Udhaar without the headache: a simple system for shop credit

Giving credit — udhaar — is part of running a shop in India. The trouble isn't the credit itself; it's remembering who owes what, and chasing it without souring the relationship.

Write it down the moment it happens

The single biggest fix is to record a credit entry at the time of the sale, not at the end of the day from memory. A name, an amount, a date — that's all it takes. With Smart Bahi you do this in a few taps, and the running balance updates on its own.

Send a gentle reminder

Most late payments aren't refusals — people simply forget. A short, polite reminder a day or two before the due date does most of the work. Keep it friendly; you want the customer back next week.

Keep one source of truth

When the khata lives in your pocket and not on loose paper, there's nothing to lose and nothing to argue about. You can show the customer their own entries if there's ever a doubt.

• Record credit at the point of sale
• Set a due date you both agree on
• Nudge once, politely, before it's overdue
• Reconcile weekly, not yearly

Do this for a month and you'll feel the difference at the counter — and in your cash flow.