How to start a khokha (paan and cigarette kiosk)

A khokha is a small kiosk (stall): in English, "kiosk" or "stall". Most sell paan, cigarettes, chalia, sweets, cold drinks and mobile load. It needs little stock, but the margin per item is small, so the hisab of each day matters.

What to sell

• Paan: sada, meetha, with the fillings you keep (katha, chuna, supari, gulkand).
• Cigarettes: packs and loose (khula) sticks.
• Chalia, mouth fresheners, mints and gum.
• Cold drinks, juices and water: a small fridge sells more than anything else in summer.
• Biscuits, chips, sweets for children.
• Mobile load (easyload) and bill payments: a small commission on every sale.

See the paan and cigarette shop items list for a full list with sections.

Stock and money

Start with what moves every day, not everything at once. Buy cigarettes and drinks from the distributor's van, and paan leaves fresh every day or two. Keep a little cash for change: running out of change loses sales.

Work out the easyload commission on the easyload commission calculator before you pick a network.

Permission

A kiosk on a road or market needs permission from the local body (TMA, municipal committee, or cantonment board), and selling cigarettes to under-18s is not allowed. Rules and fees differ by city: ask your local office and check the latest notification before you set up.

Keep the daily hisab

Most khokha owners lose money without knowing it: udhaar to regulars, loose cigarettes, small items. Write every sale and every bit of udhaar, and count cash at night.

Munshi does this on your phone: tap the items (or type the amount), it adds the bill, keeps each regular's udhaar and sends them a WhatsApp reminder, and shows the day's profit. It is the same app as the kiryana store software. Start free.