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

Low Cost Point of Sale Systems and Software

Now the last thing I want is for this be a shameless promotion of the software we develop. But my position gives me a unique insight in the business models followed by different software companies. We produce a no cost point of sale software package and can testify that the free and low cost software model is a viable enterprise. Instead of focusing on selling the product and slowly building a user base and then relying on selling upgrades to continue the momentum we?re finding that charging a steady monthly fee for support and updates actually reduces customer cost and increases the quality of service we can provide.

Look at the commercial viability of Linux and you understand what?s going on. Free software is free to use, but if you need help (and everybody does) then support plans are available from industry experts for a monthly or single incident fee. By sending software out into the world you capture a large audience and can quickly establish a presence on the market.

Point of Sale systems can be especially expensive for small businesses and most resellers offer so many options that it can be easy to get lost. You not only have software to consider by the wide range of hardware available. We focused our products on two vertical markets; Computer Service & Retail Point of Sales and Restaurant Point of Sales. Both businesses can be very expensive to setup and maintain. Saving costs and increasing profits is vital and many software companies position themselves to provide Point of Sale Software that forces you into expensive service agreements and fees. Often times this goes beyond the reasonable fees assumed for support. A small business should not have to pay for an entire support division just for their point of sale software.

Business managers need to look at the lifetime cost of the Point of Sale Systems. Is the hardware efficient or overpriced and way too powerful for the task? Is the software streamlined for my vertical market? Will it increase costs and lower expenses? Will it provide statistical sales data that can be imported into accounting packages? What is the true cost and savings of the system? What kind of support is available and is it priced reasonably? If you can answer those questions and feel satisfied with the answers then you?ve found the right system for you.

So the price of the software is only a concern for those tight on budget for getting started. The real cost is in the efficiency of the software and the support network it provides. Take time and evaluate several of the tools available on the market for your point of sales system. Learn what makes each one special and has the features that most closely match your business. Find out what kind of support you get and decide if email only is really support. If every business took the time to evaluate their point of sale software and the true cost then we?d find a lot of companies changing software.

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.

Point Of Sale Displays

 In a competitive market, point of sale displays help solve several of a marketer?s short-term hurdles. The impact of sales promotion measures is not durable like the results obtained through advertising and personal selling. Sale displays by and large are understood and practiced as a catalyst and as a supporting facility to advertising and personal selling.

Point of sale displays differs from advertising in many ways. Whereas advertising is mostly an indirect and subtle approach towards persuading consumers to buy a product, sale displays is a direct and almost open inducement to consumers to immediately try the product. Secondly, advertising normally has long-term objectives like building brand awareness or building consumer loyalty or repositioning a brand, sale displays performs an immediate task of increasing current sales. Finally, advertising helps sales by adding some durable and long-term value to the product, while point of sale displays aid selling by temporarily changing the existing price-value relationship of the product.

While continuing to use advertising to build long term patronage of the consumer, sale displays will come handy to give the occasional spurt required to boost up current sales. Marketing man resort to sale displays to meet several marketing needs such as introducing new products, overcoming a unique competitive situation, unloading accumulated inventory, overcoming seasonal slumps, getting new accounts, retrieving lost accounts and for persuading dealers to buy more/ increase the size of the orders.

The above categorization is based on the marketing problem to be tackled. If we look at the target group to whom sale displays measures are normally aimed at, we find four broad target groups, viz. the consumer, the trade or channel and influential groups. Bulk of the sale displays effort is aimed at the consumer and the trade.
Point Of Sale Displays provides detailed information on point of sale, point of sale displays, point of sale hardware, point of sale marketing and more. Point Of Sale Displays is affiliated with Affordable Point Of Sale Systems.

Will You Make These Mistakes When You Buy Retail Point of Sale Software?

If you're like most retailers, you're worried about making a mistake when you choose point of sale (POS) software. I don't blame you. Buying POS software is a big investment. Not to mention, POS software can have huge impact on the efficiency and success of your retail business!

What's more, there are around 1,000 different POS systems to choose from. And they're all different. All these choices can be overwhelming and confusing.

The truth is... choosing POS software is very difficult. And
too many retailers end up with the wrong system. In fact, it's common for retailers to go through 2, 3 or even 4 different POS systems before they find one they're happy with. Those mistakes probably cost at least $10,000 - $100,000.

Here are a few mistakes that I see retailers making over and over again.

They Buy Hardware First

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a retailer say, "I just bought new computers, printers and I have everything ready to go. Now I need to find POS software."

As soon as I hear that, I think to myself, "This guy could have saved himself a lot of time and money if he selected his POS software first!"

Why?

