Tot counter for bars
A tot counter that works from weight. Put an open bottle on a Bluetooth scale and the app tells you how many tots are left in it.
What a tot counter does
A tot is a single measure of spirit, the pour a bar sells by. A tot counter tells you how many tots are left in a bottle that has already been opened, so you know how much stock you really hold.
There are three common ways to get that number: judge it by eye, pour the bottle out into a measure, or weigh it. WeighIt is the third.
Eyeballing, pouring out or weighing
Each method gets you a number. They differ in what you can trust about it.
| Method | How it works | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| By eye | You look at the level and write down a fraction of the bottle | Depends on who is looking, and the shape of the bottle changes how a level reads |
| Pouring out | You measure what is left into a tot measure | Slow, and you are handling stock that is still for sale |
| Weighing | You weigh the bottle and the app converts weight to volume and tots | Each product needs a one-time calibration |
How weight becomes tots
The scale gives the weight of the open bottle. The app then does what you would do by hand:
- Take off the weight of the empty bottle, which leaves the weight of the liquid.
- Convert that weight to volume using the density of the product.
- Work out the remaining volume and the number of tots left.
Density matters because liquids do not weigh the same per millilitre. A sugary liqueur and a vodka of the same volume weigh different amounts, so one conversion for everything would be wrong. The app keeps the figures for each product, which you set up once by weighing a full and an empty bottle.
What the count tells you
A tot figure is only useful next to something to compare it with.
Tots left per product
A tot figure for each open bottle, not a fraction of a bottle.
Expected against actual
What your sales say should remain, set against what the scale says does, so the gap shows up.
Where the gap points
A steady gap on one product points at a pour or a process. A gap that shows up on certain shifts points at a time.
What WeighIt costs
We set everything up: your products loaded from your spreadsheet, a Bluetooth scale included and couriered to you, and step-by-step guides and video tutorials for your first stock take. No subscription required.
Monthly variance report against POS sales, unlimited products and users, and priority support. Month to month, no long-term contract.
Questions about counting tots
What is a tot?
A tot is a single measure of spirit, the pour that bars sell by. Its size depends on the venue and the country.
Is there a tot counter app?
Yes. WeighIt is an app plus a Bluetooth scale. It is not a download-only calculator, because the weight has to come from a scale and each product needs its empty and full weights set up.
How do you count tots in an open bottle?
Weigh the bottle, subtract the empty bottle weight, convert the remaining weight to volume using the product's density, then divide by the size of a tot. WeighIt does those steps for you.
Do I need an empty bottle to set a product up?
A full and an empty bottle is the recommended way to calibrate a product, because it is more accurate. If you have no empty bottle yet, the app can also calibrate from a poured measure.
Is counting by weight more accurate than counting by eye?
It removes the error of reading a level and applies the same maths to every bottle. The result is only as good as the calibration, so weigh a full and an empty bottle for each product.
How much does it cost?
The once-off setup, scale included, is R7,500 per site. The variance programme is then R4,000 per site per month.
Get the app and watch how it works
WeighIt runs on iPhone, Android and the web. The tutorial videos cover the setup, the scale and a full stock take.
Ask about WeighIt for your bar
Tell us your venue type and how many sites you run. We reply by email.