Point Of Sale/ Cash Register - Software Setup?

[katzsales]

Okay, here goes; We recently acquired a small business, & are in need of some advice.

This is a "Dollar Store" type business, 3000 sq. ft., turn key, already set up to go. (Mostly). It came with Quickbooks 2006 (Retail vers. I think) but that system uses a pc interface with a mouse/keyboard set to make the actual sales.

We want to go with a "standard cash register" setup that will also track inventory sales, etc. I really know nothing about this stuff at all. The Quickbooks guy tells us that their software is not compatible with any type of standard cash register. Is this correct? Sounds kinda bogus to me, but then again, what do I know.

Any ideas at all? Suggestions? Comments? Again, the store is pretty much set up & ready to go, we could open the doors tomorrow, but we just don't care for the convoluted cash register system that we currently have.

Thanks in advance,
katzsales

[Sonomapride]

I would suggest purchasing Quickbooks POS system. It is a one-box set-up that works with your Quickbooks. It includes the POS Register. I used to sell alot of them to a local chain of Nail Shops in my town when I worked at Office Depot. The owner of the business loved them and bought about 5 or 8 in total.

[katzsales]

I will check into that Quickbooks POS system. I wonder why the Quickbooks guy didn't mention that to us when we spoke to them on the phone.

Does that system supply many different departments & inventory tracking as well. Can we use a handheld barcode scanner with it?

[MerchantFunding]

Microsoft has a good POS system as well.

[ubcnorth]

If you select the QuickBooks POS System I recommend that you get it with broadband connection (only if you have it in your store), because dial-up POS Systems in a lot of cases will slow down lines and potentially cause ghost transactions (transactions that are not accounted for) if you don't have a host capture network. Also make sure you ask about their POS on-site support and how much it cost per month or quarter.

Another thing to remember is that any credit card sale under $15.00 dollars signatures are not required, some platforms like FirstData Corp allow up to $25.00 dollars.

Hope this helps...

[GRPFunding]

The only problem with a Quickbooks POS is that they lock you in with their preferred credit card processor. Because it's proprietary, you end up paying a lot more in credit card processing fees.

I'd recommend looking into something that runs on a platform that supports multiple processors.

I work with lots of restaurants that use these systems to track payroll, inventory, sales, etc.

They work great - and you can find them for relatively cheap.

I met a few distributors at my last trade show - if you're still looking - I can try to put you in touch with a few of them.

[BobTHG]

I would much rather have a cash register that I can export sales to Quickbooks from.

[AndyGray]

POS system from microsoft is really good provides all kind of solutions to your POS need.