What are Cash Sales?

Cash sales are sales in which the payment obligation of the buyer is settled at once. Cash sales are considered to include bills, coins, checks, credit cards, and money orders as forms of payment.

The term can also refer to the sale of a security that requires immediate delivery.

Controls Over Cash Sales

Here is a list of controls over cash sales that businesses can implement to ensure accuracy, security, and accountability:

Segregation of duties. Mandate separate roles for cash handling, recording, and reconciliation to prevent fraud and errors.
Point-of-sale system. Use a computerized POS system to record all transactions and generate detailed receipts.
Cash registers. Use secure, lockable cash registers to handle cash transactions, and assign unique register access codes to each cashier.
Issue receipts. Provide customers with receipts for every transaction. Display signage encouraging customers to request and retain receipts to deter employee theft.
Daily cash counts. Perform daily cash counts at the beginning and end of each shift.
Supervisory oversight. Appoint a supervisor to monitor cash handling and sales processes. Also, require managerial approval for voided or refunded transactions.
Security systems. Install surveillance cameras to monitor cash handling areas. Also, use safes with time-delay locks for storing excess cash.
Audit cash. Conduct surprise cash audits to detect discrepancies. In addition, have an independent team review cash handling procedures.
Limit cash on hand. Set a maximum amount of cash allowed in the register; periodically deposit excess cash in a safe or bank.
Train employees. Train employees on proper cash handling procedures and fraud prevention.

These measures help businesses reduce the risk of theft, fraud, and errors while ensuring smooth cash sales operations.

Advantages of Cash Sales

A key advantage of a cash sale is that it eliminates the need for the seller to extend credit to a customer. Therefore, there is no risk of a bad debt. Without any bad debt expense, the seller can theoretically lower its prices and still generate a profit, which allows it to increase its market share by pricing lower than the competition.