Why Clover POS does NOT work in liquor stores

 I have a free comparison guide showing why Clover POS does not work well in a liquor store. Please email me at kevinantosh@gmail.com for a free copy of the comparison guide.

Why Square POS does NOT work in a liquor store

 I have a PDF comparison guide showing why Square POS does NOT work in a liquor store. Please email me at kevinantosh@gmail.com for a free copy of the comparison guide.

Liquor of Liquor Store Associations in the United States

 Nice list of the various state and national liquor store associations in the United States (non control states only). Looks like UBRA in Arkansas was missed tho...

If there are any other liquor store associations missing from the list, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com

Common Sense Advise for Retail Stores and Restaurants

 As travel season wraps up for 2024, I noticed some things missing from the hundreds of retail stores and restaurants that I visited with in person over the last year.

In no specific order, some common sense advice specific to things that every retail store and restaurant owner should be doing to help increase profits:

1. Have a website
2. Have active social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook are the most popular)
3. RESPOND TO ALL REVIEWS (Yelp. Google, etc - respond with a positively worded reply to all reviews)
4. Be part of an industry association specific to your "niche" or vertical
5. Comply with all state and local statutes when it comes to things like sales tax rates and age verification
6. Use/invest in technology that saves on labor costs
7. Take a look at newish trends like Dual Pricing - consumers are used to paying more when using a credit card so why are you still paying those payment processing fees?
8. If you are dead-set against Dual Pricing - at least shop around for better merchant services rates
9. Have signage that matches your business name (seriously - when the sign on the building doesn't match the actual business name, how are customers supposed to know that they are at the correct business?)
10. Keep the aisles clear so customers are not stepping over boxes to find what they are looking for
11. Use technology for inventory ordering - nothing more disappointing that dining at a restaurant where 1/3 of the menu is 86'd 

OK - what suggestions do you have that should be added to the list? Please send the suggestions to kevinantosh@gmail.com

Want me to swing by your retail store or restaurant to help advise on some way to increase profits or decrease expenses?  You can use the same email address to reach out to me.

Feedback from a liquor store who uses Dual Pricing

 

To Celebrate 1.5M Visitors...

 Wow - this blog site is just shy of 1000 posts and 1.5 million visitors!

 

To celebrate, the door is open for content suggestions on what would be helpful to you as a retail store owner when it comes to point of sale advice.

You must be in the United States please - suggestions can be sent to kevinantosh@gmail.com

God Bless!

Liquor Stores: POS Buying tip that will save you around $7000 annually

 A must have in POS systems for liquor stores is the ability to automatically print shelf tags. This will save you around $5000 in annual labor costs as well as around $2000 in miss-rings due to incorrect prices on the shelf tags.

 

 

Electronic Shelg Tags: Are they worth it?

 It has been a good 4 or 5 years since I last looked at digital or electronic shelf tags as a replacement for paper shelf tags.

I met last week with a electronic shelf tag vendor and was pretty impressed.

Not only has the cost come way down, but the capabilities of the latest generation of electronic shelf tags goes way beyond just showing the price.

Some cool things that I learned:

• battery life is 8 to 10 years
• they have a secure mounting to prevent theft or swapping of devices
• they come in a huge variety of sizes and mounting options for just about any retail stores needs
• you can sell ad space to suppliers
• you can even promote products and services like a loyalty program on the device
• you can get devices with blinking lights to help customers or even delivery drivers find the correct product
• integration to POS systems makes updating the devices a breeze

All in all, the ROI on the up front cost against labour savings, theft prevention, mislabeling of products, and advertising is around 6 to 12 months.

The ongoing monthly subscription is based on the number of devices so smaller retailers can benefit without paying as much as a larger retailer.

 I'm liking what I learned!

Contact me if you have real world feedback or interest in electronic shelf tags for your store: kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632

 

 

What makes for a great association?

