure both devices have a network connection. |

## FAQ

**Where does the cost come from?**

From the item's cost field in Clover Inventory. An item with no cost is treated as costing 0 and is discounted to 0.00 — it becomes free.

**Does it work for variable-price items?**

The discount is worked out from the price on the order line and the item's cost, so an inventory item whose price is typed at the till still works. A Custom Item is skipped completely — it has no inventory record and therefore no cost.

**Can the cashier trigger it manually?**

Yes — choose the **Manually (Via the button on the payment screen)** trigger type. On the payment screen the cashier taps the payment option named `Cost Discounts` and picks the rule from the list.

**What is the difference from Item Discounts?**

[Item Discounts](item-discounts.html) applies an amount or percentage you choose; Cost Discounts calculates the discount from each item's cost.

**Can I do this from a computer?**

The rules, yes. [costdiscounts.payplaxe.com](https://costdiscounts.payplaxe.com) opens the rule list, the rule editor and the customer picker in a browser, and signs in with `Login via Clover`. Open **Cost Discounts** on the Clover device once first, otherwise the page asks you to. What happens at the register cannot be done there: the payment-screen option, the discount on the order lines and the `App enabled` switch stay on the Clover device. After saving in the browser, open **Cost Discounts** on each station so it picks the change up.

**How much does it cost?**

$0.99 per month, with a 30-day free trial.

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