Rounding Schemes

What is this?

A rounding scheme controls how Margin Master rounds calculated prices to consumer-friendly values. Without rounding, a pricing strategy might calculate a price of $4.37 -- but customers expect to see prices like $4.49, $4.39, or $4.35. A rounding scheme defines the rules that transform raw calculated prices into clean retail price points.

Walk through it in the app: guide 2001 — Opening the Rounding Schemes editor, or guide 2013 — Building a rounding scheme to create one from scratch. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type 2001 into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.

Margin Master provides six rounding methods that can be combined to match your store's pricing philosophy:

Why rounding matters

Rounding is the quiet margin driver. Two stores can run the same strategy and end up with noticeably different margins purely because of how the final cents are set. A scheme decides whether a calculated $4.83 lands at $4.79, $4.89 or $4.99 - invisible to the customer, worth points of margin across a store. It is one of the most powerful and least visible levers Margin Master gives you, which is why it has its own chapter.

Opening the Rounding Editor

The Rounding Scheme Editor is accessed from within other dialogs -- there is no standalone menu item:

• Inside a Pricing Strategy step -- click the rounding scheme dropdown or use the hamburger menu's "Set Rounding Scheme (Active Steps Only)"
• From the Future Price Panel -- click the Change/Edit button on the Rounding tab
• From the Custom Groups dialog -- the Edit Rounding button
• From the SKU Level Exceptions manager -- the "Set Rounding Scheme (Active Only)" hamburger menu option

Editor Layout

1. Rounding Scheme selector · 2. Round RIGHT of the decimal · 3. Round LEFT of the decimal · 4. Rollback Digit · 5. Range Rounding · 6. Increment Rounding · 7. Miscellaneous Options · 8. Check

The editor is divided into three areas:

• Top bar -- Scheme selection dropdown and management menu
• Left side -- Round RIGHT and Round LEFT grids (the main rounding tables)
• Right sidebar -- Rollback Digit, Range Rounding, Increment Rounding, and Miscellaneous Options

Scheme Selection

At the top of the editor, a dropdown lists all available rounding schemes.

• Built-in schemes display a small Margin Master icon and are read-only -- you cannot edit, delete, or rename them
• User-defined schemes have no icon and are fully editable

The built-in schemes that appear depend on your primary vendor:

AF-1 and AF-2 are named for their creator, retail pricing guru Art Freedman, whose rounding tiers they encode.

Tip: To customize a built-in scheme, use Copy Current Rounding Scheme from the hamburger menu. This creates an editable copy you can modify freely.

A yellow changes indicator (pencil icon) appears next to the dropdown whenever you have unsaved modifications.

Managing Schemes

Click the hamburger menu (three-dot icon) at the top-left of the editor to access scheme management actions:

Creating a New Scheme

1. Click the hamburger menu and select Create New Rounding Scheme
2. Enter a name in the dialog that appears
3. Click OK -- a blank scheme is created and selected
4. Configure the rounding rules as described below
5. Click Save to save your changes

Copying a Built-in Scheme

This is the recommended way to get started with a custom scheme:

1. Select the built-in scheme you want to base your custom scheme on (e.g., Ace-1)
2. Click the hamburger menu and select Copy Current Rounding Scheme
3. Enter a name for your copy (e.g., "Ace Custom")
4. The copy is created with all the same rounding rules, but now fully editable
5. Modify the rules to match your preferences
6. Click Save

Sharing Schemes Between Stores

To transfer a rounding scheme to another Margin Master installation:

1. Select the scheme you want to share
2. Click Export Rounding Scheme from the hamburger menu
3. Choose a location and filename (saved as .bak)
4. On the other computer, open the Rounding Editor
5. Click Import Rounding Scheme and select the .bak file

Rounding Methods Explained

Round RIGHT of the Decimal

This is the primary rounding method and the one most stores use. It controls how the cents portion (digits to the right of the decimal) of a price is rounded.

How it works: You define price ranges and, within each range, a set of "rounding points" -- the allowed cent values. When a calculated price falls within a range, it is rounded up to the nearest rounding point.

Grid columns:

Example -- Ace-1 scheme, first tier ($0.01 - $0.19):

This means any price from $0.01 to $0.19 will be rounded up to one of: $0.05, $0.07, $0.09, $0.11, $0.13, $0.15, $0.17, or $0.19. For example:

• $0.03 rounds up to $0.05 (the nearest rounding point above $0.03)
• $0.06 rounds up to $0.07
• $0.14 rounds up to $0.15

Example -- Ace-1 scheme, higher tiers:

In the $0.20 - $4.99 range, prices round to cents ending in .29, .49, .79, or .99. So $2.55 becomes $2.79 and $3.01 becomes $3.29.

