Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Searching for Retail POS? 9 Questions to Help You Get Started

By popular request from multiple retailers over the last few weeks, a list of nine questions that you should be asking yourself as you start searching for a retail point of sale system. With 200+ POS systems currently available, your answers to these 9 questions will help you quickly narrow down which POS systems will be of interest to you.



If you have questions or would like me to review your answers, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. Note that this information is only designed for retailers in the United States (it might also be slightly helpful to retailers in the UK and North America as well).

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Upcoming 2020 Changes to the Retail Management Hero Point of Sale Software

Wanted to pass along some important upcoming changes the the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software. Most of this will take effect in September 2020 unless otherwise noted.
  1. Retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software can take advantage of a 10% discount on RMH licenses through June 30th, 2021. You do not have to be current on an RMS maintenance agreement to take advantage of this discount.
  2. RMH Central is officially in general release now. Cost is $8/month per user plus $30/month per store.
  3. Perpetual pricing for RMH will be made available in September 2020. Plan on a lane license to cost around $65/lane per month ($3900 over the course of 5 years).
  4. How payment processing is handled in RMH will change. Newer versions of RMH will require a MAX Pay license and staying current on an RMH Enhancement Plan. Sounds like the cost for MAX Pay will be $8/lane ($480 over the course of 5 years) with the first year being free for RMH users on an Enhancement Plan.
The perceptual pricing will help retailers who are looking to put in a POS system (or replace RMS) at a low up front cost. However, the up front cost works out to be a better value over time - even with the annual cost for the RMH Enhancement Plan.

As always, the above information is subject to change - be sure to contact an RMH Reseller for more information.

 PS - I'm feeling much better about RMH and the future of RMH thanks to some positive feedback from retailers who put in RMH over the last month or two. Hopefully the new update in September 2020 will solidify RMH as a solid POS solution for RMS and Non-RMS users.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Latest Liquor Store Newsletter From RITE

RITE "Bottoms Up" industry news
Rite logo
Keeping you up to date on everything BWL
Dear Kevin,

For over 15 years we have been on the edge of relevant information and offerings within the Retail Alcohol Industry to help guide your interests and decisions. In testament to this, we received the 2019 "Friend of the Retailer" award from MN's Licensed Beverage Association (1st POS company to win the award).

The Industry is changing and we are changing right along side it to better suit your needs (scroll down to announcement about our new Curbside Pickup offering).

*If you think a friend may benefit from this content, feel free to forward it to them.
Mass Cumberland Farms drops beer and wine ballot question
(estimated read time 2-3 minutes)
The proposed ballot question to allow more stores to sell beer and wine will not appear on the ballot this fall and its backers will instead work to put the question before voters in 2022.Cumberland Farms, the convenience store giant that was leading the ballot initiative campaign, said Friday evening that it is dropping its effort due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on the retail sector and the company’s corresponding need to focus more on the health and safety of its workers and customers. “They deserve our undivided attention as we fulfill our ongoing commitment to safely providing essential services in cities and towns across Massachusetts."
A cold beer or bottle of wine could soon be just a click away in Georgia
(estimated read time 2 minutes)
"The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to allow businesses licensed to sell alcohol to deliver beer, wine and spirits to customers’ doorsteps.
The current pandemic has left many Georgians wondering why they can get their bread and eggs delivered, but not their beer and wine, said Sen. Bill Cowsert, an Athens Republican who pushed for Snellville Republican Rep. Brett Harrell’s House Bill 879 in the Senate."
Oregon Liquor Control wants temporary alcohol rules to be permanent
estimated read time 4 minutes
"The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is set to put in motion plans to turn temporary alcohol guidelines, amended at the start of the coronavirus shutdown, into permanent rules, despite opposition from addiction recovery advocates.On Thursday, June 18, the OLCC will hear recommendations from its staff on amending guidelines and approving delivery of beer, wine, cider, and spirits, directly to Oregon consumers and their homes and allow for curbside pickup as a permanent option for its licensees or Oregon businesses with an approved alcohol license."
Best of the Rest
RITE Releases 'UnCorked Commerce' Curbside offering
RITE is committed to supporting retailers in any business environment.
We acknowledge that a lot of you have had to shoot from the hip and make it up on the fly to serve customers via phone orders, email orders, product catalogs loaded onto Facebook etc... We applaud your efforts and creativity during these wild times.
As you are ready, we want to build off what you're doing and streamline sales methods that will continue to be requested, and to some extent required.
Give us a call, and we'll take you "From the Hip" to Fully Hip.
Do you have comments, suggestions, or feedback about this newsletter?
Questions about liquor store point of sale systems - including the low cost replacement program for Microsoft Dynamics RMS, or other legacy POS systems?

Then please contact RITE's sales and marketing team at 888-267-7483 or sales@rite.us
Retail Information Technology Enterprises
(888) 267-RITE (7483)
Fax: (320) 230-1795
Retail Information Technology Enterprises | 1001 2nd Street SouthSuite 100Sartell, MN 56377

Monday, July 6, 2020

RITE Waives Contactless Payment Change Fees for Cloud Retailer and Card Defender Customers.

July 7th, 2020: RITE (Retail Information Technology Enterprises) is now waiving change fee's for customers who want to adjust their Cloud Retailer POS software or their Card Defender for Microsoft RMS software to accept contactless payments. This is a great way for retailers to reduce a common touch point in their store to help mitigate the spread of COVID 19.

Retailers using Card Defender or Cloud Retailer can reach RITE tech support at support@rite.us or by calling 888-267-7483. Note that RITE is only able to assist retailers whose payment terminals are under RITE's control.

If you want to learn more about Card Defender for Microsoft RMS or the new Cloud Retailer point of sale software (including what contactless payments are accepted), please contact RITE at sales@rite.us or by calling 888-267-7483.


Friday, July 3, 2020

Letter from Retail Realm About RMS End of Life

I've had multiple calls and emails this week from retailers who received an email from Retail Realm about the July 2021 end of life date for the Microsoft RMS point of sale software.  

There are a few comments and clarifications that need to be shared about the email:
  1. That was a great video - well done! I remember the days of QuickSell 2000 and QuickSell HQ very well!
  2. Only Microsoft is ending support for RMS in July 2021. RMS will not cease to function come July 2021 and you will still have support via various RMS Partners across the US for several more years.
  3. What will end is the ability to issue new or replacement license keys for RMS. If you lose your license key - you will likely not be able to obtain a new license key.
  4. Using native EDC in RMS for payment processing is no longer supported. You need to be using stand alone payment terminals or a third party plug in like Card Defender.
  5. Over the next 2-4 years, it will become more and more difficult to fully support RMS. As I have recommended multiple times, you should look at RMS replacement options even if you want to keep using RMS for a few more years.
  6. The email mentions Dynamics 365 (D365) as a potential replacement for RMS. Keep in mind that D365 has a monthly software cost starting around $70/month per user (that adds up to $4200 for one user over the course of 5 years).
  7. Another replacement program, Retail Management Hero (RMH), is potential RMS replacement and RMS to RMH discounts have been extended through June 2020. I've personally upgraded around 20 retailers from RMS to RMH and you are welcomed to contact me for personal experiences in working with RMH.
  8. There is also the Cloud Retailer software that is designed as a direct replacement for RMS and carries a much lower cost than D365 or RMH since the licensing is lane based (not per user and no charge for manager licenses like D365 and RMH require).
  9. Here is a video comparing RMS, RMH and Cloud Retailer:
That about covers the questions that retailers have been asking me about RMS end of life and the email from Retail Realm. If I can be of further assistance, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com