Forgotten Point of Sale System Features - Cash In Drawer Limits

This feature has been around since I started in the cash register business some 25+ years ago. I haven’t heard POS salespeople talk about this for over a decade and if it isn’t being used in your business you are opening yourself up for theft and possibly armed robbery of your business.

All cash registers and point of sale systems track sales and tenders. They all know how much money, checks, gift cards, credit cards and other forms of payment are in each cash drawer/till.

Most cash registers and a few point of sale software companies have the ability to set a limit on how much cash should be in each cash drawer/till. When this limit is reached the cashier is notified and then can notify management to do a cash pull from the drawer. Some systems go as far as sending a message via pager/cell phone alerting management that a cash drawer/till is over the cash limit.

Management can then go to the drawer, pull out an amount of cash, count it and enter the amount removed as a cash pull. This amount is then removed from the cash in drawer amount and lowers the overall cashier responsibility.

Do not forget that every time the cash drawer/till is opened all the cash is exposed to view and to the temptation of everyone. Not only does the money become accessible to your cashier, it is also accessible to long-armed customers who have been known to reach across when the cashier was not looking.

What could be even worse is the fact that when the cash drawer/till is open potential robbers are able to estimate and determine if your operation is worth returning for a full-scale robbery.

Cashiers like this feature in that it reduces the amount of cash they are responsible for as the cash removed is deducted from their overall cash responsibility. Cashiers also like the fact that if there is less cash in the drawer they are less apt to have a gun shoved in their face during a robbery.

Owners like this feature in that it reduces the temptation to remove money from the cash drawer/till through employee theft or through robbery.

If you are an owner, wouldn’t you like keeping more of the money in your cash drawer/till for yourself? Wouldn’t you like to reduce the chance/temptation of an armed robbery? This old-time cash register feature now found in some point of sale systems could be the exact answer to your needs.

Check your current point of sale system to see if the cash in drawer feature is even offered. If you are looking at a new point of sale system you should make sure that the cash in drawer feature is offered.

Don’t let technology dazzle you to the point that you forget about the basics features that you need to stop theft and increase profits. Those features that have been around for decades are still valid today.

Cash in drawer limits were considered an important part of any cash register and point of sale system for many years. The reason for the feature and the need to keep your cash safe never went away. Stopping theft is still a critical aspect of any point of sale system. That being the case, why should you settle for anything less than your business needs? Don’t settle for less. Demand the cash in drawer feature.

Jerry D. Wilson has over 25 years of point of sale experience helping business owners stop employee theft and increase profits. Please visit DirecTouch POS and DirectRetail POS for more information on other features that are important to your point of sale needs.

Opening a Dollar Store - Cash Register Organization

Are you opening a dollar store? Then remember that checkout areas are the last thing that your shoppers will see when they make purchases in your store. The appearance of the cash register area is what those same customers will remember about your store after they leave. In fact, the appearance of that area may well determine whether shoppers return to your store in the future.

Leave a favorable impression on every shopper by getting organized. If you are opening a dollar store don’t allow clutter to accumulate around the check stands. Create designated areas for the tools and supplies that cashiers need to effectively serve store customers.

When opening a dollar store it is easy to allow clutter to build in the cash register area. Cashiers and other employees get busy and place items around the cash register while handling other tasks. Don’t allow that practice to occur. Adopt the philosophy that there must be a location for every item in the checkout area. Stand behind that philosophy by ensuring that every item is kept in its designated location and that other items are never allowed to accumulate.

Never allow other items to gather at the check stands when you are opening a dollar store. If customers change their minds about a purchase during checkout then designate a place for those items to be placed. Of greater importance is to establish a process and the expectation for employees to quickly return those items to their designated location on the sales floor.

Are you opening a dollar store? Make a lasting, positive impression on every person who enters your store. Leave a long lasting and positive impression on your shoppers who make purchases. Create a checkout area that is well-organized and clutter-free. While it takes some effort and discipline, the results are worth the effort.

To Your Dollar Store Success!

Do you want to own your own Dollar Store? Visit www.openingadollarstore.com for more information. http://www.onlineauctionsmadesimple.net

Hosted Point of Sale Applications

With Software as a Service becoming the motto of many of today?s large software companies it becomes obvious the power Internet Applications hold. Instead of selling a license to install software and risk a bad install software manufacturer?s can charge for access to the software online through a web browser. This provides so many benefits that I don?t think I can list them all.

*Hosted software is instantly updated to all users
*Has an install so easy you can just click a shortcut and you?re running
*Can provide guaranteed off-site data back up that was once only the luxury of super rich mega companies.

Those are just the icing on the cake. You can run a Hosted application on almost any platform. Suddenly Linux systems don?t require a specialized software install, just a web browser. The technical support required for a non-Microsoft operating system drops considerably. You also get the added advantage of easy access on handheld devices and mobile phones.

