Jumping on the Linux POS (Point of Sale) Bandwagon - Finally a Choice for Retail & Hospitality

For many retail & hospitality operators, having a choice in operating systems is key

In a never ending battle to ease costs, many businesses today are looking at Linux as a server operating system. Issues such as cost and flexibility make Linux an attractive choice. However, just as many operators may be asking, “what exactly is Linux anyway?”

Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds. Developed under the GNU General Public License , the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone. According to IBM, Linux is currently the fastest growing server operating system.

Once businesses have chosen their operating system, the next task is usually sourcing out a POS (point of sale) system. At the best of times, sourcing out a POS system for your business operation can be a confusing, time consuming and arduous task. Throw in the added obstacle of having to select point of sale software that can actually run on your operating system, and it’s easy to see why business owners shy away from this difficult and often expensive task.

Research has shown that the number of POS terminals running Linux in North America has increased 80% since 2002. The reason why is simple; Linux, as an operating system, is more cost effective, flexible, and allows for greater freedom of choice in software than more mainstream operating systems. Linux is also very cost effective in regards to licensing, installation, administrative and support costs. Linux can offer all these features without sacrificing functionality. For retailers and restaurant/hospitality operators alike, cost and ease of use are king, and reasons such as these can make the difference between a business that succeeds and a business that fails.

POS software providers have been slow, however, to jump on the Linux bandwagon. Currently, there are few well-known or enterprise-wide POS software packages available for Linux. One company, however, has seen a niche in the market and has embraced it head on. Volanté POS Systems, of Toronto, Canada and Hong Kong, offers a POS solution that has been developed entirely in Java. Java is cross platform compatible and operates in multiple environments – this gives the user freedom to choose Linux, Windows 2000/XP, or Windows and Linux. For many operators, having a choice is key.

Not only does Java provide cross platform compatibility, but like Linux, using Java POS solutions can be cost effective as well, as Java allows users the opportunity to save on additional Windows license fees, as an example. Java’s open standard architecture allows the entire system to be compatible with third party industrial applications. Users are free to choose their operating environment and are not bound to costly proprietary restrictions.

Volanté also offers integration with Windows-based back office applications. This flexibility is rare in the POS industry. For more information on Volanté’s Linux & Java POS solutions, visit their website at http://www.volantesystems.com or in Asia, at http://www.volantehk.com, or simply email them at sales@volantesystems.com.

From a retail perspective, Linux is definitely catching on. Burlington Coat Factory, for instance, has already rolled out Linux in all of their locations, both as a desktop and POS system. Other retailers/restauranteurs currently using Linux in their stores include: Papa John’s, Garden Fresh, Mark’s Work Wearhouse, Home Depot, and Gap, to name a few.

The push for Linux isn’t just in North America, either. Asian governments are looking closely at Linux, hoping it will lead to the development of a domestic software industry that isn’t hostage to foreign licenses. According to Linux Insider International, “Asia is emerging as a key battleground for the open-source movement. The Japan-China-Korea (JCK) partnership, announced last month in Osaka, is the latest in a string of initiatives to promote Linux. Two weeks earlier, Singapore hosted the second annual Asia Open Source Symposium, where 20 Asian countries discussed closer collaboration in standardization, localization and interoperability of Linux software.”

So, when choosing an operating system and subsequent point of sale system, consider Linux. Discover for yourself why Linux is the fastest growing server operating system.

Derek Meade is a writer, webmaster, and owner of Meade Internet Services in Ottawa Canada, an internet marketing, website promotion and website design company. http://www.meadeinternet.com

Forgotten Point of Sale System Features - Grand Totals

Restaurant point of sale systems have loads of features that POS salespeople love to talk about. Some are glamorous, others are flashy and some are unique to their product. When showing off these new and fancy features too often these salespeople forget about the basics and why cash registers were invented in the first place.

Preventing theft. That is the purpose of a cash register. Ringing up items and safely storing cash if the fundamental philosophy that created a now multi-billion dollar industry known as the Point of Sale Industry.

