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Accounting

Set Up Deposit Tracking for Kegs and Growlers

Set Up Deposit Tracking for Kegs and Growlers

The Problem

You've got $15,000 worth of kegs and growlers floating around with customers. Some customers owe you three kegs, others owe twenty. You're tracking it on paper or in a spreadsheet that's two months out of date. When customers return containers, you're not sure if they're returning what they actually owe. You're losing money on unreturned containers and have no systematic way to track who has what.

The Solution

BarSight's deposit tracking system automatically records when customers take containers (kegs, growlers, bottles) and calculates balances owed. See exactly who has which containers, how much deposit money you're holding, and process returns with complete accountability. Track thousands of dollars in container inventory without spreadsheets or guesswork.

How to Use It

  1. Navigate to Brewery → Inventory
  2. Create or edit container items (kegs, growlers, bottles)
  3. In the item settings, configure deposit tracking:
    • Is Deposit Item: Check this box
    • Deposit Amount: How much you charge (e.g., $50 for kegs, $5 for growlers)
    • Track Individually: Enable if you need serial number tracking (recommended for kegs)
  4. Click Save

Now when you create orders with these containers, BarSight automatically tracks deposits. Customer records show outstanding containers and deposit balances. When customers return items, process returns to update balances and recover your containers.

[SCREENSHOT: Inventory item settings showing "Is Deposit Item" checkbox, Deposit Amount field, and Track Individually option]

Pro Tip

Enable individual tracking for kegs so you know exactly which specific keg (by serial number) each customer has. This prevents disputes about condition, age, and ownership. For high-volume growler returns, basic quantity tracking without serial numbers is usually sufficient.

Learn More

Once deposit tracking is set up, learn how to process bulk returns efficiently when customers bring back multiple items. You can also discover how to transfer containers between locations for multi-site operations.