Catch Shrinkage in Seconds Using the Audit Log
How to use the AskBiz POS Audit Log to detect stock discrepancies, unauthorised voids, and inventory adjustments that could indicate shrinkage or cashier errors.
Key Takeaways
- The Audit Log under Operations > Audit records every stock change, void, and price edit with a timestamp and user.
- Filter the Audit Log by 'Inventory' event type to see all manual stock adjustments made today.
- Unexplained stock reductions on high-value products are a key shrinkage signal — check these weekly.
- Pair Audit Log reviews with cashier session reports to correlate voids with physical cash counts.
What is shrinkage and how does AskBiz help detect it?
Shrinkage is the gap between the stock you think you have (according to your records) and the stock physically on your shelf. It comes from theft, supplier shortfalls, cashier errors, and spoilage. AskBiz reduces shrinkage not by preventing it in real time, but by making it instantly visible — every stock movement is timestamped, attributed to a user, and logged permanently in the Audit trail. A weekly 5-minute audit catches patterns before they become major losses.
Step 1 — Open Operations > Audit and filter by Inventory
Go to Operations > Audit. By default, the Audit Log shows all events — sales, refunds, stock changes, user logins. Click the event type filter and select 'Inventory'. This narrows the view to only stock adjustments: manual edits, additions, and reductions. Every entry shows the product name, old quantity, new quantity, the amount of change, who made it (which user account), and the exact timestamp.
Step 2 — Look for unexplained negative adjustments
Legitimate inventory changes fall into two categories: sales (automatic, linked to a transaction ID) and manual adjustments (stock received, damaged goods written off, count corrections). A manual adjustment that reduces stock on a high-value product — like Basmati Rice or cooking oil — without a corresponding delivery note or damage report is a shrinkage signal. Cross-reference it: was there a supplier delivery that day? Did the cashier on that shift report anything?
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See this in action for your business
AskBiz tracks these metrics automatically — just connect your data and start asking questions.
Start for free →Step 3 — Check for void patterns
Switch the Audit filter to 'Returns' or look for void entries. A single cashier with an unusually high number of voids in their session — compared to other cashiers — warrants investigation. One or two voids per session is normal. Five or more is unusual. Pair the void timestamps with the physical cash count from that session: if the cash is short by approximately the value of the voided transactions, that's a strong indicator of a cash-handling problem.
Step 4 — Compare stock counts weekly using Inventory export
Once per week, export your Inventory to CSV (Operations > Inventory > CSV export button). Compare this week's stock quantities to last week's. For each product, the formula is: Last week's stock + Deliveries received - Units sold (from Reports) = Expected stock. If actual stock is consistently lower than expected for the same product, focus your Audit Log investigation on that product specifically — filter by product name in the Audit search bar.
Building a shrinkage-resistant operation
The best shrinkage prevention is making the Audit Log visible to the team. Post a notice near the stock room: 'All inventory adjustments are logged with your name and timestamp.' This alone deters opportunistic adjustments. Pair it with a weekly 5-minute audit review — take 5 minutes every Monday morning to scan the Audit Log for the previous week's inventory events. This discipline typically reduces unexplained shrinkage by 40–60% within the first month.