First of all, your POS software will have hardware and operating system requirements. For example, the software will require a certain version of Windows, Unix or Linux. (Unless it's an "open architecture" system like ASP) In addition, each program will only function with certain types of printers, scanners, cash drawers and card readers.

Second, and more importantly, not all POS systems are the same. And the system that you choose is very important. It will have a huge impact on the efficiency of your business! If you install your computer system first, you will limit your POS software choices. The perfect fit for your "unique" business might run on UNIX but you already bought a Windows 2003 Server! You might also find that the printers and scanners you just bought aren't compatible either.

You can avoid frustration and save money if you choose the POS software first. Then you can ask the software company about their recommended hardware and operating systems.

They Ask the Wrong People

All too often retailers ask a local computer consultant for suggestions about POS software. Most computer consultants have good intentions but they tend to give poor advice when it comes to choosing POS software.

Computer consultants are great sources for information about computers, hardware, and networking. However they don't usually understand the intricacies of POS software and retail management. Nor do they realize that there are almost 1,000 different POS systems to choose from and it's VERY easy to choose the wrong one.

Every retail business is different and has different needs. If you get poor advice and select the wrong type of system, your business will lose money.

They Don't Place Enough Focus on the Character of the Software Company

When you invest in point of sale software, you're buying a relationship, not just a product. In fact, the "quality" of the software company is usually just as important as the product.

Why is the software company so important?

Well...

After you purchase the software, you will rely on the software company to supply updates, training, technical support, and possibly hardware.

Let me ask you a few questions to help you understand why the company is so important...

- What if the software company went out of business? (Dozens of POS software companies come and go every year!)

- What if they don't give you software updates when you need them?

- What if it takes 2 days to get your technical questions answered?

- What if the software has a bug and they don't fix it?

- What if they didn't give you sufficient training? And as a result, your sales reports are showing the wrong totals!

- What if you can't print and it takes 6 hours to get help from a support technician?

The truth is, the level of service and the financial stability of the software company is very important. It's critical to evaluate the software company; otherwise you could run into some frustrating and expensive problems.

They Pass The Buck

Too many owners give the responsibility of choosing a POS system to an employee or a computer consultant that is not familiar with your industry. This is a huge mistake!

Top management and other key personnel must be involved in the selection and implementation process. You should never rely solely on a consultant's recommendation or input.

The person that evaluates the software must have in-depth knowledge about your business!

POS software is complicated. Not to mention it can make a huge difference in your businesses productivity. POS software is too important to pass the evaluation process to someone else!

I see owners and managers make this mistake all the time. Don't make the same one!

They Overlook Important Features

Unless you are a retail POS expert, it's difficult to sort through countless POS systems and figure out what you need. What's more, it's difficult to understand the "true" potential of your POS system. As a result, many retailers get confused and they overlook important features that would save them a lot of time and money.

Most people don't realize that every POS system is VERY different. Some are designed for large ticket items like tractors. And others are designed to work in fast moving retail environments like a grocery store.

As a result, it's common for retailers to end up with POS software that isn't really designed for them. That's why it's important to properly analyze the needs of your business (even if you're a small retailer). Then you can create a list of features that are important. That list will help you compare and choose the right system.

This might seem complicated, but with a little guidance, you can quickly find the right POS system. You just need to know which mistakes to avoid, where to look, and the right formula.

Jeff Haefner is the author of "The Point of Sale Software Buyers Guide -- How to Choose POS Software and Avoid Problems." It will teach you the secrets to choosing POS software for ANY retail business. If you'd like to learn how to avoid problems, save time, and boost efficiency then check out => http://www.possoftwareguide.com

Why Are Your Cash Registers Empty? 8 Reasons Why Your Site is not Getting Sales

Ok, you've got your webpage up and running and you have submitted your site to the
search engines, now it is time to make that money! Right? Well then, how come your
virtual cash register has that hollow ring to it everytime you open it? Your site is not
making sales and there are at least 8 reasons why and 8 simple fixes you can
implement in order to immediately remedy anything you are doing incorrectly.

1.You have relied on a passive promotion strategy to get the word out about your
site. Many of you assume that simply putting up a website will cause tons of
visitors to flock to your site with cash in hand practically begging to buy your
products or services.

Sorry, a passive marketing strategy may bring you in a trickle of sales or
absolutely none at all. Alternatively, by utilizing an active marketing strategy,
you do not wait for visitors to come to you, you do everything in your power to
bring targeted visitors to your site. Active marketers utilize methods such as
ezine advertising and article submissions to targeted ezines in order to draw
traffic to their site. They will also use free publicity tools such as press releases
in order to get the word out about their site to an audience that cares.

2.You do not offer a simple and secure method of online ordering or accept
different forms of payment.

