Store Closing Checklist
End-of-day closing routine for a brick-and-mortar retail store. The closing manager and shift lead run this together to clear customers, reconcile cash, reset the floor for tomorrow, and lock up.
Pre-Close Floor Prep
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Announce closing at 30, 15, and 5 minutes
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Refold tables and reface high-traffic SKUs
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Clear fitting rooms of returns and empty hangers
Walk every fitting room before closing. Empty hangers and ripped tags are common shoplifting indicators — flag the SKU and note it in the closing log so loss prevention can review CCTV against the time window.
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Replenish from stockroom per the pick list
Pull tomorrow morning's replenishment list from the inventory system (Lightspeed, Shopify POS, or Heartland Retail) and stage replens at the register or department fixture so openers don't have to hunt.
Customer Departure & Lockup
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Walk the sales floor for remaining customers
Sweep the full floor including fitting rooms, restrooms, stockroom doorways, and any blind aisles. Two staff walk together — one to engage any straggler, one to keep eyes on the front door.
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Lock the front door and flip the sign to closed
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Log any incidents from the shift
Capture shoplifting attempts, customer complaints, slip-and-fall reports, register errors, or POS outages. Per policy, never pursue a suspected shoplifter past the door — observe, document, and call police if needed.
Collects list -
File the incident report
Attach photos, witness names, time-stamped CCTV reference, and a brief narrative. Email the LP manager and district manager same-night for any theft, injury, or use-of-force allegation.
Collects list Collects paragraph Collects file
Cash Reconciliation
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Run the X-report on each register
X-report is a read-only snapshot — pull it before any cashier touches the drawer. Confirm transaction totals, voids, post-voids, and refunds tie to expected ranges. Flag any cashier with refund volume above the typical band for monthly LP review.
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Count each drawer down to the start-of-shift float
Each cashier counts their own drawer; the closing manager re-counts and signs. Variance over $5 is logged and investigated; variance over $20 escalates to the store manager next morning.
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Run the Z-report to close the POS day
Z-report finalizes the register day and resets totals. If a Z-report won't run because of an open transaction or unsynced terminal, resolve it before leaving — closing the books a day late breaks tomorrow's morning open.
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Prepare the deposit bag and log
Tamper-evident bag, two-person count, signed deposit slip, and entry in the deposit register with bag serial number. Keep the duplicate slip in the safe for next-day bank reconciliation.
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Drop the deposit in the safe
Drop the sealed bag through the slot — do not leave on the manager's desk overnight. Pull tomorrow's change order from the safe and stage AM floats per the morning drawer assignments.
Visual & Merchandising Reset
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Walk the planogram against the current schematic
Compare the floor to the active POG. Drift on end-caps and four-ways adds up across a week and kills sell-through on advertised items. Photograph any deviation and correct on the spot when possible.
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Photograph end-caps and feature tables
One photo per end-cap, sent to the visual channel in Slack or Beekeeper. District managers spot-check; consistent photo cadence catches reset misses before the visual director's monthly walk.
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Stage tomorrow's promo signs at the registers
Pull expired sale tags and danglers; stage tomorrow's signs banded together at the wrap stand. If a markdown rolls over, leave the talker in place — don't re-print what's still valid.
Cleaning & Stockroom
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Sweep, mop, and vacuum the sales floor
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Empty trash and replace liners
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Confirm chemicals are stored per OSHA SDS
Cleaning chemicals back in the locked janitorial cabinet, lids tight, SDS binder accessible. OSHA citations on hazard communication are easy to avoid and easy to earn.
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Stage AM receiving in the dock area
If a vendor delivery arrived after the receiving cutoff, stage the pallets against the dock wall — do not sign the BOL or POD until the AM receiver counts pieces against the PO. Signing 'OK' on an uncounted load is the most common cause of vendor short-ship disputes.
Security & Lockup
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Verify all back doors are locked from inside
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Confirm CCTV is recording on all channels
Check the Verkada / Solink / Sensormatic dashboard — every camera shows a live feed and a green recording indicator. A dropped camera caught only at month-end can leave a four-week gap during an LP investigation.
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Open a maintenance ticket for the camera outage
Log the camera ID, last-seen timestamp, and any error from the dashboard. Email the LP manager same-night so a technician can be dispatched before the next business day.
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Set the burglar alarm
Arm to away-mode after the last person exits. If the panel shows a zone fault, do not bypass without calling the alarm-monitoring vendor — bypassed zones are a common cause of overnight break-ins going undetected.
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Lock the front door from outside
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Submit the closing report
The closing manager signs off on cash totals, traffic / conversion summary, incidents, planogram status, and any open follow-ups for the AM team. This is the audit trail the district manager reviews on the Monday call.
Collects signature Collects paragraph
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