Retail Store Audit Checklist

Walk the front of the store from the street as a customer would. Check the channel-letter sign for burned-out bulbs or dead LEDs, confirm hours-of-operation decal is current, and look for cracked or filmed glass that should go to facilities. Photograph any deficiencies for the punch list.

Look for ADA Title III issues: blocked accessible parking, faded striping, missing van-accessible sign, curb-cut obstructions, or path-of-travel hazards. Note debris, cart corrals, and trash receptacles. Slip-and-trip exposures here are a frequent OSHA and general-liability source.

Confirm aisles meet the 36-inch ADA path-of-travel minimum and are free of empty cartons, U-boats, and freight pallets. Check for spilled product and missing wet-floor signs. Recovery standard: refold tables, reface to the front line, re-hang fitting-room returns.

Compare end-caps and feature fixtures against the dated POG from merchandising. Common drift: end-cap stocked with whatever the morning team grabbed, missing header signs, or transitional product still hanging after the reset. Note the SKUs out of place rather than just "end-cap wrong."

File a reset ticket with the regional visual merchandiser citing the SKUs and fixtures out of compliance. Attach the photos taken during the walk. Reset should land before the next promo Sunday so the floor matches the ad.

Observe greeting, loyalty prompt, payment acceptance (chip, contactless, mobile wallet), bag-and-thank, and EAS deactivation. Watch for sensor left on the item — a frequent cause of next-store gate alarms and customer complaints.

Pull the POS exception report (Lightspeed Retail, NCR Counterpoint, or Heartland — whichever the store runs). Confirm refunds over the manager-approval threshold show a manager PIN, and flag any cashier with refund frequency or no-sale counts outside the district norm. Refund fraud and sweethearting hide here.

Ask one associate on the floor to walk through the return window, restocking-fee rules, and how loyalty points apply to a discounted item. State law (e.g., CA, NY) requires the return policy be conspicuously posted — confirm the sign is at the register.

Pick 10 SKUs from the district audit list — mix of high-shrink categories and top sellers. Count physical on-hand against system on-hand. Variance over 2% or $200 per SKU should trigger investigation, not just a system adjustment that masks the trend.

Scan 15 items from regular, sale, and clearance fixtures. Confirm shelf tag price matches the ring at the register, and that current promo signs reference SKUs that are actually marked down in the POS. Mispriced clearance is a common audit finding and a state consumer-protection exposure.

Confirm backstock is by department and SKU, with overhead bins labeled. Look for RTV product staged past the vendor window, damaged-out cartons sitting open, and aged hold-and-layaway bags. Stockroom housekeeping is a leading indicator of shrink discipline.

Confirm exits are unblocked, illuminated EXIT signs work, panic bars are functional, and the egress path is clear of freight. Check fire extinguisher inspection tags within the 12-month window and verify the sprinkler-head 18-inch clearance in the stockroom.

Pull up the DVR (Sensormatic, Verkada, or Solink depending on the banner) and confirm every camera is recording with timestamps in sync. Walk a tagged item through the EAS gates to verify alarm and deactivation. A dead camera over the safe is the audit finding that lands during an actual incident.

If the store sells alcohol, tobacco (21+ federal), or lottery, confirm the POS forces DOB entry on every restricted SKU and that current TIPS or state-ABC training certificates are on file for every active cashier. One missed card during a state compliance check is a $1,000+ fine and license risk.

Walk the store manager through each finding in order: exterior, floor, service, inventory, safety. Agree on owner and due date per item. Items that affect customer safety or compliance close within 48 hours; visual and recovery items close within the week.