What should I ask about a gift shop’s seasonal staff and cash handling at peak?

Begin with the hiring pattern. Ask how seasonal staff are found, whether they return, and how quickly they are ready to work. If the same people come back each season, that is a strength. If every year starts from scratch, expect more mistakes. If you can, visit the shop during a busy weekend and simply watch how the till area runs.

Then ask about cash. Who opens and closes the tills? Who counts and deposits? Are counts done by two people? How are refunds, voids and discounts approved? Written steps that staff really follow are better than good intentions. Ask too about gift cards, layaways and special orders, which add paperwork at the worst moment. If they are tracked loosely at peak, the balances can be wrong by the time you take over.

Ask for peak-period records: daily sales, deposits and any shortages. Compare them to normal weeks. Shortages that appear only at peak suggest weak controls. Ask what the owner did about them and whether anyone left because of it. Finally, look at the cost and cash cycle. Extra wages arrive before the best sales. Ask how the owner funds that gap, and how much of the owner’s own time covers the peak. Your accountant can help you test whether the till records match the bank deposits.

Key takeaways

• Ask whether seasonal staff return or must be replaced each year.
• Check who counts, who deposits and how voids are approved.
• Compare peak-week shortages and deposits with ordinary weeks.