Liquor Stores: What a Texas Liquor Store Owner Has to Say about Cloud Retailer

 Honest feedback from a liquor store owner in Texas about their experience using the Cloud Retailer Liquor Store POS Profit System. Learn more about the Cloud Retailer Liquor Store POS Profit System by emailing sales@cloudretailer.com, calling 888-267-7483 or visiting https://www.cloudretailer.com/

 

 

Another Customer Review of RITE and Cloud Retailer

 By request - another review of RITE and their Cloud Retailer point of sale software: https://youtu.be/WRIUkyJvJ1I

RITE and Cloud Retailer can be reached at www.cloudretailer.com, sales@rite.us or by calling 888-267-7483.

Honest Feedback on Retail Management Hero (RMH)

As we start a new decade, I wanted to pass along my personal experience in working with retailers who are using the Retail Management Hero point of sale software. I have been onsite with many of these retailers and/or spoken with them via phone and helped with installation and training.

First, the negative reviews: https://www.softwareadvice.com/retail/retail-management-hero-profile/

I can vouch for almost all of those reviews as being valid (these retailers did not acquire RMH through myself, or RITE, but I am familiar with their stores).

As for retailers who did acquire RMH via myself and RITE, there seems to be a 80/20 split between those who love RMH (80%) and those who are struggling to use RMH (20%). These are retailers across just about all industries and are located across the US.  The biggest concerns to note about RMH are:

1. Needing to use add-ons for credit card processing
2. Differences between Microsoft RMS and RMS as covered here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqPTxoSgHHo
3. RMH Central is NOT ready for general release
4. Not being able to see cost at the POS screen
5. Not being able to add new items at the POS screen
6. Lack of a manual or users guide
7. Too many releases and cost to install each new release
8. No support is included with annual software maintenance

The retailers who love RMH have expressed the following to me:

1. POS is really easy to train cashiers on
2. Liked that they could move their data from Microsoft RMS to RMH
3. Plenty of third party plug ins for e-comm, and accounting software interfaces
4. Uses fairly standard point of sale hardware and peripherals
5. The built in customer loyalty program is a nice feature
6. Physical inventory counts are easy to do using the built in tool
7. New options for shipping, age verification, and liquor store integrations

There also seems to be a trend of various RMH re-sellers abandoning retailers mid-deployment which myself and RITE have done our best to help clean up. Never an ideal situation but it seems to have gone well 90% of the time in fixing what the RMH re-seller promised but never delivered on.

Are you considering RMH and/or have RMH feedback? Then please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Retail Management Hero Feedback from Retailers & Resellers

Over the last 2 months I have been involved in the deployment of Retail Management Hero (RMH) to 5 different retailers across the US. These are all specialty retail stores with between 1 and 3 check out lanes. Each store uses name brand computers, receipt printers, cash drawers, etc. None of the stores use any special add-ons for RMH like e-commerce/shopping carts.

Overall the feedback has been positive. Time was spent during the pre-sales process to ensure that the retailers knew some of the limitations within RMH when it comes to reporting and credit card processing.  About the only issues that came up was needing to upgrade SQL server for 2 of the 5 customers and error messages when trying to edit purchase orders (which appears to have been corrected by upgrading to SQL 2014).

However, I was contacted by four retailers who went from RMS to RMH in 2018 and are both searching for a POS system to replace RMH. Main issues are the following:

1. Having to pay for bug fixes (labor for re-installing RMH)
2. General slowness of RMH (RMH is not like RMS speed-wise but is similar to other POS programs)
3. Lack of drill down capabilities in Reports
4. Lack of ability to add a new item at POS screen
5. Poor reseller / VAR / Dealer support (these are Positive Technology and EZB Solutions customers)

I've also had 3 different RMH Partners/Resellers contact me via phone. Combined, they have installed around a dozen RMH systems over the last 4 months. These resellers have also provided positive overall feedback on RMH.

This is making me feel somewhat better about RMH as a solution for new retailers as well as retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software. I will continue to keep in touch with these retailers and pass along feedback as time allows.

If you would like more information, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Retail Management Hero: Retailer Feedback

As many of you know, I worked with several retailers in 2018 to upgrade them from the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software to the Retail Management Hero (RMH) software.  I'm involved with 3 retailers who are currently in the midst of upgrading from RMS to RMH and will report back on their feedback within the next 45 - 60 days.

