B-2-1.Restaurant business
B-2-2.Hotel business
A. History
Early software (Pre-1900s)
Programmability allowed retailers to be more creative. In 1979 Gene Mosher's
Old Canal Cafe in Syracuse, New York was using POS software written
by Mosher that ran on an Apple II to take customer orders at the restaurant's
front entrance and print complete preparation details in the restaurant's
kitchen.
In that novel context, customers would often proceed to their tables to find
their food waiting for them already. This software included real time labour
and food cost reports. In 1986 Mosher used the Atari ST and bundled NeoChrome
paint to create and market the first graphical touchscreen POS software.
Modern software (Post-1990s)
A wide range of POS applications have been developed on platforms such
as Windows and Unix. The availability of local processing power,
local data storage, networking, and graphical user interface made it
possible to develop flexible and highly functional POS systems.
Cost of such systems has also declined, as all the components can now
be purchased off-the-shelf. The key requirements that must be met by
modern POS systems include: high and consistent operating speed, reliability,
ease of use, remote supportability, low cost,
and rich functionality. Retailers can reasonably expect to acquire such
systems (including hardware) for about $4000 US (2009) per lane.
Hardware interface standardization (Post-1990s)
Vendors and retailers are working to standardize development of computerized
POS systems and simplify interconnecting POS devices.
Two such initiatives are OPOS and JavaPOS, both of which conform to the
UnifiedPOS standard led by The National Retail Foundation. OPOS,
short for OLE for POS, was the first commonly-adopted standard and was
created by Microsoft, NCR Corporation,
Epson and Fujitsu-ICL.OPOS is a COM-based interface compatible with all
COM- enabled programming languages for Microsoft Windows.
OPOS was first released in 1996. JavaPOS was developed by Sun Microsystems,
IBM, and NCR
Corporation in 1997 and first released in 1999. JavaPOS is for Java what
OPOS is for Windows, and thus largely platform independent.
There are several communication protocols POS systems use to control peripherals.
Among them are
EPSON Esc/POS
UTC Standard
UTC Enhanced
AEDEX
ICD 2002
Ultimate
CD 5220
DSP-800
ADM 787/788.
There are also nearly as many proprietary protocols as there are companies making
POS peripherals. EMAX, used by EMAX International,
was a combination of AEDEX and IBM dumb terminal.
Web based POS (Post-2000s)
Web based POS software can be run on any computer with an Internet connection
and supported browser, without additional software installations
or manual updates required. Web based POS software is hosted on secure servers
in multiple data centers with real-time backups.
With high speed connections becoming more prevalent, web based POS solutions
have become more reliable.
Additionally, the lower cost makes web POS an attractive option to many independent
retailers.
B.Industry
The retailing industry is one of the predominant users of POS terminals.
A Retail Point of Sales system typically includes a computer, monitor, cash
drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner.
It can also include a weight scale, integrated credit card processing system,
a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device.
More and more POS monitors use touch-screen technology for ease of use and
a computer is built in to the monitor chassis for what is referred
to as an all-in-one unit. All-in-one POS units save valuable counter space
for the retailer. The POS system software can typically handle a myriad of
customer based functions such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift
cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, BOGO (buy one get
one), quantity discounts and much more. POS software can also allow for
functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon
validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types. The POS unit
handles the sales to the consumer but it is only one part of the entire
POS system used in a retail business. “Back-office” computers typically handle
other functions of the POS system such as inventory control,
purchasing, receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations.
Other typical functions of a POS system are to store sales information
for reporting purposes, sales trends and cost/price/profit analysis. Customer information
may be stored for receivables management, marketing purposes and specific
buying analysis. Many retail POS systems include an accounting interface
that “feeds” sales and cost of goods information to independent accounting
applications.
Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS.
Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders
which are sent to a server.
Restaurant POS refers to point of sale (POS) software that runs on computers,
usually touch screen terminals or wireless handheld devices. Restaurant POS systems assist businesses to track transactions in real time. Typical restaurant
POS software is able to print guest checks, print orders to kitchens and bars
for preparation,
process credit cards and other payment cards, and run reports. In addition,
some systems implement wireless pagers and electronic signature capture devices.
POS systems are often designed for a variety of clients, and can be programmed
by the end users to suit their needs. Some large clients write their
own specifications for vendors to implement. In some cases, POS systems
are sold and supported by third party distributors, while in other cases
they are sold and supported directly by the vendor. That is a pos printer.
POS software allows for transfer of meal charges from dining room to guest
room with a button or two. It may also need to be integrated with property
management software.
expense involved with a POS system, the eBay guide recommends that if annual
revenue exceeds the threshold of $700,000 per annum,
investment in a POS system will be advantageous.
POS systems are manufactured and serviced by such firms as Fujitsu, IBM,
MICROS Systems, Panasonic, Volante Systems, Radiant Systems,
and Squirrel Systems. It is specific to the POS industry. POS is abbreviation
of 'point of sale'. POS systems record sales for business and tax
purposes. Illegal software dubbed "zappers" is increasingly
used on them to falsify these records with a view to evading the payment of
taxes.
Retail POS system customers: Retailers have simpler POS system needs than
hospitality businesses because they complete transactions at once and
often have little product variation. Some POS system features retailers may
want include the ability to support kits (for example, three for $2 deals),
returns and exchanges, and support for digital scales. Your retail POS system
will need to support matrixes if you sell items that come in a variety
of styles, such as clothing or shoes. Matrixes let you create one inventory
and price entry for a particular item, such as a sweater, but still track
sales according to size and color.
Restaurant POS system customers: Restaurants and other hospitality businesses
have different POS system requirements.
Casual restaurants focus on efficiency. Retail-style restaurants such as sub
shops use restaurant POS systems to relay orders,
cutting down on time-per-transaction and reducing errors that can occur
when passing hastily-scrawled orders back to the kitchen.
In quick-service restaurants, employees take orders on terminals in the front,
which automatically display on monitors in the food preparation area
so that food can be quickly assembled and delivered to the customer. For table-service
restaurants and fine dining,
POS systems need to create and store open checks, as parties order more over
time, as well as track which server is responsible for which table.
Hotel POS system customers: Well-integrated hotel POS systems allow you to
transfer meal charges from the dining room to guests' rooms
with just a button or two. Hotel managers need to be aware that not all POS systems integrate with all property management software.
