Retail Surveillance Buying Checklist
Retail camera proposals tend to either overspec or underspec. This checklist walks through the 24 questions we work through on every retail proposal before approval — covering POS detail, sales-floor coverage, stockroom, storefront deterrence, workers' comp, and mobile access.
Bottom Line
A retail camera proposal is ready to approve when you can answer yes to every question below. Gaps on more than three items mean the proposal is a starting point, not a finished plan.
Our team runs this checklist on every retail proposal before sign-off.
Best For
- Retail operators reviewing camera proposals
- Multi-location chains standardizing specifications
- Store managers or loss-prevention directors evaluating quotes
Not For
- Warehouse
- Cannabis retail
- Residential
In This Guide
Retail-Specific Priorities
POS register coverage. One camera per register with drawer, product, and customer face in the frame. Single highest-ROI position.
Storefront deterrence. Visibly-posed cameras at entry.
Sales floor coverage with no blind spots. Every square foot visible.
Stockroom and BOH coverage. Employee-only areas where theft occurs.
Workers' comp documentation. Ambient conditions captured at fall-risk positions.
Mobile app access for store managers. Live visibility and footage search on phones.
Loss-prevention integration. Enterprise VMS for multi-location or POS-exception tie-in.
Recommended Retail Products
Four picks to anchor a retail deployment.
Hanwha
Hanwha PND-A9081RF 4K Indoor AI IR Dome IP Camera
PND-A9081RF
4K AI for POS register coverage.
Hanwha
Hanwha QND-7082R 4MP Indoor IR Dome Camera
QND-7082R
4MP indoor IR dome for sales floor and general positions.
Hanwha
Hanwha QND-6010R 2MP Network IR Dome Camera
QND-6010R
Budget 2MP for stockroom and employee-only areas.
Axis
Axis P3277-LVE 5MP Outdoor AI IR Dome Camera - 03153-001
03153-001
Axis P3277-LVE for glass-front storefront coverage.
The 24-Question Retail Surveillance Checklist
Walk through before approving any retail proposal.
Is there a dedicated camera per POS register?
Not a shared wide-view.
Does each POS camera capture the drawer, product, and customer face?
30-degree off-axis angle.
Is the POS camera 4MP or better (4K AI preferred)?
Forensic detail required.
Is the sales floor covered with no blind spots?
Walk the floor plan.
Is the storefront visibly covered for deterrence?
Visible cameras deter.
Does the storefront camera have 120dB+ WDR?
Handle glass-front mixed lighting.
Is the stockroom covered?
Employee theft occurs here.
Is receiving and delivery covered?
Document inventory movement.
Are high-value merchandise zones covered with 4MP+?
Jewelry, electronics, high-shrink categories.
Is parking lot covered?
After-hours documentation.
Is workers' comp risk area coverage included?
Slippery floors, high-rack areas.
Is mobile app access specified?
Store managers rely on this.
Is role-based access configured?
Owner vs manager vs LP team.
Is customer-counting analytics enabled?
Conversion-rate data.
Is POS exception integration specified?
VMS ties to POS events.
Is retention specified (30 days default, 60-90 for chains)?
Storage sizing follows.
Is storage RAID-configured?
Single-drive failure should not cost footage.
Is PoE switch budget adequate?
1.25x current count for growth.
Is cable-plant labor included?
30-40% of hardware cost.
Is commissioning time included?
Per-camera tuning.
Is warranty explicit?
1-5 year commercial warranty.
Is cybersecurity baseline configured?
Password, cert, firmware.
Is staff training included?
Store manager mobile app, footage export.
Is support contact post-install clear?
Who to call.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I spend reviewing a retail proposal?
1-2 hours for a single store. For multi-location chains, block half a day to walk through the template and make sure the standardized spec meets each store's specific layout.
What's the most-missed item in retail proposals?
Workers' comp risk area coverage. Proposals focus on loss prevention but miss the slip-and-fall and injury documentation positions. Add cameras at known fall-risk zones (entryways in wet weather, high-rack areas, stockroom-to-sales-floor transitions).
Should retail camera systems be visible or hidden?
Visible. Hidden cameras create legal complications and do not provide the deterrent effect. Discreet visible cameras (low-profile domes) are the retail standard.
Do I need POS exception integration?
For multi-location chains with loss-prevention budgets, yes — the ROI on exception detection is high. For single-store or small-chain, optional but increasingly available on AI cameras without dedicated POS integration.
How do store managers actually use the camera system?
Mostly through mobile apps for live visibility during shifts and footage search after incidents. Role-based access lets managers see their store only; owners see all stores. This pattern drives the mobile-app-quality requirement.
No Bots, Just Experts
No bots, just experts. Free pre-sales support for every customer — product questions, BOM quotes, compatibility checks, price confirmation — typically answered within one business day. Paid services available like full system design, remote installation, and more. Got a list of products? Free BOM quote. Need help figuring out what to buy? Buy engineering time by the hour — $175/hour, qty 1 = 1 hour. Tell us about your project, we scope how many hours it needs, you purchase that quantity. Hardware buyers get up to one hour ($175) credited back against their order as a thank-you.