Why Waiting on a Retail Audit Is Too Late

The Case for ‘Proactive Recovery’

We get it. Post-audit recovery feels like a safety net. If something slips by, you’ll catch it later. Right?

Not always.

Retailer audits are limited in scope—and often surface new deductions, not errors in past ones.

Worse, they usually happen long after recovery deadlines have passed.

That’s why waiting for the audit is like waiting for the fire to burn before you check the batteries in your smoke detector.

A fictional snack brand had been “clean” in all its audits for years. However, a proactive recovery effort by their new CFO uncovered $230,000 in trade deductions that were applied to the wrong regions, had mismatched promo dates, or were duplicated. None of these appeared in their last post-audit cycle.

Because post-audits don’t catch everything, and they definitely don’t see it in time.

Key message: Recovery should be an ongoing process—not a reactive event.

Waiting for the audit? Start recovering sooner instead. Let HRG show you how.