The short answer
If you think a worker is stealing from your shop, do not accuse anyone yet. First collect facts that cannot be argued with: cash that is short on one person's shift, many voids and discounts under one name, and stock gaps that follow one person. Then run quiet tests: a surprise count, cash against sales for each cashier, a review of voids and discounts, and a comparison of two weeks. If the numbers keep pointing at the same person, you have something real to talk about.
Once the gap is clear, write it down, check for honest explanations, and speak to the worker privately with a second person present. Do not shame anyone in public and do not cut their pay on your own. Ask a lawyer before you sack, and go to the police if the amount is serious. This page is about catching the problem. To close the gaps for good, read how to stop stock theft in your shop.
Signs a worker may be stealing
Most owners feel something is wrong long before they can prove it. Trust that feeling, but look for patterns, because one bad day proves nothing.
How do I know if my shop attendant is stealing from me?
You rarely see it happen. You see what it leaves behind:
- Cash short on one person's shift. The till is short again and again, and only when the same person was on duty. A shortage on a day with two or three people on the till tells you much less.
- Many cancelled sales, refunds and discounts. A sale is rung up, then cancelled after the customer leaves (shops call this a void), or a discount is given that you never approved. If one cashier has far more of these than the others, ask why.
- Stock gaps that follow one person. The shelf count is lower than the records, and the gap grows in the weeks that person works the store room or closes the shop.
- Mobile Money that does not match. Customers say they paid by Mobile Money, but the money received and the sales recorded do not agree. Check where the money actually landed.
- Credit sales that are never repaid. A customer says they paid the worker, but your book still shows a debt. Ask the customer politely, and check the record before you blame anyone.
- A change in behaviour. A worker who refuses leave, never lets anyone else use the till, or suddenly spends beyond their pay. This alone is not proof. Never treat it as proof.
Before you suspect a person, rule out the dull causes: wrong change given, price changes nobody told the staff about, stock delivered but not recorded, breakage and expiry, and a till shared by many hands. Many gaps are honest mistakes, and you want to know which kind you have.
Four tests that need no accusation
These tests can run for a week or two without anyone knowing you suspect them. Write every number down with the date and the name of who was on duty.
1. A surprise count
Count the cash in the drawer and a small set of fast-moving items at an unusual time, with a second trusted person watching. Choose items that sell often and are easy to count, such as sugar, airtime, soft drinks or your top-selling drugs. Compare your count with what the records say should be there. Do this several times, on different days, so one odd result does not mislead you.
2. Cash against sales, cashier by cashier
At closing, compare what each person recorded as sold with the cash and Mobile Money they hand over. This only works if each cashier has their own drawer or their own login, so a gap belongs to one name. If everyone shares one till and one notebook, you cannot tell whose gap it is. That is the first thing to fix.
3. A review of cancelled sales, refunds and discounts
Collect every cancelled sale, refund and discount for the past two to four weeks, from your till system or your receipt book. For each, note who did it, the time, the amount and the reason given. Honest cashiers have some. A worker who has three times as many as the others, mostly near closing time or when you are away, needs a conversation.
4. Compare two weeks
Take two similar weeks, for example two weeks without a public holiday or a big promotion. In one week the suspected worker is on the till as usual. In the other, change the roster for a few days so someone else handles the till, or you stand beside it yourself. Compare takings per day and the shortages. If sales go up and gaps shrink when the person is off the till, that is strong evidence. Do not rush to a conclusion on fewer than a few shifts, because a quiet week or a rainy day can fool you.
Once the gap is clear: proof, a talk and a decision
How do I prove a worker is stealing?
For a business owner, proof means a clear written record, not a feeling. Keep the dated count sheets, the cash-up figures for each shift, the lists of voids and discounts, and the two-week comparison. Keep the names of the people who watched the counts. Printed or handwritten records with dates are far stronger than your memory. Whether it is enough for a court is a question for a lawyer or the police, not for this page.
My workers are stealing from my shop, what do I do?
- Write the facts down. Dates, amounts, who was on duty. Keep it plain, no guesses.
- Check for honest causes. A pricing mistake, an unrecorded delivery, or a shared till can all look like theft.
- Talk in private. Use a quiet room, with a second person you trust. Show the numbers, say what you see, and ask the worker to explain. Listen. Write down what they say.
- Decide with advice. Options range from a written warning to an agreed repayment in writing, to dismissal, to a police report. Which is right depends on the amount, the proof and the law.
- Fix the gap behind it. A thief often only exists because the shop makes theft easy. Do that after the case is settled, using the steps in our stock theft guide.
Can I sack a worker I think is stealing?
