Infinity POS
Retail shrinkage reporting that shows where the loss happened
Shrink shows up as a count that disagrees with the file, or a drawer that is short at close. Infinity records the stock movements and register actions behind both, so a loss can be traced to a line, a shift or a delivery rather than written off at year end.
Remote implementation nationwide. Onsite service across Tampa Bay.
What is retail shrinkage reporting software?
Reporting that shows where stock and cash went missing, not only that they did. In Infinity that means reading three records together: count variance by line against the item file, deliveries received against what was ordered, and till counts by shift, with every void, refund, discount and drawer opening recorded against the employee who made it.
Shrink is the gap between the stock a store should have and the stock it has, and between what a drawer should hold and what it does. It comes from theft, from mistakes at receiving and at the register, from damage and spoilage, and from item records that were wrong to begin with. Reporting cannot tell those causes apart by itself. It tells you where to look.
- Variance by lineThe corrected total tells you less than the difference does.
- Receiving against the orderA short delivery is a loss that happened at the back door.
- Every till action attributedA shortage with no owner cannot be investigated.
- Counts between deliveriesDrift caught this month is cheaper than drift caught this year.
Reporting shows where a loss happened, not why, and it does not stop one. It does not replace store procedures, cameras or a manager who reads the reports; it gives them something specific to look at. Stock that was never received cannot be reported on.
What it does
What shrinkage reporting reads
Four records, each with its own page, read together.
Count variance by line
Stock takeWhich lines a stock take found wrong, and by how much. Committing the stock take updates stock-on-hand.
Receiving against the order
Purchase ordersDeliveries received against the purchase order, so the difference is visible.
Till counts by shift
Cash managementOver and short against a recorded count, and who was on the drawer.
Voids, refunds, discounts and no-sales
Cash managementEach recorded against the employee who made it, and each a permission rather than something anyone can do.
Who relies on it
Where shrink shows up first, by trade
The records are the same in every store. Where a loss shows up first is not.
Grocery stores
Grocery POSDepartment margin, and the shrink in fresh departments that a total hides.
Convenience stores
C-store shrinkage reportingShrink-sensitive categories counted between deliveries, with the variance reviewed line by line.
Liquor stores
Liquor POSCounts taken on the floor and compared with the item file, so the variance shows which lines were wrong.
Specialty retail
Specialty retail POSSlow and dead lines in a deep catalog, found before the cash in them is a year old.
Where shrink goes unnoticed
-
The count never agrees with the system
Nobody can say whether the gap is theft, receiving or a bad count.
Variance read by line, so the cause can be followed.
Stock take -
Deliveries are checked against a paper note
Short deliveries go unnoticed and are paid for anyway.
Receiving against the purchase order, so the variance is visible.
Purchase orders -
Drawers are short and nobody can say why
Suspicion without evidence, which is worse than either.
Attributable openings and recorded counts make it a specific event.
Cash management -
Anyone can void, refund or discount
Discretion nobody granted and nobody can see.
Voids and discounts are permissions, and they are recorded.
Cash management -
Shrink is discovered at year end
A year is a long time to lose money invisibly.
Movement and count variance reported as they happen.
Reporting
In a demo
What to ask to see in a shrinkage reporting demo
Ask for these in a demo, on a line and a shift you choose.
A variance followed to its cause
Stock takeAsk to see which lines a count found wrong, then the receiving history for one of them.
A short drawer explained
Cash managementAsk to see one shift’s cash reconciled, and the voids, refunds and no-sale openings behind the difference.
A discount outside the permissions
Ask to see what happens when a cashier tries a discount their permissions do not allow.
One item’s history
Inventory managementAsk to see what was received, what sold and what the last count found for one item.
Shrinkage reporting questions
What is retail shrinkage?
The difference between the stock a store should have and the stock it has, and between what a drawer should hold and what it does. It comes from theft, receiving and register mistakes, damage and spoilage, and item records that were wrong to begin with.
Can a POS system stop shrinkage?
No. It can make shrink visible and attributable: which lines, which shifts, which deliveries. What that shows, and what to do about it, is for the store to judge.
Can I see who was on the drawer when it came up short?
Yes. Till counts are recorded by shift and by user, and drawer openings, voids, refunds and discounts are recorded against the employee, so a shortage can be traced to a shift.
Can I control who can void, refund or discount?
Yes. Each is a permission, so you decide who can do it, and each is recorded, so you can see who did.
How often should a store count to catch shrink?
More often than once a year, and by parts. Variance concentrated in one department usually points at receiving or transfers rather than at theft.
Does barcode scanning help with shrink?
It removes one source of false shrink: a count written down and typed up later. Scanned counts have no second entry step, and a barcode points each sale back to its item record, which is why that record has to be right first.
See a loss traced on your own lines
Bring the count that is always off or the drawer that is always short, and ask to see it followed to its cause.