Cash Loss Is Just the Beginning: The Overlooked Behaviors Costing Your Business

When people think about loss in the food & beverage and convenience store industries, cash theft is often the first concern. And it should be—outright theft can significantly impact profitability. But cash loss is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. In reality, the behaviors that don’t show up as a simple shortage in the register are often the most damaging to your bottom line.

At AnchorPoint, we go beyond identifying missing cash to uncover the high-impact behaviors that are silently eroding your profits. Here are some of the biggest overlooked contributors to loss that aren’t making it into traditional loss reports:

1. Employee Theft Beyond the Register

Cash skimming is obvious, but what about:

• Comped or voided transactions that never had a valid reason?

• Under-ringing items for friends or preferred customers?

• Giving away food or merchandise without ringing it in?

Each of these behaviors adds up to significant revenue loss, and they often go unnoticed because they don’t leave a direct cash discrepancy.

2. Process Manipulation That Costs You Sales

Loss isn’t just about theft—it’s about inefficiencies and intentional process breakdowns. Examples include:

• Order manipulation, such as employees stacking discounts or using expired promotions.

• Clock-in and clock-out fraud, where employees pad their hours with time they didn’t actually work.

• Inventory shrinkage, from missing stock that doesn’t get properly logged, either through theft or mishandling.

These behaviors don’t always trigger alarms, but they cost businesses more than they realize.

3. Customer Fraud That Flies Under the Radar

Theft isn’t just an internal problem. Customer behavior is a growing source of loss, especially with the rise of online ordering and delivery.

• False refund requests and fraudulent chargebacks are increasing.

• Customer delivery order disputes, where claims of missing or incorrect orders get automatically credited by delivery platforms, can strip thousands in revenue from businesses without a way to fight back.

This is where Periscope Waypoints steps in—our solution ensures businesses have the evidence and process to contest these claims effectively.

4. Operational Blind Spots That Drain Profitability

Beyond theft and fraud, operational breakdowns lead to avoidable loss every day.

• Slow service and poor employee performance lead to dissatisfied customers and lost repeat business.

• Food waste due to improper portioning or prep practices cuts into margins.

• Failure to enforce policies on upselling, promotions, or even safety can quietly impact profitability.

Unlike traditional loss prevention methods that focus only on what’s missing from the register, AnchorPoint looks at the full picture. We identify patterns of behavior, not just individual instances of loss, so you can make informed decisions that protect revenue.

Conclusion: If You’re Only Looking at Cash, You’re Missing the Bigger Problem

Cash theft is easy to quantify, but the high-impact behaviors that aren’t flagged by traditional methods are costing businesses even more. The challenge isn’t just identifying them—it’s having the right strategy to act on the insights and fix the problem before it drains profits.

That’s where AnchorPoint comes in. We connect video, transaction data, and real-world operational insights to uncover what’s really happening in your business. Whether it’s addressing internal theft, process breakdowns, or customer fraud, our expert-led approach ensures that no stone is left unturned.

Ready to see the full picture of your loss?

Let’s talk. Visit www.anchorpointintel.com to learn more.