Upcoming City Visits

Looks like I should break the 100K barrier in frequent flyer miles for 2017! Details are still being arranged but it looks like I am headed to the following places for the 2nd half of 2017 (mostly August - early November):

• Salt Lake City, UT
• Seattle, WA
• Portland, OR
• Denver, CO
• Phoenix, AZ
• Tuscon, AZ
• Jackson, WY
• Minneapolis, MN

And, of course, helping out folks here in Idaho - over 160 retailers in the PacNW and Utah that have signed on for sales and service - including single location stores as well as 50 location chains (good thing that we have 10 support techs!).

I'll update this post with dates as the travel plans are finalized. Contact me if we need to schedule some time together at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. 

Vertical Specialties for Various Retail Point of Sale Systems

As July is not a big month for point of sale news and information, I thought that I would pass along some information related to what vertical markets various point of sale programs focus on. This is not meant to say that the program will not work in a different vertical - just that the program has an established presence in the verticals listed below.

If you recall, my point of sale workshops stress that you should focus on point of sale programs that are designed for your type of business.

NCR Silver

• Small general retail stores and food service businesses like food trucks, counter serve restaurants/cafeterias/coffee shops, and concession stands.
• Temporary or seasonal retail businesses
• Mobile retail or service only businesses
• Kiosk businesses
• Thrift and second hand stores
• Clothing and Apparel Stores
• E-Cig Stores

First Data Clover

• Same as NCR Silver 

Bindo Point of Sale

• Wine, Beer and Liquor Stores
• Pet Stores
• Health and Beauty 
• Clothing and Apparel Stores
• Sporting Goods Stores
• Museums
• Gift Shops
• Candy Stores
• Salons and Spas
• Thrift and second hand stores
• Pro Shops

NCR CounterPoint

• Museums
• Thrift and second hand stores
• Garden Centers
• Pet Stores
• Sporting Goods Stores
• Clothing and Apparel Stores
• Liquor Stores
• Sporting Goods Stores
• Gift Shops
• Tobacco and E-Cig Stores 
• Pro Shops

Retail Pro

• Same as NCR CounterPoint

Microsoft RMS

• Same as NCR CounterPoint and Retail Pro
• A lot of government entities (since it is a Microsoft product) as well as government run businesses like golf courses and pro shops.

I realize this is not a complete list but I used information from the companies websites, what trade shows these companies attend, and my own 15 years of personal experience.

Can I help by offering some free point of sale advice or answering your retail or museum point of sale related questions?  If you are in the United States then please use the contact form to the right, email me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or call me on my cell at 208-340-5632. I've worked with thousands of businesses over the years to help them find the best point of sale solution and have also negotiated some pretty cool discounts as well.

Tablet and SmartPhone 2.0

Update November 9th, 2014. I can confirm that Bindo, Clover, and Silver have now added the following:

Bindo POS: basic invoicing and quoting functions

First Data Clover (still restricted to using First Data for merchant services): Item attributes, modifiers and barcode label printing.

NCR Silver: Barcode label printing and QuickBooks Accounting interface.

Note that some of the added features may require paying an additional fee and/or using third party software.


Not to use recycled terms like "Web 2.0" but I have seen a recent shift in the tablet and smartphone based point of sale systems which I will call "2.0".

While systems like Clover and NCR Silver started the trend of using smartphone and tablet based point of sale systems in retail stores and museums, newer solutions linke Bindo have taken the concept to a more advanced level.

What do I mean?

Initially smartphone and tablet based point of sale systems offered functionality between a cash register and a computer-based point of sale system. Specific missing functions included barcode label printing, item level inventory tracking, and full purchasing/receiving. these are the "1.0" solutions.

"2.0" Solutions like Bindo include these functions while still using the affordable monthy fee payment plan of the the original smartphone and tablet systems.

If you are searching for, or have interest in a smartphone or tablet based point of sale system, please compare the different functions and features of each program (I have a comparison chart available). You may find that a "2.0" solution will accomplish more for about the same price as a "1.0" solution.

Confused/comments/questions?  My advice is completely free and based on 15 years of exerience in selling and support multiple different point of sale solutions. You can reach me via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com or via voice/text at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time).

Headed to the Upper Midwest in May (if you want to meet in person)

Just a quick note that I am headed to the Upper Midwest this month so if you want to meet in person and obtain some free point of sale purchasing advice, please contact me via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com on my cell at 208-340-5632.