How many cameras does a grocery store need?

A medium store (150–300 m²) usually needs between 6 and 10 points: the entrance, two aisle runs, the till, the chillers, the stockroom and the back door. The final count is set after a survey that takes shelf heights and sight lines into account — not from floor area alone.

Why do the chillers appear white on camera?

Because the chiller light is far stronger than the aisle light, which confuses an ordinary camera. The remedy is a camera with genuinely good WDR, and an angle that does not face the light source directly.

Is a camera on the scale really necessary?

It is the lowest-cost point and the highest-value one in this sector. Weight and price disputes recur, and the recording settles them in seconds instead of an argument that costs you the customer.

What retention period is appropriate?

Thirty days at least. Some authorities may require longer depending on the activity classification — we determine that in the readiness report before execution, not after.

CCTV for Grocery and Convenience Stores

CCTV for grocery and convenience stores.

Most loss in a grocery store never passes the till — it leaves through the back door. This page is about where the loss actually happens, and how each position is covered with what suits it, built on what we have seen in Eastern Province shops rather than on a device catalogue.

Core system areas

Six positions — and the first is not the one you expect

The back door

Where most loss goes

Aisles and shelving

The blocked angles

The till

The drawer and the hand

The scale

Weight disputes

The chillers

Confusing light

The stockroom

Stock count and deliveries

Where does the loss actually happen?

The back door first. This is not theory: it is the single largest source of loss in grocery and convenience stores. Stock leaves with whoever knows when nobody is watching, and no one passes the till.

Then the aisles — particularly the rear shelving and the sight lines blocked by stacked goods. Then the till, and finally the scale, where disputes over weight and price recur.

The back door — how it is covered properly

One camera on the door is not enough: it shows who left but not what they carried. The correct arrangement is two — one inside the door at an angle that shows the hands and what is in them, and another covering the stockroom area.

And more important than the camera: an instant alert when the door opens outside working hours. A simple magnetic door sensor sends a notification to your phone, and it costs a fraction of a camera.

Chillers and lighting — why an ordinary camera fails

Chiller lighting is far stronger than aisle lighting, and the camera sets its exposure to the brightest part, so the rest of the scene goes black or the chiller turns white with no detail.

The remedy is a camera with genuinely good WDR — not merely the feature listed in a spec sheet — with the angle set so it does not face the light source directly. We review these scenes at two different times of day before handover.

The scale and the till

A dedicated camera on the scale that shows the product and the display together. Most grocery disputes are about weight and price, and the recording settles them in seconds.

At the till, the camera is aimed at the drawer and the employee’s hand, not at their face. The face proves who it was; the hand proves what happened — and that is what you actually need.

Network and storage

Cameras and the point-of-sale terminals on one router means both are slow. The correct arrangement is a PoE switch that feeds the cameras without mains sockets and separates their path from the POS and guest networks.

And storage is calculated, not estimated: eight cameras at 30 days retention need a disk of between 6 and 8 terabytes depending on how busy the shop is. Ask for the figure in writing in the quotation.

The practical summary

Start with the back door: two cameras and an opening sensor with an instant alert
A dedicated camera on the scale showing the product and the display
At the till: the drawer and the hand, not the face
Require genuinely good WDR for chiller scenes, and review them at two different times
A PoE switch separating the cameras from the point-of-sale network
Ask for the storage calculation in writing before you buy