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Choosing a Retail POS System
Apparel POS Systems
Beer / Wine / Liquor POS Systems
Gift / Hobby POS Systems
Sporting Goods POS Systems
Choosing a Restaurant POS System
Table Service POS Systems
Counter Service POS Systems
Take-out / Delivery Service POS Systems

Symbol Scanners
Symbol LS 2208
Symbol LS 1203
Symbol LS3008
Symbol LS 4208
Symbol LS 4278
Symbol LS 5800
Symbol LS 7708
Symbol LS 7808
Symbol LS 9203
Symbol LS 9208
Symbol DS 6607
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Symbol DS 6707
Symbol DS 6708
Symbol M2004 Cyclone
Symbol M2007 Cyclone
Symbol P460
Symbol P470
Symbol VS 4004

Metrologic Scanners
Metrologic MS1633 FocusBT
Metrologic MS1690 Focus
Metrologic MS3580 QuantumT
Metrologic MS3780 Fusion
Metrologic MS9520 Voyager
Metrologic MS9521 Voyager HD
Metrologic MS9524 Voyager PDF
Metrologic MS9535 Voyager BT
Metrologic MS9540 Voyager
Metrologic MS9541 Voyager HD
Metrologic MS9544 Voyager PDF
Metrologic MS5145 Eclipse
Metrologic MS6520 Cubit
Metrologic MS6720
Metrologic MS7120 Orbit
Metrologic MS7180 OrbitCG
Metrologic MS7220 ArgusSCAN
Metrologic MS7320 InVista
Metrologic MS7600
Metrologic MS2122 StratosE
Metrologic MS2200 StratosS
Metrologic MS2320 StratosH
Metrologic IS3480 QuantumE
Metrologic IS4125 ScanQuest

PSC Scanners
PSC QS6000 Plus
PSC QS6500
PSC QS6500BT
PSC QS1000
PSC QS2500
PSC Duet
PSC VS800
PSC HS1250
PSC Magellan 1400i
PSC Magellan 1000i
PSC Magellan 2200VS
PSC Magellan 2300HS
PSC Magellan 8100 Omega
PSC Magellan 8200 Omega
PSC Magellan 8500 Omega
PSC Magellan 9500 Omega

Hand Held Scanners
Hand Held ImageTeam 3800
Hand Held 3800g
Hand Held 3800i
Hand Held 3800r
Hand Held 3820
Hand Held 4600g
Hand Held 4800i
Hand Held 4820
Hand Held 4820i
Hand Held ImageTeam 4410
APG Cash Drawers
APG Series 100
APG Series 4000
APG Vasario Series
APG POS Podium

MMF Cash Drawers
MMF CashierPlus
MMF POS Platform II
MMF MediaPlus
MMF Heritage 200
MMF Heritage 240
MMF Econo-Line II
MMF ECD 230
MMF MCD 1060
MMF Val-u Line
HP POS Terminals
HP rp5000
HP POS Bundle

Elo POS Terminals
Elo Entuitive 1529L Touch Computer

Epson POS Terminals
Epson IM-700 Point of Sale Terminals
Epson IM-800 Point of Sale Terminals

Pioneer POS Terminals
Pioneer AIO-XV

Posiflex POS Terminals
Posiflex PST 7000
Posiflex TP 6000
Posiflex Jiva 8000

Ultimate Technology POS Terminals
Ultimate Technology UltimaTouch 1800
Ultimate Technology UltimaTouch 5500
Ultimate Technology UltimaTouch 5800
Star Printers
Star SP200
Star SP212
Star SP300
Star SP500
Star SP2000
Star TSP100 futurePRNT
Star TSP400
Star TSP600
Star TSP700
Star TSP800
Star TSP1000
Star DP8340
Star SP298
Star SCP700

Epson Receipt Printers
Epson TM-T88iv Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U220 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-H6000iii Receipt Printers
Epson TM-H6000ii Receipt Printers
Epson TM-T90 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-J2000 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-J2100 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-J7100 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-J9000 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U230 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U325 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U295 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U375 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U675 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U590 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-U950 Receipt Printers
Epson TM-L60 II Receipt Printers
Epson TM-L90 Receipt Printers
Epson PLQ-20 Receipt Printers
Epson LX-300 Receipt Printers

Ithaca Printers
Ithaca 610
Ithaca 8000
Ithaca POSjet 1000
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Ithaca iTherm 280
Ithaca 181
Ithaca 93PLUS
Ithaca 94PLUS
Ithaca 151
Ithaca 152
Ithaca 153
Ithaca 154
Ithaca KITCHENjet 1000

