Guides
Retail Till
Retail Till looks simple until the cash drawer, POS total, and deposit slip disagree. Clarity usually falls away between the shift handover, the cash-up sheet, and the banked amount in a South African store.
Cash-up points that break
Retail Till covers the link between the till, the cash-up, and the bank deposit record. It highlights where shortages, overages, and vague references usually enter the process in a South African store.
A till routine changes depending on whether notes go to a branch, an ATM deposit point, or a cash-in-transit bag. Card batches, refunds, vouchers, and petty cash must be separated before anyone writes the final figure. In Sandton, Durban North, Cape Town CBD, or a small-town high street, the record must show what left the counter and what reached the bank.
Counted cash needs a first record before it leaves the back office. The safest file set is the till reading, the signed cash-up, and the deposit proof kept together against the same trading date. Shortages and overages are much easier to explain when the reference starts at the drawer, not at month-end.
Records kept with the drawer
Use one naming pattern for each till, shift, and deposit bag so finance can trace a variance without guessing. A note such as Store 4 Till 2 PM Shift is more useful than a vague bank reference entered in a rush. The aim is a ledger that ties to the store day, not loose paperwork that only makes sense to one supervisor.
Check the bag number, counted amount, and slip reference before handover to security or courier. For a deposit query, give us the account holder name, the branch and the amount you banked.
- Till totals linked to deposit proof
- Signed variance note for shortages
- Bag number recorded at handover
Store conditions that affect banking
Shopping-centre stores often close after nearby branches, so the till process must account for next-day banking or sealed overnight custody. A branch run from Germiston, Umhlanga, Bellville, or Polokwane carries different cut-off pressures, especially where traffic and queue times push the deposit later than planned. The till file should show which day traded and which day banked.
Along the coast, damp air and rain can affect note handling, coin bags, and the trip to a branch or cash centre. Longer inland routes change who signs off the till and when the deposit leaves site. Load shedding still disrupts card batch timing and printed proof, so the till close must note what posted and what still needs checking.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Notes for supervisors and bookkeepers
Send the trading date, till number, and the exact point where the figures stopped matching. Photos of the drawer count sheet, refund slips, paid-out record, and bank deposit proof are more useful than a general description of the problem.
At close of trade, file the till count sheet with the deposit slip and any card batch summary. That set gives the bookkeeper one record for shortages, overages, and banking references. Pair the cash-up with the bank proof when support is needed.