Whether you operate one restaurant or multiple dining establishments, the ability to properly keep tabs on ingredients and ingredient costs will always be a factor in your success. While manual methods for doing so may once have been sufficient, rapid rises in prices, increasingly demanding consumers, and other factors make inventory control solutions a critical…
For most people, the word “redundancy” has a negative connotation, evoking thoughts of monotonous and sometimes needless repetition. But for retailers and restaurant operators, redundancy is a good thing—at least, when it comes to data and POS systems. Exactly what is data redundancy? In a POS environment, data redundancy occurs when identical data is stored…
A POS system is a must-have for the success of almost every retailer and restaurant operator, but it also represents a significant financial expense. While there is no avoiding 100 percent of all POS system snafus, there are several common issues with the technology that can easily be avoided, in turn safeguarding your investment. Let’s…
Chances are that at some point over the past year or so, you’ve seen the term “EMV” mentioned in the press and/or heard it mentioned in conversation. However, you may still be wondering exactly what EMV is, what you really need to know about it, and why it’s important. Let’s take a look at the…
Tablet POS—including Windows tablet POS systems—continues to make waves as increasing numbers of retailers deploy the technology to replace or supplement traditional POS hardware. However, getting the most from a Windows tablet POS configuration necessitates ensuring that you have three critical “add-ons,” including: Integrated magnetic stripe reader. Instead of functioning as a separate peripheral, an…
The POS computer is the heart of every retail operation, which is why you cannot be too careful when it comes to selecting one. Several factors merit consideration in evaluating different POS computer options. Let’s take a closer look at three such factors and why they are important: Frequency of component changes – Some PC vendors…
True or false: a point of sale system is a point of sale system, and it doesn’t matter which one a merchant happens to choose. If you said “false,” you’re right. Not only do point of sale systems differ by manufacturer, they also differ in terms of features—so a point of sale system that works…
In the latest and possibly the most hotly debated retail industry trend, merchant service providers (MSPs) have begun to offer free or deeply discounted POS systems as an incentive for their customers to sign a long-term payment processing agreement. But just as there’s no such thing as a free lunch, “free” POS may not really…
Every retailer and foodservice operator considers factors such as software and hardware capabilities when shopping for a new POS system. However, there’s an important angle that’s often overlooked, and that angle is ergonomics. Even if you’re buying one of the new, smaller all-in-one POS systems, ergonomics is a major consideration—especially for retail, restaurant, and food…
Efforts to legalize marijuana continue: California and Washington allow its purchase for recreational and non-recreational purposes, while the sale of medicinal cannabis by prescription is permissible in 23 states. With this trend has come an increase in the number of stores that sell marijuana in a brick-and-mortar environment. In order to maximize their potential, these…