Citizen Printers
Citizen CT-S280
Citizen CT-S300
Citizen CBM-1000 II
Citizen IDP-3240
Citizen CD-S500
Citizen iDP-3550
Citizen CMP-10
Citizen CLP-621

Axiohm Printers
Axiohm A721-XQ
Axiohm A760
Axiohm A776
Axiohm A794
Axiohm A795
Axiohm B780
Elo Touchscreens
Elo 1215L
Elo Entuitive 1229L
Elo 1515L
Elo Entuitive 1526L Medical
Elo Entuitive 1529L
Elo 1715L
Elo Entuitive 1725L
Elo Entuitive 1727L
Elo 1915L
Elo Entuitive 1925L
Elo Entuitive 1926L
Elo 1928L
Elo 2020L
Elo Entuitive 1247L
Elo 1537L
Elo 1739L
Elo 1939L
Elo Entuitive 1525C
Elo Entuitive 1526C
Elo Entuitive 1725C
Elo Entuitive 1726C

3M Touch Systems Touchscreens
3M Touch Systems M150 FPD Touch Monitor
3M Touch Systems M170 FPD Touch Monitor
3M Touch Systems FPD Touch Monitor
3M Touch Systems FPD Chassis Touch Monitor
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Axis CCTV Cameras
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CHOOSING A RETAIL POS SYSTEM

Introduction
Major retailers invest heavily in top quality POS systems. They do this because high performance POS systems create competitive advantages for them in terms of customer satisfaction, inventory ordering and tracking, customer personalization and cash control. Fortunately, there are POS software and hardware solutions that are affordable to the small and mid-size retailers that level the playing field in today's competitive environment. The POS solutions which we recommend emphasize functionality, ease of use, reliability, and affordability. We recommend that you invest in a good POS system - it is a critical part of any retail business.

Contents:

Benefits of an effective POS system

Choosing a retail POS software

Choosing a retail POS computer

Choosing retail POS peripherals

Buying made easy


Benefits of an Effective POS System
An effective point of sale system will:

  • Greatly reduce checkout times
    Short lines lead to satisfied customers. Long lines create frustration that can inhibit customers from coming back or in severe cases can cause them to abandon their planned in-store purchase. POS hardware that is always working and POS software that is easy to use are central to the customer’s in-store experience.

  • Personalize your service levels
    Small and mid-size retailers can differentiate themselves from mass merchandisers or internet e-commerce sites by providing a highly personalized level of service to their customers. Technology facilitates this human touch. An effective point of sale system collects customer preferences and buying history that can be used to tailor promotions, marketing initiatives, and in-store experiences for customers in ways that are not practical for mass merchandisers or e-commerce sites.

  • Help you order the correct amounts of product
    Knowing what products to carry in a store is the art of retailing. Knowing what amounts of the chosen products to carry is the science of retailing. Good POS systems allow retailers to easily review historical sales by product by month to identify sales trends by product that may not have been otherwise intuitive. This information allows savvy retailers to order exactly the amount of product they need for each season, without ending up with too much closeout inventory.

  • Help control cash
    No retailer wants to be taken advantage of by employees. A good POS system greatly helps control cash.

  • Let you spend more time at home
    Time is the scarcest resource of all for most retailers. Don't be inefficient with it. A good POS system gives you the confidence to go home in full control of your business.

Choosing a Retail POS Software
We recommend that retailers use Microsoft Point of Sale products. They are easy to use, easy to install and set-up, and provide full functionality. Thousands of retailers across a wide variety of retail businesses use Microsoft Point of Sale software to help manage inventory, control cash, reduce costs, and improve customer service. Microsoft’s products are highly flexible and come ready to conform to your specific business needs. Microsoft also offers fantastic e-training (for RMS only) and technical support to make sure you get up and running as easily as possible.

Microsoft Point of Sale: designed for single store retail businesses.

Microsoft Retail Management Software: designed for multi-store retail businesses or more sophisticated single store operations.

Compare Microsoft POS to Microsoft RMS

Specialty Apparel Retailers: Find out how you and other apparel retailers can create easy-to-understand inventory reports, and Point of Sale (POS) displays so your cashiers speak knowledgably.

Beer-Wine-Liquor Retailers: If you're a beer-wine-liquor retailer, read how Microsoft Retail Management System's Point of Sale (POS) solution helps you keep your shelves stocked with profitable items — and help speed up checkout lines, too!

