Void or Edit a Sale Before It Closes — The Fast Way
How to quickly void a line item or cancel a sale in progress at the AskBiz till — before finalising payment — without disrupting the queue or requiring manager authorisation.
Key Takeaways
- A line item can be removed from an open sale instantly by long-pressing or swiping it at pos.askbiz.co.
- A full sale cancellation before payment requires no manager approval — it disappears from the queue.
- Post-payment voids require manager authorisation and are logged in the Audit trail automatically.
- Train cashiers to correct errors before payment confirmation — it's faster and creates no audit complexity.
Two types of void — before and after payment
There are two completely different scenarios when correcting a sale at AskBiz POS. Before payment is confirmed, removing an item or cancelling the sale is instant and leaves no record — it's simply an edit to an incomplete transaction. After payment, a void creates a return record, updates stock, and is logged in the Audit trail with the cashier's name. Train cashiers to catch errors in the basket before hitting pay — it's faster and simpler for everyone.
How to remove a line item from an open sale
At pos.askbiz.co, with the sale basket open, find the product to remove. Tap and hold the line item (or swipe left, depending on your device) — a 'Remove' button appears. Tap it and the item is removed from the basket instantly. The quantity returns to stock automatically. If the cashier scanned the same item twice by mistake, they can also change the quantity — tap the quantity number, type the correct amount. Either method takes under 3 seconds.
How to cancel a full sale before payment
To cancel the entire sale before payment, tap the 'Cancel' or 'Clear basket' button at the till. AskBiz removes all items from the basket and returns to the empty sale screen. All scanned items return to stock automatically. No record of the cancelled sale is created in Reports (incomplete sales are not revenue events). This is appropriate when a customer changes their mind before paying.
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Start for free →How to void a completed sale (post-payment)
If a sale has already been paid for and a refund is needed, go to Operations > Returns. Search for the transaction by date, cashier, or customer. Select the items to refund and choose the refund method (cash, M-Pesa reversal, or store credit). The refund is processed and stock is restored. This creates a Returns record in the Audit trail and appears in your Reports as a negative revenue event — which is the correct accounting treatment.
Hack — Use the Audit Log to investigate suspicious voids
Every post-payment void is visible in Operations > Audit with the cashier name, transaction amount, and timestamp. If a cashier has an unusually high void rate, review their entries in the Audit Log. The log shows the original sale amount and the voided amount — if cash collected matches sales minus voids in the session report, the voids are legitimate. If cash is short by the void amount, investigate further. This pattern recognition requires only 2 minutes of Audit Log review per cashier per week.
Setting void permissions by role
Go to Operations > Staff > Roles. You can configure whether a cashier role is allowed to void completed sales independently or requires manager approval. For most businesses, pre-payment edits require no approval, while post-payment voids require a manager pin. This two-tier permission structure prevents accidental voids and ensures all legitimate corrections are authorised. Review these permissions when onboarding a new cashier and adjust as they become trusted.