 I've been blessed over the last 31 years to attend multiple retail and hospitality trade association events. Here are some tips on what makes for a great retail or hospitality trade association:

1. Active in politics to drive government change in favor of its members
2. Regular communication to its members
3. At least one annual event like a conference and trade show
4. Dedicated leadership
5. Focuses on one key niche (eg: garden centers, liquor stores, hotels, quick serve, etc)
6. Annual dues are scaled according to business size
7. Offers associate membersips so vendors and suppliers can offer discounts to association members
8. Vendor and supplier agnostic
9. Active social media presence and social media groups
10. Listens to their membership on "hot topics" and takes action

If you are not part of an association, then you are likely missing out - I've had some retailers complain about negative legislative changes. These same retailers refuse to be part of associations that could have prevented these legislative changes. 

Don't complain if you are not part of the solution!

I am working on a ranking of the associations that I am very familiar with - this will take a lot of time to compile all the data.

Hopefully the list above will at least give you a starting point.

Tops and suggestions for blog post and videos can be emailed to me at kevinantosh@gmail.com

 

Liquor Stores: Free Box Cutters at Booth # 949 at the TPSA Conference and Trade Show Today!

 Liquor Stores: are you at the largest liquor store conference and trade show in the United States? The Texas Package Store Association Conference and Trade Show is TODAY! Pick up a free box cutter at booth # 949 and learn more about the Cloud Retailer Liquor Store Profit System!

 

 

POS Pondering Exceeds 1 Million Visitors!

 Wow - I am humbled and blessed that so many of you have taking the time to visit this blog site and contact me for free advice! 

While this blog site has changed its focus over the years, the commitment remains the same: free and unbiased point of sale advice.

Liquor Stores: The 2024 Beverage Dynamics Top 100 Liquor Retailers List is Out!

 

Liquor Stores: July 2024 Liquor Store Association Events

 Liquor Stores: July 2024 Liquor Store Association Events with the Texas TPSA (https://www.texaspackage.com/) and the Minnesota MLBA (https://www.mlba.com/). We are looking forward to seeing current and future customers at both events!

 

 

Are you on the MasterCard MATCH List?

 

So, I was a bit hesitant to post this, but, while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I stopped in to check out a few liquor stores. I noticed that they are "cash only". When I asked why they only accept cash, it turned out that the stores had been placed on MasterCards MATCH list which bans an entity from accepting credit cards for 5 years! 

 

The reason for being placed on the MATCH list was due to a chargeback/dispute attack at one store and identity theft at the other store. Anger aside, not being able to accept credit cards at a liquor store for something that is outside of your control (and will likely put you out of business) really makes my blood boil. 

 

If you are not familiar with the MasterCard MATCH list, 1) Here is a list of reasons why you could be placed on the MATCH list: https://developer.mastercard.com/match/documentation/ 2) If you want to check to see whether you or your business are on the MATCH list, please message me - there are a few hoops to jump through but I have a reliable contact with access to the list who will check if you are willing to provide a recent credit card processing/merchant services statement (no obligation and no cost to you - he needs the statement so they can check both the entity name as well as the owners name against the MATCH list). 

 

Regardless, anyone who is not familiar with the MasterCard MATCH list, and owns a liquor store, should familiarize themselves with the list. No one is required to notify you if you or your business are on the MATCH list and hiring at attorney to try and be removed from the MATCH list is very expensive according to one liquor store owner that I spoke with.

OK - my rant is over - it just honestly angers me that a hardworking liquor store owner can be put out of business for something that is outside of their control.

Live from the 2024 RLAO Show in OKC

 

Liquor Stores: The Cost of Dog Inventory

 

What do the top municipal liquor stores in Minnesota use for POS?

 

Liquor Stores in Colorado. Information on Supporting House Bill 1373

 https://www.coloradoliquorstores.com/hb-1373 - this bill needs your support and is critical to the success of independently owned liquor stores in Colorado!

Liquor Stores Alert: Crime Ring Targeting Liquor Stores

 

Wanted: Liquor Store Owners who want to increase profits by at least 5%

 

 Visit https://bestliquorpos.com/ to learn more on how you can increase profits and decrease expenses in your beer, wine or liquor store.

Beer, Wine and Liquor Stores: What Are Your 2024 New Years Resolution?

 Please leave a comment or message me - much appreciated!

Liquor Stores: In Store VISA Compliance Checks Coming?