Best Point of Sale System for Paint Stores

Recent conversations and in person visits with multiple paint and glass retail stores have prompted me to create the video below showing how Retail Management Hero (RMH) and Cloud Retailer work well in these types of stores.

While both Retail Management Hero and Cloud Retailer work well, some of the key differences depend on how you want to handle the following:

1. How do you want to handle purchasing and receiving?
2. Do you have more than one location?
3. Do you prefer to buy your software and hardware upfront or use a subscription based solution?
4. Do you have a need for the system to prepare quotes and work orders?
5. Would you like all your data to be stored on a computer at the store or are cloud based "access anywhere" systems of interest to you? 

Here is the video (which is also a great comparison video comparing RMH and Cloud Retailer as replacement programs for Microsoft Dynamics RMS):

As always, contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for more information.

New Version of NCR CounterPoint Released

As many of you know, I was previously very involved with the sales and service of the NCR CounterPoint retail point of sale software. I found NCR CounterPoint to be perfect for retailers who want all the bells and whistles and have the budget to support this type of POS system (translated: CounterPoint can do just about anything but is also expensive when compared to other similar retail point of sale programs like Cloud Retailer or Retail Management Hero).

Here is a link to the press release: http://eprretailnews.com/2017/05/23/ncr-launches-new-version-of-its-proven-specialty-retail-management-software-ncr-counterpoint-784757668/

Do you have retail point of sale questions? Please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

2017 Beverage Alcohol Retailers Conference (BARC)

A quick note that RITE will have staff at the 2017 Beverage Alcohol Retailers Conference (BARC) taking place June 12th - 14th, 2017 in Minneapolis, MN. Besides seeing some of our retail point of sale technology solutions in person, there will also be a drawing for a Amazon Echo.

Check out the event website for more details: http://bevretailersconference.com/

The Continued Saga of EMV in the US and Things to be Aware of

Quite a few studies and articles have been posted this week related to EMV in the US and how it relates to retail point of sale systems.  I'll link to the articles below but here are some bullet points:

• Watch for POS systems that use the old Mag Stripe Readers - these are generally not compatible with chip cards and most payment processing companies no longer support these devices for security reasons.
• Look out for solutions that say that the hardware/software is "EMV Ready" - these systems can not yet actually process chip cards.
• It looks like around 40% (or more) of retailers do not yet have equipment that can process EMV/chip cards.
• A good example of a solution that is true EMV (I've tested and installed multiple times myself) is Card Defender for Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Cloud Retailer (specialty retail point of sale software).  These systems are tested, certified, and even can be upgraded as new payment security requirements are introduced.

Do contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with any questions about EMV, Retail POS, Card Defender or Cloud Retailer.

Here are the articles - note that these are on a well known industry web site (Business Solutions Magazine) with point of sale technology news and information. Free registration is required to view the whole article:

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/emv-in-us-still-has-a-long-way-to-go-0001

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/why-emv-payment-integrations-aren-t-easy-0001

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/remove-cost-and-time-as-barriers-to-emv-upgrades-0001

Free Malware and Virus Scan and Removal Utility

If you have some concerns that your stores computers may have some malware or viruses that may have been missed by your current malware and anti-virus software, here is a link to a free scan and removal utility from ESET: https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/

I checked and one of my computers had seven threats that had been missed by Windows Defender. Given the amount of malware and similar threats out there, it would be wise to run a scan to ensure that your system is malware and virus free.

Spotting POS Scams on eBay and Amazon

While searching for some information on the new Retail Management Hero software, I came across some sellers on eBay and Amazon offering both Retail Management Hero and Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale system "Bundles". The cost for these bundles was around $2295 to $2795 which should be a warning sign as these are lower than normal prices for a complete retail point of sale "bundle". Other signs that these are potential scams:

• Computer in the bundle has Windows XP (no longer supported)
• The sellers "store" contained no information (phone, address, etc)
• Multiple spelling errors and typos
• Using a logo for one product but describing a different product
• No buyer feedback
• Guarantee that the RMS license can be registered to a new user

Please be wary of these types of listings - especially as Dynamics RMS can no longer be sold to new users or existing RMS users who are lapsed on their software maintenance agreement (unless the lapse fee is paid first). There are reputable companies selling point of sale systems online but it's clear that there are also potential scams so please be wary and perform some good due diligence. 

Welcome to some Recent New and/or Upgrading Customers

Time again for a quick shout out to a few retailers that recently selected ,e as their point of sale partner:

Northcoast Horticulture Supply (3 locations): 

Martin Bruni Liquor: Some software upgrades

The Point Liquor: Replacement of 2 outdated point of sale computers (thanks for letting me come on-site!)

Searching for a retail point of sale partner/VAR/dealer?  Contact me directly with questions at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632

Retail Management Hero Deployments and Updates

A quick note that we are progressing through some more Retail Management Hero (RMH) deployments and I should have some feedback for you in the next 30-60 days. One thing that I highly recommend is getting a good in depth demo of RMH and/or checking out a 30 day trial version of RMH. There are a few differences between RMS and RMH so better to do your homework ahead of time.

A reminder on the current pricing scheme for RMH:
RMH Lane License New User: $1405 with first year software maintenance (includes 2 free RMH manager licenses per store location).

RMH Lane License Lapsed RMS/POS 2007/POS 2009/POS 2.0 User: $465 with first year maintenance (includes 2 free RMH manager licenses per store location).

RMH Lane License Non Lapsed RMS User: $215 with first year maintenance (includes 10 free RMH manager licenses per store location).

In other RMH news, Card Defender for RMH and RMH Central (RMH version of RMH HQ) are still in development - I'll pass along ETA's as soon as I have them.

In the meantime, do contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with any RMH or retail point of sale questions.