The easiest fastest way to create any tool for multiple platforms and not worry about technical support costs is to look for those companies making the leap to the next level of technology. Software companies that make Internet Based and Web Based applications are going to experience an explosion as the world moves to this advantage.

Many of the largest companies have already stated their support and intensions in this area. When looking for a software company to provide a point of sale system I look at how well it integrates into this model. Can the software be hosted on a single server and manage 100 locations? How easy is it to install on different platforms? Can I keep it backed up and updated quickly and easily? Will it lower my bottom line and increase my profits? Evaluate the arguments and you?ll see the advantages Hosted Applications can offer any size business.

The development costs for a Hosted Application are also significantly less. Instead of worrying about difficult installs for multiple operating systems (even Windows Apps have to be tested on Win98 and up) you can focus on writing towards the most currently accepted standards as determined by the W3C. Having only one standard to worry about removes the concern that different operating systems will require different installs and files. As long as you use a browser that follows the W3C guidelines, and the big ones do, then you?ve reduced development and testing time. This creates a better application that isn?t bloated with all the junk needed to make it run on a million different systems.

There may be some concern in using a Point of Sale system through the Internet, but SSL encryption and other security techniques are quite sound. Stealing information has been around long before technology and thieves will always pick away at the profits. The question is whether the risk is higher in using a Software tool that can be so easily accessed by not only your employees but by financial assassins that we all know are there. Security is an always will be a concern, but if your company is connected to the Internet in any way then any information on those networks is at just as much of a risk if not more of a risk than the information stored in a hosted application.

If your network is connected to the Internet then you?re already taking the same risks as someone using an Internet Hosted Application. Even systems on a closed WAN have their security risks. The benefits of using an Internet Hosted Point of Sale System far outweigh the risks. In business every dollar counts and when it comes to technology picking the right path can make a huge difference in your profits.

Please consider this article for publication in your newsletter or on your website. Permission is granted to reprint for free with author box and byline intact. Please send me a copy of your publication if you choose to include my article. TITLE: AUTHOR: Ed Duval URL: www.AndTechComputers.com

MAILTO: support@andtech2020.com

Author Box - ? Ed Duval (2006) Ed Duval is contract writer and software developer for www.AndTechComputers.com and Creator of the HotPotato Restaurant Point of Sale Software System. With over a decade of experience in software development he shares his unique insight on today's point of sale software systems.

Control Your Business With POS Software

Business has become competitive and complex these days. The branding, positioning, patronizing and believing are all aspects of a product which any business can scarcely ignore. However the controls do matter for effective monitoring and effecting the required checks and balances. This would become feasible when the information flow become smooth, error free, updated, relevant and conclusive to the run of business. Free POS software has become the most popular means of achieving this competitive edge.

A point of Sale system (POS) becomes essential to the business. The essentialities of staying put and even in competition is the ability to buy better, turn faster, market smarter with of course the ability to work efficiently forming the undercurrent. POS ensures all these. The system works on the principle that key to survival is profits and key to profits is awareness.

In today's times of automation, processed and classified information is a must given the complexity involved when managing a business unit. There are diverse departments in a business unit. Information trickling into and flowing out of these units are diverse and divergent. For effective monitoring and controlling, as also for coordinating and harmonization, it is imperative that information be without slippages, with of course, the inherent complexity. A search for appropriate software would not have come a day soon, what with multifarious attitude becoming a requirement.

Free POS software is the answer to the requirement and is hotly pursued by retailers. The software addresses the difficulty in handling finances which are ingredients to the success of any business. Moreover the software delivers the goods in less time. The software aids in monitoring and controlling inventory levels. This could result in better selection of merchandise and obviate out of stock situations. Merchandising efforts get stepped up when information related to customer purchase history is available. Indirectly sales become high and appropriateness of the software is realized.

The next area where free POS software is useful is in the critical and crucial area of customer service. Speed and accuracy are the watchwords for a business unit which free POS software takes sufficient care of. Commitments of special order get honored with timely monitoring.

Online enquiry systems facilitate ascertainment of out of stock items becoming available at other locations. Personalized service gets offered through procurement of customer specific information. Retailers can use POS software to manage stock levels at minimum and maximum so as to serve holding costs and costs of obsolescence. This would enable the retailer to balance inventory levels by deployments of stocks as a cost arrangement.

Manpower training and training of other sorts would get reduced upon using the highly functional and easy to use software. Double entries and errors of this type are reduced when the program's tight integration comes out effectively.

Free POS software does not require the user to have prior knowledge of say accounting or inventory. Information is required to be entered just once. The integration system ensures that it is placed at the placed needed to be. Workload gets reduced as also the associated costs.

The POS software helps managing profitability. The software is user friendly and is easy to learn. Integration with the required components of a system would make free POS software a coveted possession of a businessman functioning singly or as a part of a larger chain that aims in speedy, professional, personalized and accurate service. With free POS software having set in can a customer satisfaction and patronization be far behind?

POS software.

http://www.possoftwarefree.com