Above $20, everything rounds to .99 -- so $23.50 becomes $23.99.

Adding and removing rows:

• Click the Add button (+ icon) above the grid to add a new price range row
• Select a row and click the Delete button (trash icon) to remove it

Round LEFT of the Decimal

This controls rounding of the whole dollar portion of a price. It works the same way as Round RIGHT but applies to the digits before the decimal point.

When to use it: For higher-priced items (typically $70+), you may want prices to end in specific dollar amounts. For example, instead of $73.99, you might want $74.99 or $79.99.

Example -- Ace-1 scheme:

In the $70 - $199.99 range, the ones digit rounds up to 4 or 9. So:

• $73.99 rounds to $74.99 (ones digit 3 rounds up to 4)
• $76.99 rounds to $79.99 (ones digit 6 rounds up to 9)
• $171.99 rounds to $174.99

Above $200, the ones digit always rounds to 9:

• $203.99 becomes $209.99
• $452.99 becomes $459.99

Increment Rounding

Increment Rounding is the simplest rounding method. Instead of defining specific rounding points, you choose a fixed increment and every price is rounded to the nearest multiple of that increment.

This is the method to use if you want all prices rounded to the nearest 5 cents or 10 cents.

Settings:

Rounding methods explained:

Common increment examples:

To set up nickel rounding ($0.05):

1. Check the Increment Rounding checkbox
2. Set Method to "Standard (Nearest)" (or Floor/Ceiling per your preference)
3. Set Increment to "$0.05"
4. Set Above to "$0.00" (to apply to all prices)
5. Click Save

Important: Enabling Increment Rounding automatically disables Rollback Digit, Range Rounding, and Ignore Whole Dollars. Increment Rounding cannot be combined with those methods.

Rollback Digit

Rollback Digit adjusts the trailing digit of a price after all other rounding has been applied. It is typically used to change prices ending in .X9 to end in a different digit.

Settings:

Example: Roll trailing 9 back to 5, for prices above $0.00:

• $4.99 becomes $4.95
• $12.49 becomes $12.45
• $79.99 becomes $79.95

Example: Roll trailing 9 back to 5, for prices above $10.00:

• $4.99 stays $4.99 (below the $10 threshold)
• $12.49 becomes $12.45
• $79.99 becomes $79.95

Rollback Digit is applied after Round RIGHT/LEFT, making it a finishing touch. Cannot be used with Increment Rounding.

Range Rounding

Range Rounding maps specific price ranges to fixed retail values. Instead of rounding to a pattern, each range specifies an exact price.

Grid columns:

Example:

With this setup, any calculated price between $1.00 and $1.49 becomes exactly $1.29.

Adding rows: New rows can be added at the bottom of the grid. Right-click a row to delete it.

Range Rounding is useful for very low-priced items where you want precise control over every price point. Cannot be used with Increment Rounding.

Ignore Whole Dollars

When checked, prices that are exact whole dollar amounts ($5.00, $10.00, $25.00, etc.) are not rounded -- they are left as-is. This prevents a $10.00 item from being rounded to $9.99 or $10.99.

This option is disabled when Increment Rounding is active.

Checking a Scheme

After configuring a scheme, press Check to see every price point the scheme will produce, from $0.01 up to the Upper Limit you choose ($1,000, $10,000, $100,000 or $1,000,000). It is the best way to verify a scheme before it prices anything, because it shows the same final price a real pricing run would produce - including increment rounding applied on top.

The Rounding Scheme Check window shows:

The footer counts the result, for example 2,450 Price Points. Export writes the table to a CSV named {SchemeName}_Export.csv for review in Excel.

Unsaved changes must be saved (or discarded) before a check runs; the editor asks.

What the check does and does not do

The check is a complete preview, not a fault report: it does not flag anything. Read it for three things:

• Holes - a price range whose Set To is unchanged or clearly wrong means no rule covered it.
• Jumps - a large gap between one Set To and the next means customers see few price points in that range; decide whether that is intended.
• Odd endings - a Set To ending in something other than the endings you meant (.49, .99 ...).

Mistakes that would make a scheme inconsistent are caught while you edit: a From/To that overlaps another range or runs backwards is marked in red with a message such as Value must be outside all other ranges or To value must be greater than $x.xx, and the row cannot be saved until it is fixed.

Comparing Schemes

Margin Master does not compare two schemes side by side in one screen. To compare, run Check on each scheme with the same Upper Limit, Export both, and put the two CSVs next to each other in Excel - the Set To columns show exactly where the schemes differ. The Analyze with AI item on the hamburger menu (when the AI assistant is enabled) reviews one scheme at a time for holes, overlaps and odd price points.

