Who a cash van suits
A cash van can suit customers a distributor would rather not give credit to. It also suits customers who prefer to pay as they go.
- New or small outlets without a trading history.
- Market traders, events and seasonal sites that buy irregularly.
- Accounts that have been moved to cash only after late payment.
- Areas where the round picks up passing trade as well as regular calls.
Cash van or credit round
On a credit round, the driver delivers and the invoice is paid later on the customer’s terms. On a cash van, the sale and the payment happen together. That removes credit risk, but it moves the work to cash handling: counting, sealing, handing over and banking.
Many vans mix the two. Some customers pay at the door, while others are on account, and the driver needs to know which is which at every call.
Controlling the cash
“Cash” today often means card too. Whatever the method, the control is the same: every payment is tied to an invoice, and the day’s takings by method are checked against the day’s sales.
- Record each payment against its invoice at the door, not from memory later.
- Split takings by method: cash, card, cheque and transfer.
- Keep payments for older invoices separate from today’s sales.
- Count and hand over the cash with a record of who received it.
