Checklist template

Returns and credit verification for direct store delivery

A ready-to-use checklist with 117 items in 6 sections, covering Credits, Verification, Patterns, Driver controls, Customer sign-off, Records. Use it as-is in InspectLoop, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 117 Items
  • 91 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 121 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Credits 22 items

  1. Trade channel of most stops on the route audited Choice
    • Supermarkets
    • Convenience and gas
    • Mass and club
    • Independent and other
  2. Route number audited Short text
  3. Settlement date audited Date
  4. Each credit line on the settlement audited shows an item number, a quantity and a reason code Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Each reason code used is on the company list (out of code, damaged, recall, mis-delivery, refused) Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Credit lines coded "other" carry a note explaining the return Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Credits are priced at the price the store paid, not at the current list price or the retail price Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Product bought on promotion is credited at the promotional cost Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Each credit was created on the handheld at the stop, at the time shown on the stop record Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Each handwritten credit carries a supervisor's approval number Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Credits above the per-stop limit set by company policy were approved by a supervisor before they were issued Yes / No 1 pt
  12. No credit was issued at stores on scan-based trading, where the company owns the product until it is sold Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Each item credited was delivered to that store within the shelf life of the product, per the invoice history Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The quantity credited on an item does not exceed the quantity delivered to that store over the product's shelf life Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Credits for full cases of damaged product are supported by a photo Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Buy-backs of discontinued items follow the written instruction for that item Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Price complaints and delivery shortages were settled through a price adjustment or a shortage claim, not through a product credit Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Stores sold on a no-return allowance received no product credits Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Credit lines audited Number
  20. Credit lines with a missing or invalid reason code Number
  21. Value of the credits audited (dollars) Number
  22. Documentation of the credits audited Rating
    • Every line complete and coded 5 pts
    • A few lines with gaps 3 pts
    • Many lines without reason or approval 1 pt

2. Verification 21 items

  1. The auditor counted the returned product on the truck before the depot check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Units counted on the truck match the units credited, item by item Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Returned product on the truck is kept by stop, in trays or bags marked with the store Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Date codes on product credited as out of code are at or past the company's pull date Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Product credited as damaged shows the damage Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The returns contain no undamaged product that is still inside its sell-by period Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Returns are counted at the depot by a checker, not by the driver Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The checker counts without seeing the driver's credit totals Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Differences between the checker's count and the credits are written on a variance report Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The driver signed the variance report for the day audited Yes / No 1 pt
  11. After check-in, returned product goes to a locked or caged stale area Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Returned product is destroyed, defaced or dumped so that it cannot be loaded and credited a second time Yes / No 1 pt
  13. No product from the stale area was found on an outbound load or in a truck at the start of the day Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Stale product sent to a thrift outlet or sold as animal feed is counted out of the stale area on a transfer record Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The auditor back-checked at least 3 stores of the route on the same day or the next day Yes / No 1 pt
  16. At each back-checked store, the receiver confirmed the quantity returned Yes / No 1 pt
  17. At each back-checked store, the items credited as out of code are no longer on the shelf Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Units credited on the settlement audited Number
  19. Units of returned product counted on the truck Number
  20. Stores back-checked Number
  21. Match between credits issued and product physically returned Rating
    • Exact match 5 pts
    • Small differences, explained 3 pts
    • Product missing or differences unexplained 1 pt

3. Patterns 17 items

  1. The auditor has the route's credit report by store for the last 8 weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Credit rate of the route over the last 4 weeks (% of gross sales) Number
  3. Average credit rate of the depot over the same 4 weeks (% of gross sales) Number
  4. The credit rate of the route is inside the range set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  5. No store on the route has a credit rate above twice the route average without an explanation on file Yes / No 1 pt
  6. No store shows the same item credited in the same quantity week after week Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Credits are spread across the pay period, not bunched on the last settlement day Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The mix of items credited follows the mix of items sold, not weighted to the highest-priced items Yes / No 1 pt
  9. No item was credited and re-invoiced to the same store on the same day, except under the mis-delivery reason code Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The credit rate of cash accounts on the route is within the margin set by company policy of the rate of charge accounts Yes / No 1 pt
  11. In weeks covered by a relief driver, the credit rate stayed within the margin set by company policy of the regular driver's rate Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The credit rate did not jump after a change of driver or of route boundaries Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The share of credits coded as damaged is within the margin set by company policy of the depot average Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Stores with a high out-of-code credit rate had their standing order cut in the last 4 weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The route supervisor initialed the weekly credit exception report for each of the last 4 weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Store with the highest credit rate on the route Short text
  17. Credit pattern of the route Rating
    • In line with the depot 5 pts
    • One or two outliers, explained 3 pts
    • Outliers with no explanation 1 pt

