Hi everyone,

We're about to do a sale of our wares in a nice office building lobby (other vendors have purses and candles). Last time I did a show I sold 20 pieces. All my customers were coworkers, though, and most gave a check or an 'IOU' with exact cash in the next couple days.

For this time, I know I'll need to have some cash to start the day. There is an ATM next door, but a bunch of 20's won't help. I was thinking about $120 in the following manner:

$20 in tens
$50 in fives
$30 in ones
about $20 in coins

Items range in price from $18 - $120, but are mostly in the $40 range. We'll be charging 8.5% sales tax.

Thanks!

I'm still trying to figure this one out also.  I think it might have to do with the size of the show. At one show (fairly small) I hardly needed any change, yet at another (medium sized show) I was scrambling to get change and there were no ATM's nearby.  You may need some $20's also.  This weekend I will be at a craft show where they have had 20,000 people attend in past years.  I don't take credit cards yet, so I'm thinking I will need quite a bit more change.

By the way, I don't like to take time out at the show to figure sales tax, so I have a formula that I use with my excel sales tracking spread sheet that figures the sales tax for me.  As I'm making my price tags I can just include the sales tax in the price (and then I round up to the nearest $5 or $10 mark).  When I get home from the show I plug in the price of the sold piece and it figures out the sales tax for me to report to the Dept. of Revenue.  I don't have to worry about keeping coins for change, and it saves so much time at the show, which I can use to talk to customers!

Good luck at your show!!!! Alice   

I also do not deal with coins at shows but rather factor the tax into the final item price. I then figure my tax due based on gross receipts. I think your break down on change is good, but forget the coins and have $50 in singles.

 I've done shows for years with only $50 in change, about 10 in coins and the rest in 1's and 5's.

Sometimes I'll have personal money in my pocket that is all 10's so I can break a large bill. When I did large state fairs we had a  50 bank in the till and 200 or 300 under the counter with rolls of coins and more 1's,  5's and 10's.

Well, we had a decent sale and hardly needed any of the change we had ready! But, I was glad to have it - it can just go back into the bank.