Which Scheme Is in Use Where

A scheme is chosen in three places, and they are independent:

The scheme selected when you close the editor becomes the store's default - the one offered first in the Future Price panel and new steps. Ace stores start with Ace-1, Do it Best stores with DIB-1, others with MM-1.

Static Rounding Schemes

A static scheme is a simple fixed-price lookup table. Instead of formula-based rounding with Right/Left/Increment rules, every price range maps directly to a specific value.

To create a static scheme:

1. Click the hamburger menu and select Create Static Rounding Scheme
2. Import price points from an Excel file (.xlsx) using the Import from Excel button
3. The grid displays From, To, and Set To columns (read-only once imported)

Static schemes are useful when you have a complete pricing table from your vendor or buying group that you want Margin Master to apply exactly as-is.

Built-in Scheme Reference

Ace-1 (Ace Hardware)

The standard Ace Hardware rounding scheme. Visible when your primary vendor is Ace Hardware.

Round RIGHT rules:

Round LEFT rules:

DIB-1 (Do it Best)

The standard Do it Best rounding scheme. Visible when your primary vendor is Do it Best.

Round RIGHT rules:

Round LEFT rules:

MM-1 (MarginMaster Default)

The default Margin Master scheme, visible when your primary vendor is not Ace Hardware or Do it Best. Uses the same rules as Ace-1.

MM 2016

A modern Margin Master scheme available to all vendors.

Round RIGHT rules:

Round LEFT rules:

AF-1 and AF-2

Named for their creator, retail pricing guru Art Freedman ("AF"), these are specialty schemes with more granular rounding tiers, available to all vendors. AF-2 extends AF-1 with additional left-side rounding tiers above $100.

Saving Your Changes

Tips

• Start with a copy. Rather than building a scheme from scratch, copy the built-in scheme closest to what you want and modify it.
• Use Check after every change. The Check dialog lets you see exactly what every price will round to. Export to CSV and review in Excel for thorough verification.
• Fewer tiers = simpler. You don't need to fill all 10 rounding point columns. Many effective schemes use just 2-4 points per tier.
• Round LEFT is optional. Most stores only need Round RIGHT. Round LEFT is only necessary if you want to control the dollar endings on higher-priced items.
• Increment Rounding is the simplest option. If you want clean, uniform rounding (every price to the nearest nickel or dime), Increment Rounding is the fastest way to set it up.
• Test with real data. After setting your scheme, execute your pricing strategy on a small group or with a test strategy to see the actual results in the main table.

Common Questions

Q: How do I round all prices to the nearest 5 cents? A: Enable Increment Rounding, set the Method to "Standard (Nearest)", set the Increment to "$0.05", and set Above to "$0.00". Save the scheme.

Q: How do I round all prices to the nearest 10 cents? A: Same as above, but set the Increment to "$0.10".

Q: What's the difference between Round RIGHT and Increment Rounding? A: Round RIGHT gives you fine control -- you pick exactly which cent values are allowed in each price range (e.g., only .29, .49, .79, .99 for items $0.20-$4.99). Increment Rounding is simpler -- it rounds every price to the nearest multiple of a fixed amount (e.g., every $0.05 or $0.10).

Q: What's the difference between Round RIGHT and Range Rounding? A: Round RIGHT uses a pattern-based approach with multiple rounding points per range. Range Rounding is simpler -- each price range maps to exactly one fixed price.

Q: Can I combine multiple rounding methods? A: Yes, with restrictions. Round RIGHT and Round LEFT can be used together. Rollback Digit and Range Rounding can be combined with Round RIGHT/LEFT. However, Increment Rounding is mutually exclusive with Rollback, Range, and Ignore Whole Dollars.

Q: I can't edit a scheme -- everything is grayed out. A: You have a built-in scheme selected. Built-in schemes are read-only. Use Copy Current Rounding Scheme from the hamburger menu to create an editable copy.

Q: How do I share a rounding scheme with another store? A: Use Export Rounding Scheme from the hamburger menu to save it as a .bak file. On the other computer, use Import Rounding Scheme to load it.

Q: What does "Set Default" do? A: It marks the selected scheme as the default rounding scheme for your store. New pricing strategy steps will use this scheme automatically.

Q: What happens if my price ranges overlap? A: The first matching range wins. Avoid overlapping From/To ranges to prevent unexpected results. Use the Check button to verify.

Q: Can I undo a delete? A: No. Deleting a scheme is permanent. If you might need it later, use Export to back it up before deleting.