Why then are so many point of sale companies, software manufacturers and POS salespeople forgetting about the fundamental principles that are still valid in today’s business environment? The answer eludes and frustrates me because valuable profits are being lost by not utilizing these basic and important features.

Reporting Grand Totals

Would you buy a car without an odometer? Then why would you buy a point of sale system without a grand total? The principles are the same. They track how far you go and subtracting yesterdays total from today’s total tells you how far you went today.

Point of sale systems today have gotten away from this extremely important feature that securely reports on the total sales of your business. Cash registers still have this feature as a standard feature. But even with this feature too many people do not know the importance of the feature and how valuable it can be in stopping theft and letting management know when there is something wrong with your business.

Not too many years ago I was helping a fast food franchisee open a new location. We were going over the system, mostly reminding him of the features of the system, which he already had installed in several other locations. I mentioned the grand total and he questioned me on what that was.

I explained that this number was just like a car odometer and tracked every dollar sold and kept incrementing after every sale. Take today’s number and subtract it from yesterday’s number and you knew exactly how many dollars in sales you had.

To add to this number, the point of sale system he had also had a reset counter that showed how many times the system had been closed since first installed. Each day’s report should be incremented by 1, thus they should always be sequentially numbered.

With this knowledge in hand we returned to his office and began a quick audit of one of his problem stores. We quickly found that the daily close count showed missing reports. We also checked the grand totals and found missing sales.

What was happening was the closing store manager was running the end-of-day report between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm and then running another close at midnight, the time when the store was supposed to close. The closing manager was pocketing the sales rung between the first and last closing reports and turning in the first closing report as the daily sales report.

Had it not been for the grand totals we would never have caught this thief. The closing manager even went as far as to change the time on the register to keep the elusion complete. It was those little used grand totals that eventually caught up with him.

The sad thing is, most point of sale systems have gotten away from the grand totals. Not only are they not even offered, if you ask about them you will probably hear excuses why they aren’t important.

Grand totals are important. Without them the scenario just explained above could be repeated every night on a point of sale system without these totals and you would never know it. When I say never, I mean never. You would eventually go out of business because your closing managers would be taking all the profits and leaving you with all the expenses.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Demand the security that your point of sale system should provide. You wouldn’t buy a car without an odometer. Don’t buy a point of sale system without grand totals.

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.

POS Software

Point of sale (POS) software integrates the physical devices in the POS systems with computer language and thus facilitates automated data processing. POS software not only monitors almost all day-to-day activities of any business, but also helps to run them systematically, keeping track of income and expenditures, inventory, stock, and clearance, billing, customer, and transaction records and customer service through touch screen information kiosks and vending machines. Speedy business transactions and accurate budgeting helps vendors increase their profits significantly. The software also helps in paging in hotels and restaurants, taking online food orders and delivery of food items.

The very first POS software was introduced by IBM, which came out with IBM 3650 and 3660 Store Systems in August 1973; the software was first installed in Pathmark Stores in New Jersey and Dillard?s Department Stores. Now, POS needs have become so wide and varied that different POS software is tailored to suit the specific needs of different industries. The most popular of these industries include restaurants and retail stores. Software for each of these industries has unique features that automate sales and customer transactions and ensure staff accountability. For example, POS software for a hotel will ensure that a guest?s personal calls are automatically are automatically billed into his account by the computer and added to other charges. And a retail outlet?s POS software will require employees to swipe their cards to record their work hours and will keep stock of all the product details. Some point-of-sale software also includes credit and debit card swipe facility, fake-check tracing, and report-generating capabilities for day-to-day and monthly transactions.

Vendors usually take trials of different software before deciding the best software for their industry. Essential for the installation of basic POS software are computers, printers, cash registers, scanners, and keyboards. Barcode printing software, cash register express software, and inventory software are essential for any business that uses a point-of-sale system.



POS Software provides detailed information on POS, POS Software, POS Systems, Restaurant POS and more. POS Software is affiliated with Metal Store Fixtures