# How to Use Store Sessions
> Source: https://development.fuze-store.com/docs/store/using-store-session

# How to Use Store Sessions

A store session tracks every sale, payment, refund, and cash movement between opening and closing your store or register. Think of it as "opening" and "closing" your shift. Sessions help you see how much was sold, who was working, and whether your cash drawer matches your sales — the **end-of-day reconciliation** that catches counting mistakes, missed payouts, or genuine shortages before they become a habit.

## What a session captures

A single session, from open to close, records:

- **Opening cash** — what you declared was in the drawer at shift start.
- **Tender breakdown** — every transaction, grouped by payment method (cash, GCash, Maya, card, ...).
- **Discounts and service charges** on completed orders.
- **Voided / cancelled orders** — count and total amount.
- **Receipt range** — first and last order numbers issued during the shift, for invoice-sequence audit.
- **Drawer movements** — every Cash In (top-up from the safe) and Cash Out (petty cash payout to a rider, supplier, etc.).
- **Closing cash** — what you counted at the end.
- **Cash variance** — the difference between what your drawer should hold and what's actually there.

When you close, Fuze Store does the math: `expected_cash = opening_cash + cash_sales − total_payouts + total_payins`, and `cash_variance = closing_cash − expected_cash`.

## Step-by-step

1. Tap the **sidebar menu** (hamburger icon) and choose **Store Sessions**.
2. Tap **Start Session**.
3. Count the cash in your drawer and enter it as the **opening cash**.
4. Confirm. The session is now active and every order, transaction, and drawer movement will be linked to it automatically.

Process orders, take payments, handle refunds. The session counts everything in the background. You can preview the running totals at any time from the **Reconciliation** card in the Sessions screen — it refreshes every 30 seconds.

Whenever cash enters or leaves the drawer for a reason that isn't a sale or refund, log it:

- **Cash In** — add a drawer top-up (manager float, change replenishment from the safe).
- **Cash Out** — record petty cash you handed out (delivery rider, supply run, tip-out).

If your store has the **Expenses** addon enabled, every Cash Out automatically routes through the existing Expense form so the disbursement is tracked once, not twice. Without Expenses, Cash Out goes straight into the session as a drawer movement. Either way, your end-of-day variance lines up.

See [Cash Drawer Movements](/docs/store/cash-drawer-movements) for the full walkthrough.

1. Tap **End Session**.
2. Count the cash in the drawer one more time.
3. Enter the **closing cash**. Optionally enter the count by denomination (5×₱1000, 4×₱500, ...) — this helps spot miscounts.
4. Review the reconciliation summary: opening cash, cash sales, payouts, payins, expected cash, and your variance.
5. If the variance crosses your store's Review threshold (default ₱500), pick a **reason** (wrong change given, counterfeit bill, miscount, ...); past the Escalation threshold (default ₱5,000) a note for your manager is also required.
6. Tap **Close Session**. The closed session is now in your **Session History** list.

If your variance is large enough to cross your store's escalation threshold (₱5,000 by default), your manager and the store owner are notified automatically. You can still close the session — Fuze Store never blocks the close, only flags it for review.

Open the closed session from your **Session History** list. Two actions are available:

- **Print Report** — sends a Z-report to your default Bluetooth thermal printer with the full reconciliation summary, tender breakdown, and order range.
- **Share Report** — shares a markdown summary via your phone's share sheet (email, messaging, file save).

The Z-report is BIR-friendly: it includes opening / closing receipt numbers, total voids, and tender breakdown so your accountant has everything in one place.

## Variance thresholds

Three thresholds bracket your variance, and your owner can tune them per store:

- **Minor** (default ₱50) — below this, no warning shows up.
- **Review** (default ₱500) — orange banner on the closing screen; you have to pick a variance reason before closing.
- **Escalation** (default ₱5,000) — red banner, mandatory note, and an automatic notification to the store owner / manager.

To change these limits, the owner can adjust them under **Configurations → Preferences → Store → Cash Variance**. Closing is **never hard-blocked** by a high variance — these thresholds drive the warning level and the escalation notification, not the close itself.

See [Cash Variance Thresholds](/docs/store/cash-variance-thresholds).

## Tips

- **Always start a session at the beginning of a day or shift.** Otherwise the first hour of sales doesn't get bucketed and your reconciliation will be off.
- **Count cash twice** at open and at close — once before counting denomination, once after. The denomination breakdown field exists exactly to catch that "I counted it twice and it still doesn't match" moment.
- **Log payouts immediately**, not at the end of the shift. Memory is the leading cause of phantom variance.
- **Use sessions to spot patterns.** A repeat ₱20 short on one cashier's shifts is a different problem from a ₱500 short once a month.
- **Restrict who can start / end sessions** through [Roles and Permissions](/docs/store/roles-and-permission/overview). Only assign the Sessions permission to staff you trust to count cash.

## Related guides

- [Closing the Day with the Z-Report](/docs/store/closing-end-of-day)
- [Cash Drawer Movements (Cash In / Cash Out)](/docs/store/cash-drawer-movements)
- [Cash Variance Thresholds](/docs/store/cash-variance-thresholds)
- [Session History Detail](/docs/store/session-history-detail)
- [Roles and Permissions](/docs/store/roles-and-permission/overview)