Point of Sale Systems Information Needed

Junkman · Mar 6, 2004

I am considering installing a POS system in my wifes store and I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with the one that is sold by Intuit, the company that produces Quick books? I have also been told that Microsoft is or has introduced one, but have no information about it yet. One of the things that I have learned so far is that most, if not all of the companies, want to sell both the hardware and software as a bundle at what I think is ridiculously high prices. $20K and up. Then they want approximately $300 - $500 monthly maintenance fees for software licensing and support. All of this for a stand alone store. This is why the Intuit system is so intriguing... it cost under $2000 and the support fees are $50 per month. Hardware is $700 with the customer suppling the computer and monitor. Total investment... $3500 + - .... This is something that I can live with.... the other companies that I have investigated so far, want you to either lease or buy a $20,000 + system and sign a 5 year maintenance/software license contract and that is something that I can live without.

BWa · Mar 6, 2004

Not sure if I can be any help ,, but I can try to find something by asking those that work with the POS system that is used here at Talbots. What do you want to know if this can be of help ?
Bill G.

DIYGuy · Mar 6, 2004

I manage a small bicycle shop in my part time and we have decided to use the Microsoft system with a Bike shop addon package. Due to be installed at the end of April. It's in the lower end of the price spectrum and has a good collection of features that can expand as necessary.

The TCO on the microsoft could climb quickly if you have to dedicate a separate machine capable of running SQL server in the backend. This would be a $3000 "upgrade".

We have 15000 line items and process 12000 sales slips a year. We think we can run on the minimal DB setup (i.e. on the POS system instead of a standalone SQL Server based backend.

FWIW,

OkeeDon · Mar 6, 2004

For 6 years, I ran my upscale barbecue grill store, selling grills, parts, accessories, LP gas refills, service, etc., using an inexpensive system called Regit. I was also a beta tester for the intuit QuickBooks POS system. I was chosen because I used Quickbooks and a POS system. I was given a free copy of Intuit's POS system as a result of the beta test. I did not use it. I didn't like it.

Before I settled on Regit, I tested over 40 systems ranging from a few hundred dollars to over $20K. Most of the expensive ones involved a hardware and software purchase. I didn't need any specialized hardware.

Regit (then called Regit 2000) was the best I tested, for me. It was a wonderful bonus that it was also one of the lowest priced. It is not perfect, however.

First of all, in order to get the most from it, it helps if you are a bit of a computer geek. In order to get different kinds of reports, you have to know -- or be willing to learn -- the basics of constructed an SQL (Structured Query Language) query. But, there are aids to help in the construction of queries, and queries can be stored.

Also, it is not a full accounting system. You handle purchases, inventory, sales, etc. in Regit, then transfer the dollar amounts to QuickBooks for accounts payable, general ledger, payroll and such. It's a little awkward but workable. The biggest hurdle is learning to keep just a dollar balance in QuickBooks inventory, while keeping the actual items in Regit.

Here's a link to Regit. Regit POS If you have a high speed connection, you can download the demo program. If not, they'll send you a CD. As you'll see, they also sell inexpensive cash register drawers, receipt printers, bar code scanners and such.

I have a lot of experience with Regit, and should you choose it, I can give you a lot of help and tips by Email. I also still have my cash drawer, receipt printer and bar code scanner, but they're packed away pending our move to the new property (likely a year away), and it would be more difficult then I care to consider to find the right box in storage and unpack it.

Junkman · Mar 7, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Not sure if I can be any help ,, but I can try to find something by asking those that work with the POS system that is used here at Talbots. What do you want to know if this can be of help ?
Bill G. )</font>

Thanks but their system is more than I would consider. It is a very sophisticated and high end system that is integrated into the entire chain of stores. Thanks anyway..

Junkman · Mar 7, 2004

Thanks Don & DYI....

I don't know SQL and I am not inclined to learn it.... I have a feeling that I am not going to be headed down this road anytime soon. I have learned that all too often these systems are sold with the impression that they are easy to operate and maintain, but in reality, they are more time consuming and difficult than the average non computer literate person can handle. I can make my way around the personal computer and do some things, but I don't have the inclination to learn programing and other skills at this late stage of my life. Too many other things that are more important to me to fill my day for those few remaining days, months, and years that are left. If I was 20 or 30 I might consider it, but not now.... Guess that I was hoping for the easy way, but it doesn't look like it is going to be possible.

DUMBDOG · Mar 7, 2004

Junkman

What kind of store does your wife operate? This might help in the location of a pos system.

OkeeDon · Mar 7, 2004

"I don't know SQL and I am not inclined to learn it.... "

Reading DIY's post, I'm inclined to think I may have overstated the geekiness of Regit. There's really nothing like MS SQL server involved -- Regit is based on MS Access. There are a number of standard ways to pull out information. But, let me give you an example. Suppose you wanted to get a report on all the products from vendor "A". the $20,000, programs have a menu item where you fill in the name of the vendor and the program spits out the answer. The $89 Regit has a form where you pick from various SQL terms and put together a query like "Find <*> (all products) WHERE <vendor> = "A" ORDER BY <product id>". You don't have to remember these terms, just pick them from lists like a Chinese menu, and the query is constructed for you. Then, you save that query by name, and simply use it next time.

It's a lot more flexible than having someone else try to anticipate what you want to know. It isn't programming. My problem with all of the other programs, even the most expensive ones, is they tried to so my thinking for me, and usually failed.

Also, I note that API (the company that created Regit way back in 1984) is working on a new version. They are calling for testers. I wish I was still in business to beta test it. I don't know when it will be released, or what's in it, but I suspect they will be making it easier to use. They have a twenty year history of listening to their thousands of users and adjusting the program.

Also, check out their list of referral users, and see if there is someone near you. I was on the list, and helped several other businesses set up.

OkeeDon · Mar 7, 2004

One more thing occurs to me, regardless of what type of POS system you choose. Depending on how many products are sold in your wife's store, the setup can be daunting. In my business, I chose to include all of the parts from all of the grills, including duplicates from several vendors. We didn't stock it all, but we could be called upon to order any part at any time, and I wanted to have the information immediately at hand no matter who was running the register. We also chose to keep track of all the brass fittings, etc., that we sold or used for installations. We did that not so much for financial control, as to make it easier to know when we had to re-order for inventory.

We ended up with over 10,000 individual items. It took almost two years to get it completely set up. We also went completely to a bar code system, assigning our own bar code to any items that didn't already have a UPC code.

The nice thing about Regit is that it is completely network ready. You can have as many registers as you like, and you can do all of the maintenance work on a "back office" computer. The program is not very hungry for resources; the least expensive Windows computers are good enough, and a simple peer-to-peer Ethernet network is all it needs.

GareyD · Mar 7, 2004

We installed the Intuit system at the Motorcycle shop about 6 weeks ago...I've used QuickBooks Pro at my graphics company for the last 10 years and didn't have any problem setting up the Intuit POS software to operate with our business...they operate seamlessly together.

The most challenging part is assigning "items" which need to have a unique name/number from each other (items that are the same except for size, color, etc) and don't/can't have a barcode. And pulling inventory.

I did the basic parts oil, tranny, primary fluids, gasket, oil filters, tires, etc that are used on a daily basis in just an hour or so...then I started on the add-ons...chrome, chrome, and more chrome...with the bar code reader it is a simple matter to scan and assign an item in the database if your distributor supplies the item to you with a barcode, some do...most will if you ask them to.

The hardest thing to do was to get the people that have a fear of keyboards (the guys in the shop) over their fear of "What if I break it?"

GareyD