If you need feedback sooner, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. Thanks!

Review of RITE in St. Cloud Minnesota

One of my main reasons for joining the team at RITE in Sartell/St Cloud, MN was the companies reputation as a retail point of sale dealer/VAR/partner/reseller.  Not only did I meet with the companies leadership twice but I also spoke with some of their customers as well as some of their competators.

No one had any complaints about RITE or the retail point of sale solutions offered by RITE which made me comfortable in adding my name to RITE's roster of point of sale experts.

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Review of Retail Control Systems (RCS) in New Hampshire and Colorado

As I've had the opportunity to meet with multiple point of sale companies and their customers over the last few years, I wanted to shared some honest feedback on my experience with the folks at Retail Control Systems who has offices in New Hampshire and Colorado and focuses on the NCR CounterPoint point of sale systems for retail stores and museums.

Besides spending some time with the leadership and staff at Retail Control Systems, I have also been able to interact with about 15 businesses and organizations using the Retail Control Systems as their point of sale partner/provider.

Overall, the response has been very positive. Retail Control Systems has taken the NCR CounterPoint point of sale software to a new level for thrift stores like Goodwill with special thrift store enhancements. Retail Control Systems also offers hosted versions of NCR Counterpoint for businesses and organizations who would prefer not to have to deal with onsite servers.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to learn more about my experiences with Retail Control Systems, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Review of LPA Retail in Burnsville, MN

As I've had the opportunity to meet with multiple point of sale companies and their customers over the last few years, I wanted to shared some honest feedback on my experience with the folks at LPA Retail in Burnsville, MN

Besides spending some time with the leadership and staff at LPA Retail, I have also been able to interact with a couple of  businesses using LPA Retail as their point of sale partner/provider.

Overall, the response has been very positive. LPA Retail has provided point of sale solutions nationally as well as focused on offering the rental of point of sale systems for special events. LPA Retail has also created an add-on for NCR CounterPoint specific to retail businesses that buy and sell used products like video games and sporting goods.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to learn more about my experiences with LPA Retail, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Negative Feedback on Lightspeed

While I have personally had positive experiences with Lightspeed point of sale, I have been made aware of some stores who have had negative experiences with Lightspeed.

The main issue appears to be related to the multi-location version of Lightspeed not correctly handling the inventory at all locations (ie: transferring the wrong item to the wrong store or the different store inventory databases not syncing correctly which causes on hand counts to be incorrect).

That is all that was communicated to me so I don't know if the problem lies with the user or with Lightspeed but the situation was bad enough that at least one store stopped using Lightspeed and switched to another point of sale system.

I'd advise anyone looking at Lightspeed to do a little research and be sure to talk to stores using Lightspeed to see if they have experienced any issues.

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

More Customer Reviews of One Step Solutions in Phoenix, AZ

As much as I don't like posting negative information - I have received more complaints specific to One Step Retail Solutions in Phoenix, AZ who sells and services a variety of point of sale systems.  The complaints are specific to overcharging and no-show issues for sales and service appointments.  If the service is bad enough that folks are contacting me for help and advice then it is obvious that One Step Retail Solutions has some sales, service, and support issues to resolve.

Of note - the more unusual complaints relate to no-shows by sales representatives so that is a huge warning sign that One Step Retail Solutions may not be the wisest choice for as a point of sale partner/dealer to work with.

Since these complaints have been on-going, it would be great if someone from One Step would contact me so we can figure out what is going on.

Please visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

New Features in Shopkeep Point of Sale & Reviews/Feedback

I mentioned a few posts back that open bar tab and tip/total functions are what prevents most retail point of sale systems from being used in most food service businesses.

Well, the folks at Shopkeep have now added both the open bar tab function and tip/total functions to Shopkeep which opens up Shopkeep point of sale for iOS devices to those with food service businesses.