This could be easily solved by getting set up with a merchant account provider
that enables you to accept checks and all the major credit cards and provides
you with a secure website to process transactions automatically. The best
company for this in my opinion is ECommerce Exchange. You can learn more
about them here:
http://www.qcaffiliate.com/qc/goldbar

3.You do not have a method of capturing your prospects names and email
addresses when they visit your site.

Get this set up immediately and start building a mailing list of interested
prospects.

The best way to do this is to offer a mailing list that people could subscribe to.
You could offer either a newsletter about a topic that interests your audience or
even a small tips sheet that sends people interesting and useful information
related to the topic of your website. When you've built up your list to over a few
hundred people, then you can begin to send commercial information regarding
the products and services you offer. As long as you are also offering quality
information for free, your audience will be more responsive to your commercial
solicitations.

4.You do not offer enough methods for people to contact you.

You should offer people as many different ways of contacting (and ordering)
from you as possible. Here are some cost effective contact methods you can
implement: the most natural one on the web is of course email. However, you
should also include your phone number for those who prefer to speak with a
human being. If you have one, provide a fax number. There is an inexpensive fax
solution available from a company called JFax. They will allow you to receive
both fax and voice messages in your inbox for an extremely low monthly fee. To
learn more visit: http://www.j2.com Lastly, you should always list your snail
mail address on your website.

5.You only advertise online.

Big mistake. There are millions of people offline who might be interested in your
site and your information. They are often more likely to order immediately as
opposed to someone who surfs the web regularly and who knows they can
always "come back sometime in the future".

One of the best ways to reach an audience and bring them to your site is to put
your URL and your email address on every piece of correspondence you send
out. I know of one person who adds his URL to every bill he sends out hoping
that it will cause someone to visit. The best part is that this type of promotion is
free so you have nothing to lose. One of the most effective offline advertising
techniques involves getting your ad onto a card deck that reaches a targeted
audience. This is a great way to spread the word about your site to many
interested prospects who otherwise may not have had the chance to find out
about you.

6.You do not rely on the power of joint ventures to get the word out about your
products and services.

Joint venture endorsements have the power to bring in more visitors and sales
to your site than any other method I know of. Joint Venture Marketing involves 2
parties: a list owner and someone who wishes to have his product or service
introduced and endorsed to the members of the mailing list. This has the ability
to pull in a large amount of sales due to the trust built up between the members
of the list and the list owner. When he endorses your products or services in
his own words to his list, he conveys your legitimacy and in turn they transfer
their trust to you. If you have ever heard radio shows like Rush Limbaugh or
Howard Stern, you will notice that the ads that receive the most response are
the ones that these disk jockeys read themselves and almost make a part of
their "shtick". They are in effect endorsing a product and in turn generating
interest and sales for it.

7.You do not follow up when people ask you for more information.

Huge mistake. That person has indicated that they are interested in what you
have to sell. Statistics show that people have to be exposed to your marketing
message at least 7 times before they will respond. Sending one email
explaining your product is not enough. You must follow up with a prospect and
make a concerted effort to close the sale. Explain the benefits of your product
or service, refer them to testimonials of satisfied customers, ask if you can call
them to explain your product in greater detail. If people see this as badgering
and they ask you to stop bothering them by all means do so. A great idea is to
automate all of your follow-up by using autoresponders. There are some great
tools on the market to help you with this, we highly recommend using
GetResponse. Discover some of the great benefits of using this sequential
autoresponder by clicking here: http://www.getresponse.com?13323

8.You try to sell too many products and services from your website.

This may work for a site selling books or toys or vitamins where people may be
looking for a large variety of products. However, on a site that is geared towards
business, too many product offerings can give the impression that your
business lacks focus. If someone gets to your site and is immediately
bombarded with marketing material, they may become overwhelmed or even
annoyed at the commercial nature of your site. Offering many products and
services takes away from your credibility by giving the impression that you will
sell anything just to make a buck. Instead, develop your site around one or two
complementary products and services and offer lots of free, related information.
That is sure to build up your credibility with your potential customers. Try to
develop a traffic magnet (such as a discussion board or related articles) so you
can bring back your targeted audience time and again.
search engines, now it is time to make that money! Right? Well then, how come your
virtual cash register has that hollow ring to it everytime you open it? Your site is not
making sales and there are at least 8 reasons why and 8 simple fixes you can
implement in order to immediately remedy anything you are doing incorrectly.

1.You have relied on a passive promotion strategy to get the word out about your
site. Many of you assume that simply putting up a website will cause tons of
visitors to flock to your site with cash in hand practically begging to buy your
products or services.

