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

Yes Microsoft RMS Users - Card Defender is Still Available (and fully supported by RITE)!

 

Quick Update: Card Defender is no longer available for Microsoft RMS unless you are a beer, wine, or liquor store that will be moving to the Cloud Retailer point of sale software in the near future. 

With Microsoft RMS coming up on the end of extended support, I wanted to let retailers using the Microsoft RMS point of sale software know that the Card Defender plug in for RMS is still being actively sold and supported by RITE (approx 1700 installations as of 6/2020).

A general overview video can be viewed below:

If you would like more information about Card Defender for Microsoft RMS, please contact RITE at sales@rite.us or 888-267-7483.

If you would like a Card Defender quote/proposal, please complete this questionnaire.

Note that Card Defender is only available to RMS Users with stores in the United States.

RITE's "Bottoms Up" Newsletter for Liquor Stores 6/15/2020

RITE "Bottoms Up" industry news 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 Voters Will Decide If Retailers Can Carry Beer and Wine at More Locations...and Not Everyone Is Happy Read More Here (estimated read time 2-3 minutes) Cumberland Farms just inched one step closer to eviscerating current regulations that determine the number of retail alcohol licenses a single company can hold in Massachusetts. To the consternation of the Massachusetts Package Stores Association (MPSA), the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County just ruled that voters will be able to vote on a ballot question in November that could grant Cumberland Farms, as well as countless other national and international retailers, access to unlimited retail beer and wine licenses in Massachusetts." Ohio Lawmakers want to make "to go" alcoholic drinks permanent now Read More Here (estimated read time 3 minutes) "Amid the novel coronavirus, Ohio broke the seal on allowing to-go alcoholic beverages from margaritas to adult Capri Suns. Now, some lawmakers want to make the change permanent. House Bill 669 would allow Ohioans to purchase delivery and carryout alcoholic beverages even after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine lifts the emergency order on the novel coronavirus." Pre-Mixed Cocktail Pickup and Delivery Temporarily Allowed in Washington Read More Here estimated read time 4 minutes "In a major announcement on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) issued a policy to temporarily allow sales of pre-mixed cocktails by businesses holding a Spirits/Beer/Wine Restaurant License – the license type held by most full service restaurants – for curbside pickup and delivery. Until now, the WSLCB’s temporary measures only allowed Spirits/Beer/Wine Restaurant Licensees to offer delivery and curbside pickup of beer and wine in growlers, kegs or factory sealed containers and spirits in factory sealed containers only." Best of the Rest Beer Production Is Fizzing Out with a Changing Demographic Gomer's of Kansas City acquires sixth location, opens as remodeling continues Chattanoogans stock up on Tito's and tequila for coronavirus quarantine Albany Business Creates Liquor-Infused Ice Cream But Can It Be Sold? Target on Foster Ave Chicago to include Starbucks, CVS and possible liquor section. The American Wine Experience: The Best Wineries of the Pocono Mountain Region No wine or beer at Montgomery County’s Maryland's newest liquor store Hard Seltzer’s Surge Shows No Sign Of Slowing 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 Email Us Visit Our Website  ‌  ‌  ‌

Retail Information Technology Enterprises | 1001 2nd Street South, Suite 100, Sartell, MN 56377

RITE Extends RITE Microsoft RMS Maintenance Program to all RMS Users

As many retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software have expressed interest in using the RMS software beyond the July 2020/2021 end of life date, RITE has extended their RITE RMS Maintenance Plan to be available for all retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software. This is a great way to continue receiving RMS support and is even available to retailers using RMS who are lapsed on their Microsoft Annual Maintenance Agreement (also known as BRAP or annual software maintenance).

With costs starting around $215/lane license if current on maintenance or around $430/lane if lapsed on maintenance, this is a great way to maintain RMS support.

RITE RMS Maintenance includes the following:

• Automatic weekly backups of the RMS database (daily backups are available for an additional charge)
• ESET Antivirus software on each POS computer
• Free clean up of the RMS database (re-indexing, removing un-used files, etc) to help speed up the RMS software and stay under any SQL database size limitations
• 100% discount against the up front license cost of the Cloud Retailer point of sale software (normally $500/lane license). Cloud Retailer is a direct replacement for Microsoft RMS and also works with the very popular Card Defender processing plug in for RMS making for an easier and less expensive transition to a new POS software program. Discount only applies to RMS users who are current on RITE RMS Maintenance and does not include Cloud Retailer hardware, training or related deployment costs)
• Access to our Minnesota and Idaho based support team for RMS support via "pay as you go" or pre-paid discounted blocks of support hours options.

The first steps are to get in touch with RITE to complete a Change of Partner form and obtain a quote based on your lane count and whether you are lapsed on Microsoft RMS Maintenance. Additional options for backups and paid technical support can be discussed at that time as well. 

You can reach the RITE team by calling 888-267-7483 or sales@rite.us.