End of Day Procedure - Closing Your Shift (Z-Read)

Skill Level: Beginner

Time Required: 5-10 minutes

Purpose

This guide explains how to close your shift at the end of the day using the Z-Read function. This includes counting your cash drawer, reconciling payments, and generating your end-of-shift report.

Before You Start

• Check the Track screen for unpaid orders - pay or void them first
• Ensure all pending orders are completed or voided
• Have pen and paper ready to record your cash count
• Ensure your receipt printer is connected (for printing the Z-Read report)

Understanding the Shift Button

The header button shows your current shift status at a glance:

Understanding X-Read vs Z-Read

Steps to Close Your Shift

Step 1: Access the Shift Screen

1. Tap the green "End Shift" button in the header bar
2. The XZ Reads screen displays your current shift summary:

• Shift details (ID, start time, duration)
• Sales summary (total sales, orders, refunds, voids)
• Cash drawer summary
• Payment breakdown by method
• Any recorded expenses

Step 2: Add Any Final Cash Expenses (Optional)

If you have any cash expenses to record before closing:

1. Tap the Cash Expense button (orange)
2. Enter the expense amount using the keypad
3. Select a category or enter a custom description:

• Cash Withdrawal
• Petty Cash
• Office Supplies
• Delivery Costs
• Maintenance
• Other

4. Tap Add Expense

Step 3: Print X-Read (Optional)

Before closing, you may want to print an X-Read to verify your figures:

1. Tap the X Read button (blue)
2. The report will print showing all current shift data
3. Review the expected cash amount

Step 4: Count Your Cash Drawer

1. Remove the cash drawer
2. Count all notes and coins
3. Record the total amount
4. Don't forget to subtract the opening float if you're calculating takings

Step 5: Close the Shift (Z-Read)

1. Tap the Z Read Close Shift button (red)
2. The End Shift dialog appears with two sections:

• Left side: Expected vs Actual breakdown
• Right side: Numeric keypad

3. Enter Cash Amount:

• Tap the Cash section to highlight it (turns green)
• Use the keypad to enter your actual cash count
• The variance will calculate automatically

4. Enter Card Amount:

• Tap the Card section to highlight it (turns blue)
• Enter your actual card total (from your card terminal)
• The variance will calculate automatically

5. Review Variances:

• Green variance = over (more than expected)
• Red variance = short (less than expected)
• Zero variance = perfect match

6. Tap End Shift to complete

Step 6: Z-Read Report Prints

The Z-Read receipt will print automatically, showing:

• Shift details and duration
• Complete sales summary
• Payment breakdown
• Cash reconciliation with variance
• Card reconciliation with variance
• All recorded expenses

Step 7: App Restarts

After the Z-Read completes:

• A success message appears: "Z Read completed. Page will reload in 3 seconds..."
• The app automatically restarts
• The header button will change back to red "Start Shift"
• You'll return to the login screen, ready for the next shift

Multi-Terminal Stores

All terminals share the same shift, so closing works as follows:

• The Z-Read can be performed from any terminal - it closes the shared shift for all terminals
• Once one terminal performs the Z-Read, the shift is closed for the entire store
• All other terminals will show the Opening Drawer dialog when they next try to create an order

What's Included in Shift Data?

The shift summary shows combined totals from ALL terminals in the store:

Important: The expected cash and card amounts reflect the entire store's activity, not just the terminal performing the Z-Read.

Unpaid Orders

Orders are only included in the shift when they are paid. If orders are left unpaid on the Track screen:

• They are NOT included in the current shift totals
• They will be assigned to the next shift when they are eventually paid
• This won't affect your current Z-Read figures

Tip: Before closing your shift, check the Track screen for any unpaid orders that should be settled or voided.

Recommended Closing Procedure

1. Ensure all terminals have finished processing orders
2. Collect cash from all terminals into one location for counting
3. Count all card terminal receipts if reconciling cards
4. Perform the Z-Read from any terminal
5. Enter the combined totals for cash and cards

Viewing Shift Data in Back Office

All shift data is recorded and can be viewed in the Back Office:

1. Log into Back Office
2. Navigate to Reporting > Staff Reports > Shift Details
3. Filter by date, terminal, or staff
4. View opening amounts, closing amounts, cash payments, expenses, and variances
5. Export to Excel if needed

Troubleshooting

Multiple Open Shifts

In some cases, multiple open shifts may exist for your store. When you close one shift with Z-Read, the POS will show the next open shift.

To check for open shifts:

1. Log into Back Office
2. Navigate to Reporting > Staff Reports > Shift Details
3. Set the Status filter to "Open"
4. This shows all open shifts for your store

To resolve:

• Close each shift one at a time via Z-Read on the POS
• Or contact your administrator to bulk close shifts from the Back Office

Quick Reference Checklist

End of Day Checklist:

• [ ] Check Track screen for any unpaid orders - pay or void them
• [ ] Complete or void all pending orders
• [ ] Record any cash expenses
• [ ] Print X-Read to verify expected totals
• [ ] Collect and count physical cash from all terminals
• [ ] Count card terminal totals (if reconciling cards)
• [ ] Perform Z-Read with combined actual amounts
• [ ] Store Z-Read receipt for records
• [ ] Secure cash drawer contents

Updated on: 14/01/2026