Glossary · Associate training
Incident report
Incident report: An incident report is the same-shift written record of what an associate saw during a theft, scam, or aggression event: date, time, location, a description of each person, the items involved, exit direction, whether the associate was approached, and when the manager was told. Facts only, no guesses.
An incident report is the same-shift written record of what an associate saw during a theft, scam, or aggression event. It holds the date, time, and location, a description of each person, the items taken, exit direction, whether the associate was approached, and when the manager was told. The manager signs and files it with a saved video clip.
Why it matters in a store
The report is the store’s entire contribution to a case. Loss prevention and law enforcement match descriptions across stores, and a report written before the associate’s memory fades is what they match. A report that guesses at a name or a motive is worse than one that leaves the line blank, because a wrong guess sends an investigation in the wrong direction. The report also protects the associate: it shows the associate followed the observe and report rule. A threat of violence gets its own report, separate from the merchandise, so corporate can prioritize it. An associate who never hears what happened to a report stops writing them, so the manager closes the loop within a day.
How it shows up on the floor
- Sales floor: a sweep of one category, written up with clothing, height, bags, direction of travel, and time.
- Register: a paused gift card sale or a no-receipt return, written up even when the manager completed the sale.
- Receiving: a short or resealed pallet, the driver’s description, and the time the truck left.
- Service desk: a call from someone claiming to be corporate and asking for card numbers, written up even though nothing was lost.
Related terms and reading
The checklist of what the report should contain is in ORC awareness training for store associates. Who reads the report and what corporate does with it is in what grocery LP directors do about repeat offenders. The follow-up check-in after an aggression incident is in customer aggression: what a retailer needs in place. See also repeat offender, or browse the associate training hub.