Sporting Goods and Bicycle Retailers: Your sporting goods and bicycle stores have hundreds of items big and small — from racing bikes to basketballs and gym socks. See how Microsoft Retail Management System wins points in helping you stock your shelves more efficiently, and improve customer service, too.

Gift and Hobby Shop Retailers: Overstocking is the enemy of profit at gift and hobby stores. Now, you can easily track inventory to determine your best sellers, and create POS displays to keep pace with your customer demands.


Choosing a Retail POS Computer
A PC that satisfies the minimum hardware requirements set out below can suffice in some clean, low-traffic retail environments. However, there are computers built specifically for the stressful demands of the retail environment with stronger casings, oversized cooling solutions and power supplies, and more advanced internal monitoring systems. We recommend retailers use the HP Rp5000, which gives retailers the best of both worlds, retail hardening in a POS System at a PC price, all with an industry-leading 3-year warranty.

HP Rp5000 – A POS workstation that optimizes performance/value.

Minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Point of Sale

Minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Retail Management


Choosing Retail POS Peripherals
As mentioned above, with POS peripherals you get what you pay for. There are several different peripherals that you can add to your system. We have created a chart below that identifies each category of peripheral and we then identify what in our view is the best economy product and the best performance/value product for each category. Please note that the best performance / value is often only slightly more expensive than the economy selection.

Category

Best Economy-Priced Product

Best Performance / Value Product

Monitor


ELO Touchscreen 1515L – ELO is the market leader in touchscreens and this is one of their flagship products

Scanner

Metrologic MS9520 – the ms9520 offers excellent scanning in a modern aesthetic design and is a popular standard among retailers. The Symbol LS1203 is another good economy scanner.

Symbol LS2208 – the top selling scanner in the world accounts for over 25% of all scanners sold. It offers superior read reliability and ergonomic design for fast, accurate scanning.

Receipt Printer

Epson TM-u220 – a fast dot matrix impact printer that features easy drop-in paper loading and a 2 year warranty. Ithaca 500U-DG is another excellent economy printer. For an easy to install printer, we recommend the Star TSP100 futurePRNT.

Epson TM-T88iv – the industry standard thermal printer and the fastest thermal printer on the market at 7.9” per second. The TM-T88iv replaces the top-selling TM-T88iiii. It is silent, highly reliable, and prints two-color graphics and logos with ease.

Cash drawers

The MMF Val-u series provides a full 16”x16” cash drawer with basic functionality at an economy price. This cash drawer is built for 1 million openings.

Two good full-size (16”x16”) cash drawers are the APG Vasario and the MMF Heritage. Both of these drawers are built to withstand 4 million openings for high volume locations like bars, restaurants, and active retail locations.

Keyboard

Cherry G81-1800 – this is a compact 101 keyboard with keys that support up to 50 million actuations each.

Cherry G81-8000 – keyboard designed for POS applications with integrated credit card reader.

MSR credit card reader

Both the MagTek miniUSB Stripe Reader and the ID Tech minimag are excellent economy options.

Buy a keyboard or touchscreen monitor that has the MSR integrated in.

Customer display

Logic Controls PD3000 – the market leader in customer pole displays.

Buy a second flat screen that allows your customers to see and confirm the entire transaction in detail.

Signature capture

Hand Held TT1500 – our top selling signature capture pad makes a paperless environment easy.


MICR check reader

MagTek mini-MICR Check Reader is at the top of its class in terms of reliability, precision, and affordability.


Credit / Debit Card Processing

Chase Paymentech Solutions – integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Point of Sale or Retail Management software. Call 1-800-326-7988 to get started.


While in general almost all POS peripherals integrate seamlessly with the POS workstation and POS software, some peripherals come with the necessary cables and some do not. We recommend that if you are uncertain, please call us and we can confirm the completeness of your order.


Buying Made Easy
Often the easiest thing is to call us at 1-800-326-0393. We have a team of friendly product experts waiting to help you find the right solution at the right price. If you wish to shop online, we offer several pre-bundled restaurant solutions that offer the best-of-breed software, workstation, peripherals and all necessary cables and accessories to simplify the buying process. Please click on the appropriate link below:

Apparel Point of Sale Systems

Beer / Wine / Liquor Point of Sale System

Sporting Goods Point of Sale Systems

Gift / Hobby Point of Sale Systems


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