My main concern with Shopkeep Point of Sale is the lack of valid reviews from people actually using the Shopkeep point of sale solution here in the United States. I receive frequent calls and emails from folks asking about Shopkeep but none of us can find valid reviews from actual end users. That being said, you can find more information on the Shopkeep website at http://www.shopkeep.com/

UPDATE: I may have spoken to soon. Here is a link to a Shopkeep review but ignore the review (the person who wrote the review does not state that they have retail or restaurant management experience) and jump down to the comments to see some feedback on Shopkeep - it is pretty easy to spot the valid and invalid comments: http://www.merchantmaverick.com/reviews/shopkeep-review/


With a background in retail and restaurant management plus 15 years of working with various point of sale solutions, I have become quite skilled at pulling out the valid information in the reviews.  For those of you not wanting to read through the comments, here is what you need to know:

"As of about a week ago, suspended tickets have now been added"
"Shopkeep does not support integration with ANY webstore applications that I can find. They had made a decision to move away from Shopify in early 2013,"
"Shopkeep still has NOTHING in place to offer for web integration"
"expect the second tax rate to be available in the very near future"
"the interface seems easy and clean, and it’s a breeze to set up"
"no long-term agreements and no cancellation fees"
"The customer service is great and they are obviously a company on the right track"
"However, not having gift card integration is TERRIBLE and extremely frustrating...."
"...only one tax rate and only one special tender type…those are limitations I cannot live with."

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Recent Reviews & Feedback on Clover Point of Sale

Update July 6, 2015: no shortage of complaints against Clover specific to expensive long term contracts, costly buyout clauses, unable to transfer licensing if the business is sold, and sales reps making promises for features/functions that Clover just can't do.  I believe the overall tally is over 400 verified complaints against Clover.

In the last 2 weeks I have received a larger than usual number of calls and emails related to the Clover point of sale solution for Android devices. Since many of you appear to be considering Clover as a possible point of sale solution for your business, here is the feedback/reviews that folks have been sharing with me:

• "Returned it (Clover) the next day"
• "(sales rep) couldn't even demo the system"
• "they will raise my (merchant services) rates"
• "don't want to be locked in to a credit card contract"
• "good step up from a cash register"
• "missing features"
• "went with Bindo which does more and doesn't require me to use a specific company for credit and debit card processing services"

The Bindo solution was mentioned a couple of times.  Folks noted that Bindo does more than Clover and is even offering some various incentives like free hardware currently. If you are curious about Bindo Point of Sale, check them out at www.bindopos.com.

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Feedback on Bindo POS - A New 90/10 Rule

In my follow-ups with folks that have contacted me for free advice, I try and follow-up to see what they ended up purchasing and then again to see how well the solution is working for them and their business.  I've already established that Bindo has emerged the clear winner for Q2 of 2014 with about a 5-1 margin over other solutions like NCR CounterPoint, Microsoft Dynamics RMS, QuickBooks POS, NCR Silver, Retail Pro, and Clover.

Do keep in mind these are only the folks that have contacted me via my humble blog site but they do represent a good cross section of specialty retail stores in the US when it comes to number of locations and size.

I normally refer to the 90/10 or 80/20 rule as meaning that 80 or 90 percent of your sales revenue comes from 10 to 20 percent of your customers. This is why having loyalty marketing, customer purchase history, and detailed reporting are so essential within point of sale solutions.

However, a retailer shared with me his reason for selecting Bindo over NCR Counterpoint:  "Bindo can do 90% of what NCR Counterpoint can do at only 10% of the price - why wouldn't I choose Bindo over Counterpoint?".

I completely agree.  Thus the 90/10 rule has a new meaning! More reviews on Bindo POS can be found here: https://bindopos.com/reviews

Can I help?  Over the last 15 years I have worked with thousands of retail stores, museums, and government entities to help them find the best point of sale solution. You can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or on my cell at 208-340-5632 for free point of sale help and advice.

Customer Feedback on One Step Retail Solutions

Back in late summer of 2013, the company that I used to work for, DirectPOS, sold their customer lists to One Step Retail solutions and Cowans Restaurant Solutions. I'll create a separate post about Cowans but I have received some feedback from former DirectPOS customers contacting One Step Retail Solutions for assistance.

The response has been very negative overall in relation to One Step Retail Solutions. Here is what former DirectPOS customers have told via the phone or email:

• Never received any contact from them
• One Step didn't even know who I was
• No local presence in Idaho, Utah, Montana, or Washington State
• Wanted me to pay $500 for a service that only takes 20-30 minutes to complete
• Constantly contacting me via phone and email
• Showed no interest in helping me 
• Inconsistant

Obviously I do not recommend One Step Retail Solutions.  They appear to have a "turn and burn" mentality versus establishing long term relationships with specialty retail stores of all sizes.

The good news is that there are other options besides One Step Retail Solutions.

Visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.