Lightspeed Point of Sale Pains

Over the last 4 years, I've had the opportunity to meet with several retailers that use Lightspeed point of sale. From time to time, there have been a few concerns about Lightspeed but nothing major. That has changed over the last few months to the point where Lightspeed users have been contacting me about replacing Lightspeed with another point of sale system. The main issues with Lightspeed appear to be (based on what retailers have communicated to me):

• Entire system goes down for around an hour every 1-2 months during normal retail business hours
• No option for a customer price/pole display (which some states/cities require)
• Peripherals need frequent replacement - not designed for retail stores with high customer traffic (eg: liquor stores or convenience stores)
• *new* - had a Lightspeed user that I met with in person who explained how the inventory quantity on hands are not accurate whenever they initiate a transfer between the main warehouse and a store.

I want to stress that this information only comes from a handful of Lightspeed users but I wanted to pass along in case any other Lightspeed users might have feedback that they would like to share. As I meet with these retailers, I will pass along additional details as they become available.  You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com as needed

Still Using Microsoft RMS Version 1.X? Things You Should Know

There are still a multiple stores in the US using version 1.2 or 1.3 of the Microsoft RMS point of sale software (also under the Store Operations name) so I wanted to pass along a checklist of reasons why you may want to consider an upgrade to RMS version 2.02 or even version 3 under the new Retail Management Hero name.

1. Support for version 1.2 and 1.3 ended some time ago per this page on the Microsoft website: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle?p1=10339&forceorigin=esmc
2. If you are still using a software key/dongle, you can not obtain a replacement (and those devices are sensitive to just about anything - especially static electricity). If the key/dongle fails, you will lose access to the POS module in RMS.
3. There are known device issues with Windows 10 - especially when it comes to receipt printers and barcode printers.
4. You are not PCI compliant 

The good news is that you can upgrade to version 2.02 of RMS and obtain a more traditional software key or you can upgrade to the new Retail Management Hero software as well. As costs vary depending on what hardware you have and whether you have stayed current on your RMS software maintenance, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for more information. A good ballpark starting price is $940 to cover the lapsed maintenance and issue a new single lane license key for version 2.02 of RMS.

Windows 10 SHA-1 and SHA-2 Issues

Update 10/4/2016: Heartland has provided an alternate payment portal which resolves this issue. Do contact them directly if Heartland has not already provided you with the updated information. Your Microsoft Dynamics RMS Partner may also be able to assist with the required changes. Contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you do not have an RMS Partner.

A special thanks to a couple of stores that called me to explain the resolution to this issue and confirmed that things are working correctly again - very much appreciated.

Also of note, detailed resolution information will be made available soon on RITE's website: http://www.rite.us/Support/MicrosoftRMSSupport/RMSTutorials/DoesMicrosoftDynamicsRMSSupportSHA2.aspx

Update 9/27/2016: Working on testing a possible resolution - will provide more details once they are made available to me.

Update 9/21/2016: thanks to those of you who contacted me directly thanking me for posting about this issue!  I will update this post as applicable but, so far, the only response from Heartland has been a blanket "we are working on a resolution and will advise" response as well as what I can only describe as a single Heartland Rep displaying the biggest act of un-professionalism that I have ever seen in my 18+ years of working with point of sale systems (they have managed to tarnish my sentiment towards Heartland but thankfully I have other Heartland Reps that I work with in person who are happy to help restore my positive sentiment towards Heartland).

Original Post:
Just when everything appeared to be sorted out related to the new SHA-2 security requirement, a recent Windows 10 update has caused some new problems.

Because of this Windows 10 update, error messages may appear in the Microsoft RMS point of sale software in specific situations as noted below:

• Point of Sale Software: Microsoft RMS
• Operating System: Windows 10 with September 2016 update installed
• Website for credit card processing is not SHA-2 compliant
• Merchant Services Company: Heartland

Other Notes:

• At this point, the issue is specific to Heartland as Mercury and TSYS appear to be functioning normally
• Heartland does not have any information on when they expect the issue to be resolved
• This shows how unexpected issues can crop up with anything related to technology so please use this as a reminder to have a point of sale partner/vendor/VAR that you can rely on for ongoing support after your point of sale system is up and running

As this may prevent you from being able to fully tender credit and debit card transactions, the following options are available:

