Don’t deposit checks each day if you have a bank with many branch locations - I keep them with me at the show until the show has ended. The simple reason is that occasionally you will get a return from a purchase a day or two before. I never give cash back for a check. I am not a bank. They write a check for a $90.00 purchase and come back the next day and want a refund. When you haven't deposited their check you can just give it back and restock your inventory. Most returns are simply the result of buyer's remorse and are legitimate.
Just be aware that some people will try to take money from you one way or another. They purchase an item with a (bad) check and return it the next day presuming you have deposited the check in the night deposit or that you left it at the hotel or at home to deposit later. If these folks "bought" items from ten different artists and most of them give back cash then they will have a neat pile of cash for a weekend's work. This has not happened to me but then I have never given back cash for a return purchase made with a check.
Establish the habit of writing the time of day in addition to everything else on the sales ticket. This will allow you to keep track of patterns. About 60% of my total sales occur in strings. This is when there are several people looking and there is a kind of feeding frenzy going on and you have to close sales quickly in order to accommodate everyone. It is fun but a little stressful, too. The remainder of sales are singles with an hour or more between sales. My challenge is to create more strings.
Analyze the results of the information from the after show checklist. If you use your laptop and retail software to produce sales receipts then this analyzing feature may be included. Compare it with other shows. If you had a horrible experience figure out how much of it was within your control and for what reasons not done and how much was out of your control. Fix it or start looking for a different show on the same weekend next year.
