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Asset protection for growing retailers

See the risk. Protect the margin.

MarginHero helps independent retailers find hidden exposure in cash handling, refunds, inventory, training, and incident documentation before it quietly becomes loss.

Get your margin recovery score View risk categories
25
control checks
5
risk categories
7-day
action plan
Margin Recovery Score Moderate Risk
18/50

Informal controls are creating places where small losses can hide.

Estimated Margin Exposure $2,500-$7,500 per month

$30,000-$90,000 per year

Business Context

Top 3 Margin Leaks Ranked from your inputs
First 30 Days Operator actions
  1. Week 1Pull refunds, voids, no-sales, discounts, paid-outs, and drawer variances from the last 14 days.
  2. Week 2Review the top 10 exceptions with manager notes, approval gaps, and camera timestamp references.
  3. Week 3Train employees on the highest-risk procedure and collect signed acknowledgments.
  4. Week 4Run a manager review, document coaching, and update the procedure that created the most exposure.
Margin Recovery Checklist This month
  • POS exceptions: Pull refunds, voids, no-sales, discounts, and paid-outs from the last 14 days.
  • Approval gaps: Flag any refund, void, or discount that is missing a manager note.
  • Cash variances: Compare drawer shortages, paid-outs, and end-of-day closeout notes.
  • Training proof: Save employee acknowledgments for the procedure you corrected.
  • Incident notes: Document what happened, who reviewed it, and what changed afterward.
  • Camera timestamps: Save the date and time references for events that need verification.
  • Manager follow-up: Record coaching, corrective action, and the next review date.

Built for operators

Most preventable loss starts as a missing procedure.

MarginHero turns common retail exposure points into clear checklists, templates, training, and review rhythms that owners and managers can actually use.

Risk map

Five places margins usually erode first.

01

Transaction integrity

Refunds, voids, no-sales, discounts, paid-outs, and end-of-day reconciliation.

Learn more 02

Physical security

Cameras, entrances, exits, high-risk product areas, keys, alarms, and closing routines.

Learn more 03

Employee onboarding

Cash procedures, return rules, honesty policies, acknowledgments, and training proof.

Learn more 04

Inventory and shrinkage

Cycle counts, receiving discrepancies, category-level variance, and product movement.

Learn more 05

Incident management

Reports, receipts, camera timestamps, photos, witness details, and searchable records.

Learn more

Category 01

Transaction integrity

This is where money leaves the register through refunds, voids, discounts, paid-outs, no-sales, and end-of-day shortages. MarginHero looks for whether those events are approved, documented, reviewed, and tied back to a specific employee.

  • Review exception reports weekly.
  • Require manager approval for refunds, voids, and paid-outs.
  • Reconcile drawers against receipts, POS records, and cash drops.

Category 02

Physical security

Physical security is about visibility and access. The assessment checks whether cameras, keys, alarm codes, exits, entrances, and high-risk merchandise areas are controlled well enough for managers to spot problems early.

  • Confirm cameras cover registers, exits, and high-value product areas.
  • Review keys, alarm codes, and manager permissions after employee changes.
  • Use opening and closing checklists consistently.

Category 03

Employee onboarding

Onboarding protects the business by making expectations clear before employees handle cash, returns, discounts, inventory, or customer incidents. The goal is a repeatable process with proof that training happened.

  • Train employees before they operate a register alone.
  • Use written policy acknowledgments for honesty and loss prevention rules.
  • Keep training records searchable by employee and topic.

Category 04

Inventory and shrinkage

Inventory risk shows up when counts, receiving records, sales data, and product movement are not compared often enough. MarginHero focuses on category-level shrink so the owner can see where margin is actually disappearing.

  • Track shrinkage by category, not only total inventory variance.
  • Cycle count high-value and high-theft items.
  • Document receiving discrepancies before inventory is accepted.

Category 05

Incident management

Incident management turns messy moments into usable records. Strong stores capture the same facts every time: what happened, who was involved, what evidence exists, and what follow-up is needed.

  • Use one standard incident report template.
  • Capture receipts, camera timestamps, photos, and witness details.
  • Store records where managers can search and retrieve them later.

Free lead assessment

Get a practical margin recovery snapshot in under 10 minutes.

Answer 25 control questions and receive a score band, top vulnerability areas, recommended next step, and a seven-day action plan.

Start the assessment
1Score each control as strong, partial, or weak.
2Identify your highest-risk operating category.
3Choose a template, toolkit, training, or guided setup path.

Product path

Start with the one fix closest to the money.

Margin loss estimator

What could shrink be costing your store?

Enter annual retail sales to estimate losses using a default 1.6% shrink rate. Adjust the rate if you already know your store’s number.

Default based on NRF’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey average shrink rate.
Estimated annual shrink $12,000
Transaction Toolkit $47 0.4% of estimated shrink
Starter Kit $197 1.6% of estimated shrink
Training $99 0.8% of estimated shrink

First paid product

Transaction Integrity Toolkit

Cash handling procedures, refund and void authorization, reconciliation tracker, discount abuse checklist, and weekly manager review.

$47

Core bundle

Complete LP Starter Kit

Security audits, shrink tracking, incident reports, onboarding checklists, employee honesty policies, and the transaction toolkit.

$197

Training bridge

Cash Handling and Register Accuracy

Short employee-ready lessons with procedure checklists, knowledge checks, and completion acknowledgments.

$99

Insurance value Documented Employee Training may help reduced claims, strengthen your renewal positions, and even save on insurance premiums.

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