Suspicion on its own is a weak reason. Under Uganda's Employment Act 2006, an employer must tell the worker the reason and let them answer before dismissal (section 66), and courts have applied this even where the employer says the worker did something serious enough to be dismissed without notice (section 69). A worker dismissed without that chance can win pay and damages. Theft itself is a crime under the Penal Code Act (section 254), so reporting to the police is a separate path from sacking. We are not lawyers: speak to a lawyer before you sack anyone. If you can show a clear written record of the gap and the worker had a chance to explain, you will be in a much stronger position than if you act in anger.
What to avoid
- No public accusation. Shouting at a worker in front of customers or other staff hurts your name, spreads rumours, and can leave you in trouble if you turn out to be wrong.
- No pay deductions without advice. The Employment Act lists the deductions an employer may make from wages (sections 45 to 47), and an employer who deducts wrongly can be made to repay. Taking the missing money from a salary on your own may break the law. Ask a lawyer first.
- No forced confessions or threats. Do not lock anyone in, search them by force, or threaten them. Leave that to the police.
- No guessing aloud. Do not tell other workers who you suspect. Many a good worker has lost a job because of a rumour.
- No sudden new rules that give the game away. If you change everything the day after you notice a gap, the thief simply waits. Finish your tests first.
- No punishment of the whole team. If every worker is treated as a thief, honest workers leave and the dishonest ones stay.
Keep this rule in mind: be sure, be fair, be private. A calm owner with clear records usually gets a better result than an angry one with a strong suspicion.
Cameras or a till system first?
Should I buy cameras or a POS first?
A POS (a till system that records every sale) is usually the better first step, because it gives you numbers you can compare by person. Cameras show what someone did, but they do not tell you how much was sold or how much cash should be in the drawer, and someone has to watch the footage. Cameras are a good second step over the till and the store room. If you are still deciding whether a till system is worth it for a small shop, read is a POS system worth it for a small shop.
| What you need to know | POS with sales by cashier | Cameras only |
|---|---|---|
| Who made this sale? | The sale is tied to the cashier's own login, so every sale carries a name. | Shows a person at the till, but not which sale or how much. |
| Is the cash short? | Compare the recorded sales with the cash counted for each shift. | Cannot tell you, because there are no totals to compare. |
| Cancelled sales, refunds and discounts | Sales and returns are recorded under a login, so they can be checked against a name. | You must watch hours of video to find them. |
| Stock gaps | Compare counted stock with the stock records for each location. | Only helps if the camera happens to catch the moment. |
| Evidence for a meeting | Dated records that show names, amounts and times. | Useful video, if the angle was right and it was kept safe. |
| Weak point | Needs honest daily recording and a regular count. | Needs someone to watch. It does not stop mistakes. |
In Growth Informer Business, our online till and business management system at growthinformer.com, each cashier signs in with their own user account and role, so a sale is linked to a name. Opening and closing the register records the cash at the start and end of a shift, and the roles and permissions let you decide what each person is allowed to do. We do not list every report here, so ask us in the demo to show you, on your own sample data, which reports break sales and refunds down by cashier. If you run a bar, the same idea is covered in our bar POS page.
When not to buy from us: if you are a one-person shop and you are always at the till, a notebook and a firm daily count may be enough. A system does not catch theft by itself, and it does not help if nobody looks at the reports. If you do not plan to count cash every evening or read the numbers each week, no system will save you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prove a worker is stealing?
Keep dated written records: surprise counts with a second person watching, cash against sales for each shift, lists of voids and discounts, and a two-week comparison. A clear pattern pointing to one person is much stronger than a single bad day. Whether it is enough for a court is a question for a lawyer or the police.
Can I sack a worker I think is stealing?
Suspicion alone is a weak reason. Dismissal rules, notice and what you owe depend on the worker's contract and on Ugandan employment law. Speak to a lawyer before you sack anyone, and go to the police if you want to report a crime.
Should I buy cameras or a POS first?
Usually a POS first, because it gives you numbers per cashier that you can compare with the cash counted. Cameras show what someone did but not how much was sold, and someone has to watch them. Cameras make a good second step over the till and the store room.
What does Growth Informer Business cost?
The price depends on your business, for example how many branches and users you have. We do not publish a figure on this page. Ask for a demo on WhatsApp +256 702 946 946 or send the form, and we will give you a quote that fits.
Should I tell the worker I suspect them?
Not at the start. Run your quiet tests first and write down the results. When the pattern is clear, speak to the worker in private with a second person present, show the numbers and ask for an explanation. Do not accuse them in front of customers or other staff.