"I would like to order one-piece burger meal with an upgraded soft drink!" This is what you commonly hear in fastfood counters, where smiling sales attendants type in each of your orders in a computer, which will then display the amount you have to pay for such an order. This computer, with that mini-screen to show your order's total payment, is called POS System. It's an acronym for point of sale, a kind of system that simplifies the hassles of making an order, processing it, and delivering it.
Among the things that the POS System do is the inventory control, and this is where the simplification is mostly appreciated. An inventory is the record of the supplies available for the day in a particular store, and this record needs to be controlled, or properly accounted for.
In a fast food store, they have varied kinds of foods for sale. Their products need to have inventory control, so that the business owner may know which particular food has been frequently requested by the customers, and which products still need further advertisement of.
Inventory control is important in a food chain store because they need to have a regular update of their supplies, so that they can better serve their regular customers. If there will be no proper updated inventory, chances are, they would not have any idea if ever their burger patties have all been used up, or that their spaghetti meal can't accommodate four eaters anymore, for example. It goes on saying that the POS System in a fast food chain is therefore an indispensable tool.
11/27/2010
What Makes the POS System Truly Indispensable
Inventory Control And Shoes
Could inventory control have been a problem with the former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos? Mrs. Marcos is reported to have the most number of shoe collections, at least in her own country. Rumors spread to her countrymen that she has this big room in Malacañang Palace only for her thousands of shoes. While this part remains unverified, the fact of her number of shoes is true. So, just imagine if Mrs. Marcos had no inventory control with her shoes.
Their family's reign of the nation was already more than two decades ago, but the solution of implementing inventory control remains relevant. Having an inventory simply means keeping records of one's items or belongings. Now speaking of shoes, let's check on a footwear store how they make inventories of their products, and how they monitor them.
In terms of stock control, the POS system has been found to be a really big help. Going back to that simple example, the POS system actually has a feature that keeps a record of the footwear available for sale. The record includes the shoes' brand, style, size and color, and how many of them are stocked for every particular item. When a customer picks her choice of shoes, the payment is done through the POS.
Now, when the cashier inputs the information of the shoes purchased into the system, the item is then subtracted from the total number of stocks available. And because it accepts payments, the POS system also keeps a record of every sale. Hence, at the store's closing, the system can deliver a report on inventory concerns of the remaining supplies. This is the beauty of computer-aided shoe business.
POS Makes Online Shopping A Breeze
It's a common saying to hear that the world is getting closer, and with the full emergence of the Internet, it has in fact become a reality. The POS or Point of Sale has allowed everybody to help people in need from the devastation from Haiti's powerful earthquake, extended help in Indonesia's flooding victims online. All these significant events were made available and accessible through the Internet.
In the business world therefore, online resources are relevant and dynamic. In other words, it's the "in" thing today. That is why many terminals are available for the market at present have online access. Technically speaking, this is made possible by the POS Software that generates the computer commands so that it can carry out such transactions. A POS basically provides a system for sales. The Internet-based POS Software actually enables remote access for the owner. When a POS has remote access, this means that the owner can still monitor his business even if he goes abroad.
Many available POS Software in the market today actually has this special feature, and it's proved to be more convenient for the business owners. With this capability, the businessman can check the status of their sales, print purchase orders, or even tracks customers as needed. The Internet-based Point of Sale machines really offer both convenience and efficiency for the modern businesses. So upgrading your software to one that can easily link up to the Internet is truly a good decision.
11/26/2010
The POS Software Knows a Homemaker's Shopping Hostory
Every home maker goes to the grocery store and pay for her purchases at the cashier who uses a POS software to record her purchases. Her once a week trip to her favorite store to grab some grocery items is a must. She takes her time going through one aisle after another. She carefully browses through the items neatly arranged on the shelves, trying to remember what her husband needs, what her kids need back home.
Every shop's retail software understand how such needs should be met as well. Every purchase is carefully recorded. Every transaction is properly documented. So when you think about it, every Retail Software and POS Software knows the homemaker's story. The kitchen is probably the main, shall we say, beneficiary to such weekly habit. By the time she gets home, cold meat, fish, eggs get stored in the refrigerator. The empty cooking oil bottle is replaced with a still-sealed other. Vegetables and precious herbs and spices are carefully stocked. The milk carton neatly stashed in the fridge as well and the cookie jar gets refilled.
Yes, the Retail Software and POS Software know every single detail of every single purchase. The family does too. Husband comes home quite tired from work, the children too after a busy day at school and they are welcomed with a steaming and hearty meal freshly made using the newly purchased stocks. Seeing her family sit together around the table, enjoying what she has so lovingly prepared, the homemaker sighs with contentment. She is confident her family's needs are met, they are comfortable and secure. That's really all that matters.
