How do I open and close a point-of-sale shift?

The shift is what makes the cashier accountable for their till: you open it with an amount, close it with an amount, and the difference between the two is recorded in their name. Without a shift you never know where a shortage went.

Opening the shift

1. Open Sales → Point of sale — Figure 1 — then press Shift.
2. Enter the opening balance — Figure 2 — the actual cash in the drawer at the start. Count it; do not estimate it.
3. Press Open shift; from here every invoice is assigned to it.

Closing the shift

1. Press Close shift, and the system shows the expected amount: opening + cash sales − refunds.
2. Count the drawer for real and enter the actual amount.
3. The system computes the difference and records it. If there is one, write its cause in the notes before closing.
4. After closing, the shift appears in the shift history — Figure 3 — and cannot be edited.

What the shift tells you

A recurring difference with one cashier is a signal not to ignore, however small the amount. And a positive difference (a surplus) is not good news; it usually means a sale never recorded or change never returned to the customer.

Notes

• One shift per cashier; two people sharing a shift removes the accountability entirely.
• Do not leave a shift open into the next day; comparing two days together hides where the fault lies.
• Move the cash to the safe with a transfer after closing, so the POS till balance keeps matching the drawer.