Stuff breaks. Cards decline. Printers jam. It’s retail — the goal isn’t to prevent every problem, it’s to fix them fast and keep the line moving. Here are the issues you’ll actually run into and what to do about each one.
A Card Gets Declined #
Don’t make it weird. This happens several times a week in any shop, and it’s almost never fraud — it’s usually a bank hold, a daily limit, or the chip didn’t read right.
- Ask the customer to try the card again. A surprising number of declines clear on the second attempt.
- If it fails again, ask if they have another card.
- Check that your terminal is connected and processing normally. If other cards have been working fine, the issue is on the customer’s end.
- Repeated failures across multiple customers? That’s likely your payment processor having a moment. You can still accept cash, or use the Card Not Present (CNP) option to process on a separate device like a phone terminal.
The key: stay calm, offer alternatives, and move on.
The Printer Won’t Print #
Your transaction still went through — that’s the important part. The receipt is saved in TORO regardless of what the printer does.
- Verify the printer is powered on and connected (USB or network cable)
- Check for a paper jam or an empty paper roll. Most receipt printers have a small LED that blinks when there’s an issue.
- Try printing a test receipt from your printer settings
- Power cycle the printer: turn it off, wait ten seconds, turn it back on
- If you need the receipt right now, you can always reprint it later from Transaction History
The Drawer Won’t Open #
Usually a cable issue, not a TORO issue.
- Try the No Sale button to trigger the drawer manually
- Check the cable between the drawer and the receipt printer. Most cash drawers are triggered by the printer through a cable (usually an RJ-12 connector on the back of the printer). If it’s loose, the signal never reaches the drawer.
- If the drawer is physically stuck, look underneath for a manual release key slot. Most drawers ship with a small key for exactly this situation.
A Barcode Won’t Scan #
- First, try typing the barcode number directly into the search bar. If the item comes up, the scanner just couldn’t read the label — could be a smudge, a crinkle, or bad print quality.
- If TORO says “No Item with this barcode!” that means the product exists in your hand but not in the database yet. If you have the right access level, TORO will offer to link the barcode to an existing item. Do it once, and every future scan of that barcode works automatically.
- If none of that works, search for the item by name instead.
- Scanner completely unresponsive? Unplug the USB cable and plug it back in. Give it a few seconds to reconnect.
- A dirty scanner lens can cause misreads. A quick wipe with a soft cloth helps.
The Screen Freezes #
Before you panic:
- Wait a few seconds. TORO might be processing a large operation (like loading a big report or syncing data). Give it a moment.
- Press Escape a couple of times to close any dialogs that might be stuck in the background.
- If it’s truly locked up, close TORO and reopen it. Your held transactions are safe — they’re stored in the database, not in memory. Anything that was mid-transaction (not held) will need to be re-entered, but that’s the worst case.
“No Item with this barcode!” #
This pops up when you scan something that TORO doesn’t recognize yet. It’s not an error — it just means nobody has linked that barcode to a product in the system.
- If you have the right permissions, TORO will immediately offer to let you link the barcode to an existing item. Search for the item, select it, and the barcode is saved permanently.
- If you don’t have permission, search for the item by name and ring it up manually. Let a manager know so they can link the barcode later.
A Customer Says They Were Charged Twice #
Take it seriously, but verify before refunding.
- Pull up Transaction History and search for the customer or the time of the sale. Look for duplicate entries.
- Check the credit card batch for duplicate authorizations — sometimes a card gets authorized twice if the terminal hiccupped, even though TORO only recorded one sale.
- If you confirm a double charge, process a refund for the duplicate. Keep notes on the transaction explaining what happened.
- If you can’t find a duplicate in your system, the issue might be on the bank’s side — pending authorizations sometimes show up as charges before they fall off. Let the customer know it may resolve on its own within a business day or two.
You’re Over or Short at Closing #
First rule: recount. Most “shorts” are just miscounts.
- Go through the bills again carefully. Stuck bills are the most common culprit — two twenties pressed together look like one.
- Check for coins that rolled or fell inside the drawer housing.
- Review whether any cash drops were recorded during the day. A drop you forgot about will make you look short.
- If you’re still off after recounting, enter your count honestly and add a note explaining what you found (or didn’t find). Management can review the day’s activity and usually track down the discrepancy.
- Small differences (a dollar or two) happen and aren’t cause for alarm. Patterns of larger discrepancies are what management watches for, and having clear notes helps everyone.
