In community retail pharmacy across India, cutting blister strips with scissors is an unavoidable daily reality. A patient visits the counter with a physician prescription for Tab. Pantoprazole 40mg once daily for 5 days. The manufacturer packages the formulation in a 15-tablet strip costing ₹165. Forcing the patient to purchase the entire 15-tablet strip is unethical and causes patients to walk to a competitor dispensary down the road.
However, cutting strips creates an accounting nightmare for the chemist. If a clerk sells 5 loose tablets and records it manually as "1 strip" or mentally notes the price, two major breakdowns occur: the computer stock count becomes completely decoupled from physical shelf inventory, and when the remaining 10 tablets are sold two weeks later, the pharmacist cannot remember whether they already billed for the original packaging.
Price per Loose Tablet = Total Strip Maximum Retail Price (MRP) ÷ Package Quantity (e.g. 10 or 15)Fractional Stock Deduction = Billed Tablets ÷ Strip Package Quantity (e.g. 6 ÷ 15 = 0.40 Strips)KhataOS automates this conversion seamlessly so your master inventory reflects exact decimal quantities (e.g.,
14.60 Strips remaining).
Step-by-Step Fractional Billing in KhataOS
Define Package Strip Size During Inward Stock Entry
Master Setup (~5 seconds per SKU)When entering a formulation into your inventory master:
- Set the Packaging Unit: Select whether the strip contains
10 Tablets,15 Tablets,4 Capsules, or6 Tablets. - Enter the full strip MRP (e.g.
₹150 for 10s). KhataOS instantly calculates the base unit price of₹15.00 per tabletin local storage.
Select "Loose Tablet / Cut Strip" Mode at Checkout
Execution Time: ~2 secondsWhen billing a partial prescription at the counter:
- Select the formulation on your screen.
- Toggle the unit selector from Strip to Tablets.
- Enter the exact prescribed number of loose tablets (e.g.
4 Tablets). KhataOS multiplies 4 x ₹15.00 =₹60.00.
Automatic Batch Deductions & Rounding Rules
Statutory ConsistencyKhataOS performs two simultaneous operations under the hood:
- It deducts
0.40 unitsfrom the active First-In, First-Out (FIFO) batch so you always know there are 6 tablets resting inside that cut foil strip. - It applies Section 170 CGST rounding rules to ensure the customer memo is rounded off to the nearest Indian rupee cleanly.
Print Itemized Fractional 58mm Receipt
Execution Time: ~2 secondsThe customer receipt clearly itemizes the fractional purchase:
[Cut from 10s Strip @ ₹15/tab]
Batch: PN4018 | Exp: 09/27
Total: ₹60.00
This clear receipt eliminates any customer confusion regarding how the cut strip was priced.