Plain-English summary#
A sales session is one shift on a register — from when a cashier opens the cash drawer with a starting float to when they count the cash and close the shift. Every order in that time belongs to the session. The Register Sessions page in the back office (under Sales) lists every session, with outlet and register, opened and closed times, closing balance and status (Open, Pending Close or Closed).
When you'd use this#
- End of shift — close a session and reconcile the cash
- End of day / end of month — check sessions for variance (expected vs counted cash)
- Looking into a discrepancy — who opened which register when, and what they took in
- Training — showing new cashiers a session from open to close
Key concepts#
- Session — one open-to-close cycle on one register. The unit you reconcile cash by.
- Float — the opening cash. Entered by counting each note and coin, so it can be traced.
- Variance — expected cash (opening float + cash payments − refunds − withdrawals) vs counted cash. A variance that isn't zero points to loss, a miscount, or returns not dealt with.
- Closing balance — the total cash in the drawer at close. Shown alongside the variance.
- Register session vs order time — reports (especially Day Summary) group either by session or by order time; a session that runs past midnight groups sales differently depending on which you choose.
- Several sessions at once — different registers can each have an open session at the same time (one per register). A register can't have two open sessions, but more than one device can join the same session. See Cross-device session sync for using a session from several devices.
Common questions#
Q: What's the difference between a session and a shift? A: They overlap but aren't the same. A shift is a person's working period (it could cover several sessions if they switch registers). A session is one register's open-to-close cycle. Reports reconcile by session.
Q: Can a session span multiple days? A: Yes — if you open at 10pm and close at 2am, the session covers both dates. Use "Report By: Order Time" on Day Summary to split sales by calendar day.
Q: How do I close a session I forgot to close? A: Closing with a cash count is done in the counter app. Under Open Sessions, tap Details on the session, then Close Register, count the cash now and tap Submit Count. To find old sessions first, open Sales → Register Sessions in the back office and use the Open tab.
Q: What happens to unclosed sessions long-term? A: They stay open until someone closes them — nothing closes automatically. The counter's POS screen shows a warning ("Register 'X' has an unclosed session from DATE") to remind you.
Q: Who can close a session they didn't open? A: Foodops has no separate permission for closing a session. Whoever closes it is recorded next to the opening user.