The Real Problem
Every tailor shop gives advances to karigars. A worker needs cash for groceries, his kid's school fee, or just chai paani for the week. You hand over the money because you need him showing up tomorrow. The practice is fine — it is how this industry runs.
The problem is never the giving. It is the tracking.
Five workers, each taking advances three or four times a month. That is twenty transactions. Most shop owners track this in their heads or in a register that gets messier every week. When hisaab day comes: "Maine itna diya tha" versus "Mujhe itna mila tha." Both sides believe they are right. Neither can prove it.
If you lose track of Rs. 500 per worker per month across five workers, that is Rs. 30,000 per year walking out of your shop. For a small dukaan, that is a month's rent.
How It Works in Darzee
Open the karigar's profile. Tap Record Advance. Enter the amount. Done.
The transaction is timestamped and tied to that worker. Their balance updates immediately. You can see at a glance how much each karigar has taken.
Why immediate recording matters
The gap between handing over cash and writing it down is where most disputes are born. A worker takes Rs. 2,000 on Tuesday. You plan to record it after namaz. A customer walks in, you get busy, the day ends. By Friday you are not sure if it was 2,000 or 1,500. The worker remembers 1,500. Now you have a jhagra over Rs. 500 that could have been avoided with five seconds of tapping.
The Worker Ledger
Each karigar gets a dedicated khata in Darzee showing:
- Advances given (with dates and amounts)
- Work completed (with piece rates)
- Current balance (what they owe, or what you owe them)
Show the karigar the screen when they ask — the numbers are right there. When a karigar can see their own record, disputes stop happening. The numbers are right there, timestamped, unchangeable after the fact. No crossed-out entries, no margin notes, no ambiguity.
Settlement Day
Most shops settle weekly or bi-weekly. In Darzee, tap Settle on the worker's profile. The calculation is simple:
- Total work completed × piece rate = earnings
- Total advances taken = advances
- Earnings minus advances = net payment
Positive net: you pay the worker the difference. Negative net: balance carries forward to next week. Clean hisaab kitaab, no arguments, no guesswork. The worker sees the same numbers you see.
When advances exceed earnings
Sometimes a karigar's advances exceed their earnings for the week — especially during slow periods or after Eid when they took extra. The balance carries forward automatically. Darzee does not hide this or make it awkward. It is just math. Both parties can see it, both parties agree, and work continues without tension.
Running It Well
Set limits upfront
Decide how much advance a worker can take per week. Communicate it clearly when they join. Darzee does not enforce limits (every shop is different), but having a spoken policy prevents the awkward "aur nahi de sakta" conversation. Most shops set a weekly cap at 50-70% of expected earnings.
Weekly reviews
Every Sunday evening, five minutes. Open each worker's balance. Is anyone's advance climbing faster than their output? Is a worker consistently taking more than they earn? Catch it early, before it becomes a bada masla at month-end. A quick conversation now ("Bhai, is hafte thoda kam le lena") is easier than a confrontation after four weeks of accumulation.
Show workers their numbers
When a karigar asks "mera kitna baaki hai?", show them the screen. Transparency is not weakness. A worker who trusts your record stays loyal longer than one who suspects you are fudging numbers. Hidden numbers breed suspicion; visible numbers build trust.
Common Situations
Eid season
Workers need extra cash for their families. You give larger advances knowing heavy workload is coming. The math works out at settlement because the volume of completed work rises too. Darzee tracks it the same way regardless of amount.
New karigar joining
A new worker asks for an advance on day one. Add them to Darzee first. Start their digital record from the beginning. It sets the expectation: everything is tracked, everything is transparent. Workers who know the system from day one never develop the habit of disputing numbers.
Worker leaving
If a karigar leaves with an outstanding balance, the Darzee record is your documentation. No he-said-she-said. The hisaab is timestamped and clear. Most workers settle cleanly when the numbers are undeniable.
The Bottom Line
Giving advances is part of how tailoring works in Pakistan. It is not going away, and it should not. But tracking it in your head costs you money and relationships. A clean digital record means confident settlements, trusted workers, and no more jhagra on payday.