Sorry, a passive marketing strategy may bring you in a trickle of sales or
absolutely none at all. Alternatively, by utilizing an active marketing strategy,
you do not wait for visitors to come to you, you do everything in your power to
bring targeted visitors to your site. Active marketers utilize methods such as
ezine advertising and article submissions to targeted ezines in order to draw
traffic to their site. They will also use free publicity tools such as press releases
in order to get the word out about their site to an audience that cares.

2.You do not offer a simple and secure method of online ordering or accept
different forms of payment.

This could be easily solved by getting set up with a merchant account provider
that enables you to accept checks and all the major credit cards and provides
you with a secure website to process transactions automatically. The best
company for this in my opinion is ECommerce Exchange. You can learn more
about them here:
http://www.qcaffiliate.com/qc/goldbar

3.You do not have a method of capturing your prospects names and email
addresses when they visit your site.

Get this set up immediately and start building a mailing list of interested
prospects.

The best way to do this is to offer a mailing list that people could subscribe to.
You could offer either a newsletter about a topic that interests your audience or
even a small tips sheet that sends people interesting and useful information
related to the topic of your website. When you've built up your list to over a few
hundred people, then you can begin to send commercial information regarding
the products and services you offer. As long as you are also offering quality
information for free, your audience will be more responsive to your commercial
solicitations.

4.You do not offer enough methods for people to contact you.

You should offer people as many different ways of contacting (and ordering)
from you as possible. Here are some cost effective contact methods you can
implement: the most natural one on the web is of course email. However, you
should also include your phone number for those who prefer to speak with a
human being. If you have one, provide a fax number. There is an inexpensive fax
solution available from a company called JFax. They will allow you to receive
both fax and voice messages in your inbox for an extremely low monthly fee. To
learn more visit: http://www.j2.com Lastly, you should always list your snail
mail address on your website.

5.You only advertise online.

Big mistake. There are millions of people offline who might be interested in your
site and your information. They are often more likely to order immediately as
opposed to someone who surfs the web regularly and who knows they can
always "come back sometime in the future".

One of the best ways to reach an audience and bring them to your site is to put
your URL and your email address on every piece of correspondence you send
out. I know of one person who adds his URL to every bill he sends out hoping
that it will cause someone to visit. The best part is that this type of promotion is
free so you have nothing to lose. One of the most effective offline advertising
techniques involves getting your ad onto a card deck that reaches a targeted
audience. This is a great way to spread the word about your site to many
interested prospects who otherwise may not have had the chance to find out
about you.

6.You do not rely on the power of joint ventures to get the word out about your
products and services.

Joint venture endorsements have the power to bring in more visitors and sales
to your site than any other method I know of. Joint Venture Marketing involves 2
parties: a list owner and someone who wishes to have his product or service
introduced and endorsed to the members of the mailing list. This has the ability
to pull in a large amount of sales due to the trust built up between the members
of the list and the list owner. When he endorses your products or services in
his own words to his list, he conveys your legitimacy and in turn they transfer
their trust to you. If you have ever heard radio shows like Rush Limbaugh or
Howard Stern, you will notice that the ads that receive the most response are
the ones that these disk jockeys read themselves and almost make a part of
their "shtick". They are in effect endorsing a product and in turn generating
interest and sales for it.

7.You do not follow up when people ask you for more information.

Huge mistake. That person has indicated that they are interested in what you
have to sell. Statistics show that people have to be exposed to your marketing
message at least 7 times before they will respond. Sending one email
explaining your product is not enough. You must follow up with a prospect and
make a concerted effort to close the sale. Explain the benefits of your product
or service, refer them to testimonials of satisfied customers, ask if you can call
them to explain your product in greater detail. If people see this as badgering
and they ask you to stop bothering them by all means do so. A great idea is to
automate all of your follow-up by using autoresponders. There are some great
tools on the market to help you with this, we highly recommend using
GetResponse. Discover some of the great benefits of using this sequential
autoresponder by clicking here: http://www.getresponse.com?13323

8.You try to sell too many products and services from your website.

This may work for a site selling books or toys or vitamins where people may be
looking for a large variety of products. However, on a site that is geared towards
business, too many product offerings can give the impression that your
business lacks focus. If someone gets to your site and is immediately
bombarded with marketing material, they may become overwhelmed or even
annoyed at the commercial nature of your site. Offering many products and
services takes away from your credibility by giving the impression that you will
sell anything just to make a buck. Instead, develop your site around one or two
complementary products and services and offer lots of free, related information.
That is sure to build up your credibility with your potential customers. Try to
develop a traffic magnet (such as a discussion board or related articles) so you
can bring back your targeted audience time and again.

Marc Goldman, Goldbar Enterprises
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