VSR Channel Live is a new webcast format designed to capture the channel’s latest trends and technologies. The premiere aired on November 12 and included exclusive commentary from channel experts including pcAmerica’s very own David Gosman. David Gosman, CEO of pcAmerica, discussed the current trends of the independent software vendor. Also watch for LIVE question and answer sessions between channel experts and the audience on the current business climate. Missed the premiere? Tune in now. This presentation will only be available to audience members until December 13, 2009 at 01:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Cash Register Express is an award winning retail point of sale system designed to meet the unique needs of gift shops. CRE enables retailers to offer gift receipts, create gift registries, and sell gift baskets.

CRE offers customers the ability to use gifts receipts. These receipts may be presented as proof of a transaction for the purpose of exchanging or returning merchandise, omitting certain information such as price.

Cash Register Express also offers gift shops the ability to create gift registries for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, holidays, or other special occasions. Customers can select items from store stock and distribute the registry. Upon the purchase of a listed item, CRE automatically updates the registry accordingly. In addition to providing valuable information to the buyer, the system helps prevent the receipt of duplicate or unwanted gifts thus eliminating the potential for returns to the retailer.

Many gift shops sell gift baskets otherwise known as “kits” in which you select a group of items to be sold together at a discounted price. With kitting capability, you can sell any number of items to a customer for one special price while tracking the individual inventory levels of each item that makes up the gift. Cash Register Express will deduct each component from inventory when this kit is sold. However, you can still sell the same inventory items individually.

Purchase from a single supplier
Save time and hassle by ordering all software and hardware accessories from one supplier. This will allow for pre-configuration of your hardware and guarantee compatibility with the POS software that you select. Ensuring your software and hardware are compatible will save you from future headaches. pcAmerica offers one hour over-the-phone training with an experienced POS technician to ensure your POS system is working properly.

As the holiday season quickly approaches, restaurants and retail stores are faced with the task of training part-time seasonal employees to meet the needs of customers during the holiday rush. For these businesses, the ability to quickly and efficiently train new personnel is critical to having a successful holiday season. At pcAmerica, we have designed our POS software to be easy to learn and simple to use. New servers or cashiers can be taught to place orders or checkout a customer in as little as 60 seconds. Because of the simplicity of Restaurant Pro Express and Cash Register Express POS software, seasonal employees can be up to speed and working with the point of sale system the same day they are hired.

Need help training employees? Contact pcAmerica support to schedule additional over-the-phone training.

Understand system requirements
Point of sale software often has specific hardware requirements needed to run the POS software. For instance, most software will require a certain operating system with a specific amount of hard drive space and processing power. Therefore, it would be wise to choose your POS software before you buy the hardware. Purchasing POS hardware first may be a costly mistake if it does not meet the minimum operating requirements of your POS software. Most POS companies like pcAmerica list minimum requirements for their software and hardware on their website.

Solid marketing and loyalty reward programs are proven methods for attracting new and repeat customers into your store. Cash Register Express empowers retailers to effectively market directly to your existing and potential customers. Our gift and loyalty programs give you the ability to offer discounts or rewards like frequent visitor discounts, birthday or anniversary rewards, and provide loyalty cards that reward customers based on purchasing activity. Cash Register Express puts several tools in your hands to help you accomplish this including automated tracking of loyalty plans, the ability to send informational newsletters, coupons, sales and new product announcements, and other tools to market directly to your customers.

The right POS system can help your business eliminate shrinkage, improve inventory, increase sales margins, and market to customers. The wrong system, however, can be frustrating and a wasted expense. As you are evaluating which POS system is right for your business, here are a few points to consider.

1. Select software designed for your business
Look for software specific to your business. For instance, pcAmerica offers point of sale software designed to meet the specific needs of gift shops, coffee shops, grocery, liquor, dollar stores and many other specialty retail businesses. For example, one of the features of Cash Register Express is ID scanning for age verification perfect for liquor or tobacco stores. Be sure that the software you choose, meets the needs of your business.

Labor is typically the largest expense in a retail store outside the cost of the products being sold. Cash Register Express has integrated time-clock and labor scheduling functionality to help you manage staffing and reduce labor costs.

The integrated time-clock allows all store employees to clock in and clock out, as well as check out and in for paid or unpaid breaks. Hours and Wages reports summarize employee earnings and commissions. The labor scheduling functionality makes it easier to manage shifts and ensure a sufficient but not excessive amount of labor is on hand. You can also create & print labor schedules including hours, breaks and job code being worked. Finally, punctuality controls ensure timely arrival and also prevent clock-ins from employees not scheduled to work.

International Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show, Jacob Javits Center,
New York, NY
November 7-10, 2009

About the event: IH/M&RS is the world’s largest showcase and exchange of industry products, trends and developments, attracting every segment of the hospitality industry. The trade show, owned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Hotel Association of New York City and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, attracts 1,000 exhibitors and some 35,000 trade attendees from across the globe. To learn more about this show, visit http://www.ihmrs.com/attendee/

For small retailers, the ability to track inventory can mean the difference between a month in the red or the black. With all the chaos associated with running the daily operations, retailers need an easy and efficient system to track inventory. Cash Register Express point of sale software includes integrated, robust inventory tracking to help a business owner track stock levels, best and worst selling products, theft, and overall inventory movement.

With Cash Register Express POS software, each item that gets sold is automatically deducted from the store’s inventory stock levels. Additional inventory management features such as purchase orders, automated stock replenishment, mix/max levels, back orders, and direct store deliveries are all standard features. With the Pocket Inventory add-on, stock can be counted and received away from the register, using a hand-held computer. The “count” feature enables you to scan each product and enter the number that you have in stock. Purchase orders and deliveries can be scanned in where they are received and new orders can be created by scanning shelf labels and entering the quantity to purchase. Use Cash Register Express POS software and Pocket Inventory to reduce or eliminate shrinkage, stock outs, and identify inventory discrepancies with increased efficiency and accuracy.