How to Stop Cash Shortages at the Till: A Guide for Ghanaian Shop Owners
Why the cash drawer comes up short and simple daily habits that fix it: opening float, recording cash taken out, counting before you look, and X and Z reports.
You sold well today, but when you count the drawer at closing, it is GH₵80 short. Again. Was it theft? A mistake with change? Money taken out for transport and never written down?
Without a simple routine, you will never know. Here is a routine that works for shops of any size.
Why the drawer comes up short
Most shortages come from a few causes:
- Wrong change, especially at busy times.
- Cash taken out and not recorded, for example for transport, small purchases or a supplier.
- Sales not entered, where an item is sold, the cash goes in the drawer, but the sale is never recorded (or the reverse).
- No clear handover between staff, so nobody is responsible for the drawer.
- Theft, which is much easier to hide when the other four are already common.
The fix is the same for all of them: make every cedi that goes in or out of the drawer visible.
A daily cash routine that works
1. Start with a counted float
Before the first sale, count the cash in the drawer (your "float", the change you start with) and write it down. Now everyone knows exactly what the day started with.
2. Record every sale
Every sale goes through the till, cash or MoMo. If a sale isn't recorded, the drawer can't be checked.
3. Record every cash in and cash out
Paid the trotro fare from the drawer? Topped up change from your pocket? Write it down at the time, with the amount and the reason. This one habit removes most "mystery" shortages.
4. Count before you look
At closing, the cashier counts the drawer before seeing what the system expects. If they see the expected figure first, it is too easy to "find" the right total.
5. Compare with the expected cash
Expected cash is simple:
Opening float + cash sales − change given − cash refunds + cash in − cash out
If the count matches, great. If not, you know the exact amount over or short, for that cashier and that day, while it is still fresh.
6. Keep the report
Keep each day's closing report. A one-off small difference is normal; a pattern with the same person or the same day of the week tells you where to look.
X reports and Z reports
You will hear two terms:
- An X report is a snapshot of the shift so far, taken without closing the till. It is useful at shift changes or midday checks.
- A Z report is the end-of-day close: what was sold, how it was paid, what should be in the drawer, what was counted, and the difference.
Doing this with mPOS Ghana
mPOS Ghana builds the routine into the till:
- Open Till with your counted float before the first sale.
- Cash in / Cash out with a reason, recorded in seconds.
- Close Till: the cashier counts first, then sees whether the drawer is over, short or balanced.
- Z reports for every shift, plus a Till Sessions report for owners showing shortages by cashier and day.
Try it free for 15 days, or read how to accept Mobile Money safely.