POS System - The (Not) Missing Link
No doubt about it, the entry of computer has tremendously changed the way people take charge of the business world. There is the speed, accuracy and simplicity that the digital technology has offered to the modern man. The POS system is just one of these computerized procedures that greatly eased up the burden of manual labor. Meanwhile, inventory control has also made its name as being a reliable procedure in maintaining a business. Controlling the company's goods and supplies so that they can be properly handled and sold is otherwise called as inventory control.
And who would have thought that the POS system and inventory control actually have a link to each other? In a sample snapshot, here's how it happens. The POS or point of sale is where purchases and payments are made. In a department store, the system found in cashier areas, where the customers pay their chosen items, actually updates a database which handles the inventory control. As the POS processes the customers' purchases, it also deducts the number of available items for sale kept in the database. This continuous updating will give alert to the personnel in-charge if a particular product is already out of stock. And in so doing the supplies are replenished immediately. This is where their link comes in.
Basically the POS takes care of the product and the customer needs, while the inventory control handles the product and the company needs. Really, if every aspect in the society complements each other as the POS system and the inventories do, it's really going to be a wonderful world to live in.
11/25/2010
Automating Inventory Control Through Your POS
Gone are the days where a business needs to manually count everything so that his inventory control system is updated. Not so many years ago, what the POS system can do is just to act like a cash register that will just accept and store the money that customers pay the store. But now, the POS system that are in place in most of the stores everywhere automate the business and makes it easier to operate.
Even purchase orders can be made automatic if you just know how to make your POS system do this for you. It is not really rocket science because this should be a part of the service that your POS supplier is offering you. Just ask them to teach you how you can fully take advantage of the POS that you bought from them.
Inventory control may be a tricky subject but this too can be automated and programmed according to your needs and demands. If you don't want to spend too much time trying to figure out how you can have a system in place for your inventory control your POS can be programmed to do this for you. Automation is the way to go if you want to have a business that will run smoothly at the least amount of effort for you. Freeing you up of valuable time will help you focus on the other aspects of your business so make sure that you are taking advantage of the automating capabilities of your POS.
Budget and Inventory Control Management
Running a business can be a complicated task. Especially if you do not know the basics of how to run it in the first place. Take for example the issues of budgeting and inventory control. There are not the only aspects of your business but these two are important factors that you should never take for granted. Stock control is created so that you will have a clear picture of what your inventory is made up of. If you run your business with no clear cut inventory control you might just lose money without realizing it until it is too late.
Like stock control budgeting is also something that you should master. Actually these two work hand in hand and will always be together. When putting an inventory control system in place, you would have to have a budget. Through a well planned budget you can choose which products would need your immediate attention and which products can wait. This is especially true if you are still a budding entrepreneur and everything is still touch and go.
Even big companies have a quarterly budget this is because they too need to conserve whatever resources they have if they want to continue existing and even start growing. So as a new businessman, you must learn from the experts experiences. If they allot a certain amount of attention towards their budget, then you should too. Because without focusing on creating your budget, you may have the tendency to blow your capital away over stocks that aren't needed. If this happens you just kissed your stock control goodbye and your capital is directly following it from behind.
11/07/2010
All-In-One POS for Your Business
Older generations of a POS terminal would need to have a gadget that can swipe credit cards every time a customer makes a purchase. Now, that is a thing of the past. new POS terminals are not able to swipe a credit card, keep track of the loyalty promos of the store, even email fliers to customers so that they are aware of the new promotions that the store is having. With a POS software, it gives you freedom to do what you need to do in just one machine and it clears up your work stations as well.
So why go through the process of working in your terminal with a lot of gadgets attached to it when you can just invest in an all-in-on terminal with a POS software that does all the work for you. You can even opt for a touchscreen terminal so that all you need to do is use your fingers and let it do all the work for you. The trend nowadays is to always get the best value for your money with the least amount of time and the least resource spent.
11/06/2010
POS System for your Bar
Operating a bar may be a fun business venture. Surely you are envisioning how people would flock to your joint and have fun and drown their sorrows away. With all the things that are happening inside, you need to have inventory control because without it, you are just operating your business blindly. The POS system that you are using now is what will help you keep your bar running smoothly so that you get to enjoy it as well.
Imagine your bar as the most happening place in town. People come and drink, ask your bartender to mix drinks for them and order as if there is no tomorrow. Without an inventory control, you will not notice that your stocks are fast running low and you might not have enough to offer for your party tomorrow. As customers order your waiters can give their order slips at the cashier and everything will pass through your POS system and every order places will automatically be counted so that you will have a running inventory of what you are offering.
One less headache would mean more time to enjoy your place together with your guests. Your stock man or even your bartender can alert you if supplies are running low. And all you need to do is to call up your purchaser and give him the list of the stuff that you need. This is how your inventory control should be and with the help of your ever dependable POS system managing your bar is a cinch.
