Voiding Sales
Voiding a sale reverses a completed transaction. Brother POS requires a reason for every void and enforces manager authorization when cashiers attempt to void. Voided sales remain in the system for auditing -- they are marked as voided, not deleted.
Before You Begin
- You must have the void_sales permission to void without a manager override. Cashiers will be prompted for a manager PIN.
- Only completed sales can be voided. Pending or already-voided sales are not eligible.
- Voiding a sale reverses inventory changes -- stock counts are restored for all items in the sale.
Voiding a sale does not automatically refund the customer. If the sale was paid by card or e-transfer, you must process the refund through your payment processor separately. For formal refunds with store credit, use the Returns workflow instead.
Voiding an Entire Sale
Step-by-Step
-
In the Recent Activity section of the cart panel, find the sale you want to void. Today's completed sales are listed with receipt numbers, times, and totals.
-
Tap the sale to select it. The receipt detail view opens.
-
Tap the Void button. What happens next depends on your permissions:
If you have void permissions (Manager/Admin):
- You proceed directly to the reason step.
If you do not have void permissions (Cashier):
- A Manager Authorization prompt appears.
- A manager must enter their 4-digit PIN.
- Once authorized, you proceed to the reason step.
-
Enter a reason for the void. You can type a custom reason or tap one of the quick-select buttons:
- Customer Request -- the customer changed their mind
- Wrong Item -- incorrect product was scanned or selected
- Price Error -- the sale was processed at the wrong price
-
Tap Void Sale to confirm.
The sale is immediately marked as voided. Inventory is restored, and the sale appears in history with a "Voided" badge.
The Three-Step Flow
The void process has three distinct steps:
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Select | Choose which completed sale to void from today's list |
| 2. Authorize | Manager PIN entry (skipped if you already have void permissions) |
| 3. Reason | Provide a reason for the void -- required, cannot be blank |
Voiding a Single Line Item
Sometimes only one item on a sale was wrong. Instead of voiding the entire sale, you can void a single line item.
Step-by-Step
- In the Recent Activity section, tap the sale containing the item to open the receipt detail view.
- Find the specific line item in the sale details.
- Tap the "Void this item" button next to that line item.
- If prompted, a manager must enter their PIN to authorize.
- Enter a reason for voiding this particular item.
- Confirm the void.
The line item is marked as voided, its inventory is restored, and the sale totals are adjusted accordingly.
Voiding a line item does not void the entire sale. The remaining items on the sale stay completed and valid.
Manager Authorization
Brother POS uses a PIN-based override system for restricted actions like voiding. This ensures accountability and prevents unauthorized voids.
How It Works
- The system checks whether the current user has the Void Sales permission.
- If they do, the authorization step is skipped entirely.
- If they do not, a PIN entry screen appears.
- A manager or admin enters their 4-digit PIN.
- The system verifies the PIN belongs to a user with void permissions.
- If valid, the void proceeds. If invalid, an error message appears and the PIN field clears for retry.
What Gets Logged
Every void is recorded in the audit trail with:
- Who performed the void (the cashier)
- Who authorized it (the manager, if override was required)
- The reason provided
- The timestamp
- The original sale receipt number
If you see frequent void requests from a specific cashier, review the audit trail in the admin panel under Reports > Audit Trail to identify training opportunities.
Quick Reason Codes
Brother POS provides three quick-select buttons to save time when entering void reasons:
| Quick Code | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Customer Request | The customer asks to cancel the sale after payment |
| Wrong Item | The wrong product was scanned, selected, or added to the cart |
| Price Error | The item rang up at the incorrect price |
You can also type any custom reason into the text field. The reason cannot be left blank.
What Happens After a Void
When a sale is voided, the system performs the following actions:
- Sale status changes from Completed to Voided.
- Inventory is restored -- stock counts for all items on the voided sale are incremented back.
- Cash drawer totals are adjusted -- if the sale was a cash payment, the expected cash amount decreases.
- Reports are updated -- voided sales are excluded from revenue totals in sales reports.
- Audit trail entry is created with the void reason, authorizing user, and timestamp.
If the customer paid cash, you must physically return the cash to them from the drawer. The system adjusts the expected cash total but does not trigger a physical action.
Voiding vs. Returns
Voiding and returns serve different purposes:
| Aspect | Void | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Cancel a sale entirely | Refund specific items from a sale |
| Timing | Same day, shortly after the sale | Any time, even days or weeks later |
| Scope | Entire sale or single line item | Selected items with quantities |
| Refund method | Manual (cash back, card reversal) | Original payment method or store credit |
| Store credit | Not generated | Can be generated automatically |
| Reason required | Yes | Yes |
| Manager approval | Required for cashiers | Required (permission-based) |
Rule of thumb: Use void for mistakes caught immediately. Use return for items brought back later.
Permissions
| Action | Cashier | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Void a sale (with own permissions) | No | Yes |
| Void a sale (with manager override) | Yes (needs PIN) | N/A |
| Void a single line item | No (needs override) | Yes |
| View voided sales in history | Yes | Yes |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| No sales available to void | Only today's completed sales appear. Check that sales exist and are not already voided. |
| "Authorization failed" when entering PIN | Verify the PIN belongs to a user with the Void Sales permission. Check for typos. |
| Void button is not visible | Your role may not have access to the void function. Ask a manager to perform the void or grant you permissions. |
| Inventory not restored after void | This should happen automatically. If stock counts seem wrong, check the admin panel inventory log for the void event. |
| Cannot void a sale from a previous day | The POS Sales History only shows today's sales. Use the admin panel to void older sales. |
Best Practices
- Void promptly. The sooner you void a mistake, the easier it is to reconcile at end of day.
- Always provide a meaningful reason. Generic reasons like "mistake" make auditing difficult. Be specific.
- Use returns for next-day issues. If a customer comes back tomorrow with a problem, use the Returns workflow rather than trying to void.
- Review voids during cash drawer close. Check the Z-Report for any voided sales and confirm they are legitimate.
- Train cashiers on the difference between void and return. This reduces confusion and ensures the correct process is followed.
What's Next?
- Returns -- Process returns and issue store credit
- Sales History -- View and manage all completed sales
- Manager Override -- How the PIN-based authorization system works