Problem with VOID & DELETE on Open Tickets

[VBGController]

We are having a BIG problem with items being deleted from saved open tickets.  In fact so bad that all items are being deleted from an open ticket without any trace what-so-ever (this appears as a NO Sale in transaction reports).

I want employees to be able to DELETE an item from an open ticket that has NOT been saved.  I want employees to be able to VOID an item from a saved open ticket.  Voiding leaves a trail that I can easily see in reporting and make a judgement call on from a management perspective.

VOIDING & DELETING are 2 TOTALLY different things and it appears as though I can't enable/disable them separately in Team Permissions.  Employees should be able to COMP and VOID without my immediate permission.  But DELETE saved items on open tickets should NOT be allowed to ANY employee and only on VERY RARE occasions should it be used by an owner or manager.

I'm perplexed as to why Square would lump these Delete/Void together.

I have now disabled the ability in Team Permissions to Delete/Void open items on saved tickets.  I DO want each employee to VOID and COMP, but NOT DELETE.  Enabling this feature does allow the employee to VOID an item on a saved open ticket, but ALSO allows them to swipe the saved item left and delete it with absolutely no trace.

Please advise, as this absolutely does not seem like this should be the way it is as this creates a wide open hole for employee theft and furthermore creates issues in inventory tracking!

[isabelle]

Hey @VBGController! 

Thanks for your post. I can see your frustration here.

Before I look into this further, I just want to make sure I understand this situation/request.

When I take a look at the delete, comp, and void relevant permissions for open/saved tickets, this is what I see: 

1. Apply Restricted Discounts and Comps. 
2. Delete or Void Saved Items in Open Tickets.
3. Manage All Open Tickets.

Per your post, it sounds like you want "employees to be able to DELETE an item from an open ticket that has NOT been saved," but you also "DO want each employee to VOID and COMP, but NOT DELETE" an item from a saved ticket. From looking at those 3 permissions that I listed, what would be the ideal combination of permissions for your employees? How has this been reflecting in your inventory tracking? 

I'll look forward to your reply. 

[VBGController]

Isabelle, thank you for looking into this. All 3 permissions would be ideal for the exception of deleting an item from a ticket.

I believe if an item is sold and deleted from a saved ticket, the inventory isn't adjusted to reflect that deletion. 

Here is the problem. Employee brings friends in saves a ticket with food on it, order is printed in kitchen and food is brought to table. Employee then deletes items from saved ticket until it equals zero and then closes the ticket with 0 cash. Dishonest, yes.

[isabelle]

Hey @VBGController.

I see your problem there. At the very least, Team Permissions should give you some insight into which employees are working the register at that time, and giving away free food. 

As for the dishonesty, I'm sorry about that. As for your original suggestion, I will pass your thoughts/experience with open tickets/deleting items onto the appropriate team. 

[VBGController]

That would greatly be appreciated.  Just wanted to add a few things...

First off, one of the biggest losses that bars and/or restaurants face is employee theft.  All of us around the country struggle (Daily) to keep the holes in our operations closed.  With that said THIS IS A BIG BIG BIG ISSUE with many small businesses.

With the above example, I did want to emphasize that all of this is done without leaving a trace behind (unlike a VOID).  As I stated, the only trace is a No Sale on the Transaction Report.  I can't see what was deleted from the ticket.  A Void raises a red flag with me as well, but is a necessary aspect of the POS and everything is still in tact.  I can see what was voided and have solid evidence that I can question an employee on each individual situation.

Furthermore, this very same thing can be done with liquor, employees will make it look good and on the up and up as everything is rung into a saved tab (ticket).  Come checkout time, delete, delete, delete, and not a trace left behind.

Many prudent business owners that use Square may not even know this is happening!  But, trust me it is!

Employees have specifically been requested to COMP a ticket that was a walk out or a customer complaint or for some other pre-stated reason.  Many will delete the item because it's easier.  Another issue... when item is deleted from a saved ticket that still has a payable balance that is later paid by the customer ... I have nothing ... absolutely nothing to go on to tell that an item was deleted instead of comped.  Nothing on the transaction report reflects this.  And, in this case there is no "No Sale" to signify something fishy is going on.

The Delete Item option is great for management for running test tickets when adding product, but to be honest... should never be used by an employee.  Management also may use the delete items button to keep a ticket looking clean, particularly when it is business-to-business catering.  But, again most employees ... should never have this capability.

Team Permissions options should be as follows:

1. Apply Restricted Discounts and Comps. 
2. Void Saved Items in Open Tickets.
3. Delete Saved Items in Open Tickets.
4. Manage All Open Tickets

In closing, and I believe I speak for an extremely large percentage of your business owners and have proven this is a VALID issue that each business WILL lose money with, plus this is a HUGE SECURITY HOLE and therefore should be at the top of your developers list for fixing.

I agree with you saying "At the very least, Team Permissions should give you some insight into which employees are working the register at that time, and giving away free food."  HOWEVER, logically speaking, don't we all want to take a pro-active stance with something like this?  It's a hole, let's fill it.  Most of us, and again I believe I can speak for many Square users with small businesses.... there isn't a lot of time to scour the transaction report on a daily basis and question every No Sale transaction with each and every employee as there are 300 other things that each business owner loses money on that require their attention.  As I said, many may not even know this very activity is happening.

Thank you again for taking the time to look into this.

[isabelle]

Hey @VBGController. 

Thanks for taking the time to write out your insight on this issue, and provide some perspective into what might be more ideal Team Permissions when it comes to open/saved tickets. 

I moved this over to the Feature Request section of our Seller Community, so our Product Teams will have visibility. Thank you again, and if I receive an update on this, I will post it in this thread.