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Cashier Switching

The POS register supports multiple cashiers per shift. A manager (or a shared "terminal" account) signs into the iPad/web POS once, and then any staff member or volunteer with a PIN can become the active cashier for a stretch of sales — without the manager needing to sign out.

Each register has its own cashier. Signing in, locking or signing out on one iPad or browser doesn't change who is signed in on another register at the same store, and the End-of-Day Cashier Summary credits each sale to the cashier who was signed in at the register that rang it.

Why it matters​

  • Accurate attribution: every sale records the actual cashier who rang it, not the account user. End-of-day reports break down correctly by person.
  • Less friction: cashiers rotate in and out of the register with a PIN, instead of logging the whole device in and out.
  • Auto-lock on idle: after a configurable idle window (default 10 minutes), the active cashier is signed out and the register locks. A PIN re-opens it.

Setting it up​

  1. Set the idle timeout (optional). Open Admin → Time Clock Settings, scroll to POS Cashier Switching, and set the Idle timeout (minutes) if you want something other than 10. Range is 1–240.
  2. Cashiers need a PIN — but they can set one up on the spot. If someone taps their photo and doesn't have a PIN yet, they're prompted to enter their account password and choose a 4–8 digit PIN right there, then they become the active cashier. They can also set one ahead of time at Settings → Security. The same PIN works at the register, volunteer check-in, and the time-clock kiosk.
  3. (Optional) Grant takeover to managers so they can unlock an idled register without the prior cashier present. The permission is Take Over POS Cashier (pos.cashier.takeover) and is granted to Store Manager, Admin, and Super Admin by default.

How a manager hands off the register​

  1. On the POS header, tap the cashier chip (next to the time-clock pill).
  2. Choose Select cashier… to open the roster.
  3. The cashier taps their photo, types their PIN, and submits. (No PIN yet? They enter their account password and pick a PIN in the same step.)
  4. The chip now shows their name. They start ringing sales — every transaction records them as the cashier.

How to lock the register when stepping away​

On the iPad register, tap Lock in the top bar (next to the cashier chip). The register locks on the spot: the lock overlay covers the POS and says the register was locked. To get back in, the same cashier enters their PIN, or tap Select a different cashier to hand off. Nothing else changes — the drawer stays open and the account stays signed in.

Use it any time the counter is left unattended for a moment, so nobody can ring a sale under your name.

How the active cashier ends their shift​

  • Tap the cashier chip → Sign out cashier. The register locks until someone unlocks it. This does the same thing as Lock; it's just the menu route.
  • Or — walk away. After the configured idle window, the system ends the assignment automatically.

How to unlock an idled register​

When the register is locked:

  • A modal overlay covers the POS.
  • Type any cashier's or manager's PIN to unlock. The server figures out who the PIN belongs to and makes them the active cashier.
  • Or tap Select a different cashier to open the roster sheet and pick someone.

The account signed into the iPad/web is not logged out by the idle timeout — only the cashier assignment ends.

Receipts and reports​

  • Every receipt prints the active cashier's name.
  • Sales reports (per-cashier breakdown, end-of-day) attribute sales to the cashier who was active when each transaction was created.
  • The account user who initiated each cashier assignment is recorded separately for audit (e.g., "manager Pat assigned cashier Jamie at 1:42pm").

What does NOT change​

  • The drawer / pos_sessions flow stays the same. Cashier switching is a lighter "who's at the register right now" concept and doesn't open/close drawers.
  • There's no longer a separate "unlock the terminal" PIN to open the register. You used to enter a PIN to open the register and then a second PIN as the cashier — that first step is gone. The cashier PIN is the single gate for starting a shift: the register stays locked until a cashier signs in, but you only enter a PIN once. Leaving the POS still requires the signed-in account holder's PIN or password, so a cashier or volunteer can't click Exit and land in the logged-in user's full portal.

Troubleshooting​

  • "No cashiers configured yet" in the picker → no eligible staff or volunteers exist at this affiliate yet. Anyone with a staff or volunteer role can set their own PIN the first time they tap their tile; an admin can also pre-set PINs in Settings → Security. (If someone has no account password on file — e.g. an SSO-only or admin-enrolled record — they'll see a message to ask an admin to set their PIN.)
  • "PIN not recognized" when unlocking → the PIN must belong to an active staff or volunteer at this affiliate. Repeated wrong PINs lock that PIN for 5 minutes.
  • Register locked too fast → an admin can increase Idle timeout (minutes) in Time Clock Settings.