4. Driver controls 21 items

  1. The handheld requires a scan of the product barcode to create a credit line Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The handheld blocks a credit above the per-stop limit until a supervisor code is entered Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Supervisor override codes are changed on the schedule set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Override codes are entered by the supervisor in person or given by phone for one use, never left with the driver Yes / No 1 pt
  5. A credit cannot be edited or voided on the handheld after the receiver has signed Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Voided invoices and voided credits print on the end-of-day report Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The supervisor reviewed the voids on the end-of-day report for the day audited Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Each driver logs in to the handheld with a personal user ID Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The truck inventory is counted by someone other than the driver at the frequency set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The last truck inventory variance is inside the tolerance set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Cash turned in for the day audited equals cash invoices less credits at cash accounts Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Manual credit books are numbered and signed out to the driver by the depot office Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Even exchanges of stale for fresh product are recorded on the handheld, not done off the books Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The driver's training record shows the returns and credit policy covered in the last 12 months Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The driver could state the pull date rule for the products on the truck Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The driver could state the per-stop credit limit Yes / No 1 pt
  17. A supervisor rode the route or back-checked its stores in the last 3 months Yes / No 1 pt
  18. The route was run by a relief driver for at least one full week in the last 12 months Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Date of the last truck inventory count by someone other than the driver Date
  20. Variance found at the last truck inventory count (units) Number
  21. Controls over the driver's ability to issue credits Rating
    • System limits and independent counts in place 5 pts
    • Limits in place, counts or reviews irregular 3 pts
    • Driver can issue and alter credits unchecked 1 pt

5. Customer sign-off 18 items

  1. The receiver saw the returned product before signing for the credit Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Each credit audited carries the receiver's signature or electronic acceptance Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The receiver's name is printed or keyed next to the signature Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Each credit carries the store's receiving stamp where the retailer uses one Yes / No 1 pt
  5. At stores receiving by electronic exchange (DEX), the credit was transmitted in the same session as the invoice Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The credit amount in the store's receiving record equals the amount on the company's copy Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The store keeps its copy of each credit Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The person who signed is on the store's list of employees allowed to receive Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The signature on each credit resembles the same receiver's signature on invoices Yes / No 1 pt
  10. No credit audited was closed with "refused to sign" or "not available" in place of a signature Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Returned product leaves through the receiving door after the store's check, not through the front door Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The receiver counts returns by item, not by the tray or the bag Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The manager of each back-checked store agreed with the credit total on the latest statement Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The store manager knows whom to call at the depot to question a credit Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Store staff report no credit promised by the driver that has not been issued Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Credits audited without a receiver's signature Number
  17. Name of the receiver or manager interviewed Short text
  18. Quality of customer sign-off on credits Rating
    • Signed by an authorized receiver who saw the product 5 pts
    • Signed, but product not always checked 3 pts
    • Signatures missing or doubtful 1 pt

6. Records 18 items

  1. The settlement report for each day audited is on file at the depot Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Credit documents are kept for the period set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Variance reports for the last 4 weeks are on file with the supervisor's signature Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The stale destruction log shows the date, the quantity and a witness for each disposal Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Transfers to the thrift outlet agree with the thrift outlet's receiving record Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Credits are posted to the customer's account within the number of days set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The latest statement of a back-checked store shows every credit audited Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Deductions taken by the retailer for returns match credits the company issued Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Returns under a recall are recorded apart from routine credits, with the lot code Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Back-check records for the last 3 months are on file Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Each credit exception investigated has a written outcome Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Confirmed false credits were handled under the company's disciplinary policy, with a record on file Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Findings of the previous credit audit of this route are closed Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Date of the previous credit audit of this route Date
  15. Name of the route driver Short text
  16. Name of the route supervisor Short text
  17. Overall result of the credit verification Rating
    • Credits accurate and controlled 5 pts
    • Accurate, with control gaps to close 3 pts
    • Inaccurate credits or signs of abuse 1 pt
  18. Findings, amounts in question and corrective actions Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the InspectLoop template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In InspectLoop you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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