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What should I look for when purchasing a Point of sale system?
When comparing prices you need to know the advantage and disadvantages of the various machines, the cost of running the system and the lifespan of the machine.
Depending on the kind of business, if it is a small retail outlet then you can look at the TE100 or TE2000 or for a very small coffee shop the TKT200. There is a limit to the number of items that these machines can handle with a maximum of 1500.
The TE2200, TE4000 and TE8000 can have scanners attached. The maximum amount of items for the TE2200 is 5000, the TE4000 can have a maximum of 25000 and the TE8000 can have up to 60000 items and this is well suited in a supermarket environment.
How can I ring items up if it does not have a barcode?
There are two ways to this, either creating a barcode for it, and for this you will need a barcode printer with software. A more cost effective way is to allocate any number to it, with a maximum of 6 digits, and then using a marking gun simply mark the product with it. When it comes to ringing it up the cashier will simply enter the product code. NOTE: a barcode is not just any random number; you will need software that can calculate a barcode for you.
What about security?
Generally the low-end machines offer very little security, such as the TE100. This is ideal for an owner driven shop or when there is only one cashier as there is no control on refunds, discounts and all other operations, however all readings can be prevented as a manager key will be needed to perform this.
The TE2200 upwards offers greater security by way of a key as well as a facility to block certain functions been used such as refunds and discounts. Signing onto the machine is by way of a 4-digit code. The disadvantage with this is that eventually other users pick up the codes, unless they are frequently changed. The TE4000 and TE8000 have a more secure way of signing on by using the Dallas key system. The Dallas key offers superb security in that there is no chance that a user can sign on as someone else, and if a key is lost adding a new one is done with a few simple steps.
Can a cash register do the same as a PC based point of sale
Yes, and it will do it better, faster and with more reliability, however there are certain instances where a PC based system will be needed.
What I pay for a Cash register I might as well buy a PC based system
You need to compare apples with apples. Below is a summary of the differences
- The cost of running a cash register system is about 90% cheaper than a PC based system.
- There is no need to upgrade hardware every 2-3 years. You will have upgraded a PC based system at least twice over before you consider changing the cash register, in other words you would have had to invest in about 2 new POS systems. The lifespan of a cash register is at least 7 to 10 years.
- Cash registers are fast and it does not slow down with continuous use, which means you won’t have to restart the system.
- Startup is instantaneous.
- You are not prone to viruses, windows crashes and software bugs.
- There is no hard drive, which means you have a stable and reliable system.
- The majority of problems can be solved telephonically which means you don’t have to pay huge and costly call out fees.
- There are no annual software license fees.
Look at the table below for a more detailed difference.
I have a restaurant which machine would you recommend
For a small coffee shop with one cashier or owner driven try the TKT200.
The TE2400 is great for a small to medium size restaurants.
The TE4000 will fit into a medium to large size restaurant.
The TE8000 and QT6000 touch screen is designed for medium to high-end restaurants.
What is a back-office and why should I have it?
A back-office allows you to perform advanced stock control functions such as recipe costing, purchase orders, deliveries and other accounting work. The work can be done from an office or from home, and it operates independently from the Point of sale system, so in the event that the back-office computer fails or is switched off it does not bring down the point of sale machines. A back-office computer is not in a critical position so it is not necessary to have an expensive machine.
A back-office will extract off the sales data from the point of sales to update the stock system, and it also allows you to program new items and prices.
XLPOINT is a simple and easy to use yet powerful back-office system supplied by us and other dealers around the country.
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