• Roll back to previous Windows 10 build
• Disable new updates to Windows 10 until the issue is tested as resolved
• You may be able to process credit and debit card transactions manually but note that you will be paying a much higher percent for "hand keying" a credit or debit card transaction (easily 4% to 4.5%)
• Consider using Card Defender for Microsoft RMS which allows full EMV/Chip card processing within RMS as well as NFC payments like Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Card Defender is unique in not charging any additional per transaction fees as well as being processor agnostic (Heartland, First Data and TSYS).  More information on Card Defender can be found at http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/p/card-defender-emv-for-rms.html and http://www.payconfident.com/

Do contact me with any questions at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Barcode Scanner Issues on the Shopper's World Undercover Boss Episode

I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that the TV Show Undercover Boss on CBS has shown an episode that included some sort of issue with a point of sale system.

In the Shoppers World episode, one of the segments included problems with a barcode scanner not being able to scan the barcode tags and labels used in the store as well as problems with a handheld device used to check for markdowns.

The handheld device problems was attributed to WiFi issues which does point out that having business class routers and other business class IT equipment in your store is essential in order for the devices to work correctly. Given the size of the Shoppers World stores, they would likely benefit from having 2-3 hand held devices per store as well as having hot swap equipment in case a device needs repairs. In most cases, these types of devices can be moved from store to store with minimal programming.

The barcode scanning issue at the check out lane was a bit tougher to figure out as there are a lot of of variables related to barcode label/tag size and how the barcode scanners are programmed. I'm sure the issue has already been resolved at Shoppers World (or was just a made for reality TV moment) but the take away is to always work with your point of sale partner/vendor to make sure that the barcode scanners can be programmed to handle the sizes and types of labels and tags used in your business as well as the volume of transactions.

Some things to check on specific to labels, tags, barcode scanners, and the label/tag printers:

• Sizes of media being used
• Format being used
• Label/Tag printing being used (DPI, Thermal Transfer, Direct Thermal, etc)
• Size in mils of the barcode itself
• Type of barcode scanner: Laser, CCD, Single Line, Omni-Directional, Auto-sense, Trigger, near/far scanning, etc

Point being, make sure that you are getting them correct equipment for your business - while you may save $300 by going with a low cost barcode scanner, how much will you end up losing in employee errors and longer transaction times (and fewer repeat customers) by requiring manual entry of the product code if the barcode scanner can't scan the barcode?

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.

Undercover Boss - Again with Point of Sale Issues

I believe that this is my third post related to an episode of the CBS TV series "Undercover Boss" where segments of the episode includes problems and issues related to a point of sale system. In the most recent episode, True Value CEO Jon Hartman goes undercover posing as an employee. Whether you believe the show is part reality/part acting or all staged, here are some issues related to the point of sale system mentioned in the episode (note that I have worked with businesses similar to True Value in the past - including some Coast to Coast hardware stores and independent locally owned hardware stores):

1. Unable to look up stock/special orders while working with a customer on the sales floor
2. Point of sale system 'crashing'
3. Learning curve
4. Ability to count back change

So, what should the folks at the various stores do about this? Here is my (free and unbiased) advice to them:

1. The ability to look up stock and/or place special orders varies from system to system. At the very least, the point of sale systems that I have provided to hardware stores allow for a 'station' to be setup on the sales floor so employees can look up stock information and place special orders without the customer having to go to a checkout lane.  More advanced point of sale systems also the use of mobile devices and hand held computers to check stock, place special orders, and accept payment right from the device itself (sell anywhere - this also works great in garden centers and nurseries as well).
2. If the point of sale system is crashing, then get your IT staff and point of sale provider together to locate the source of the problem. Make sure all your hardware and software is up to date as well. Don't forget that 'dirty' power can cause problems as well. A simple line conditioner can work wonders if 'dirty' power is an issue.
3. It should never take more than 15 minutes to train a cashier on how to use a point of sale system unless the point of sale system is poorly designed.
4. If the change back display is not showing then there is a design flaw in the point of sale system (plus - everyone should known how to count back change and not rely on a display).

There is plenty more advice to share but it tends to require more details related to the various issues and problems.

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

Point of Sale, Power Outages, Internet Outages & Best Practices

So...a lot of folks ask me what happens to a point of sale system when the power goes out or if internet access is 'down'.  Well, it depends on what you are using and what back-up plans you have in place.  Lets break this down to four different scenarios (best practices are in bold maroon):

1) Computer based point of sale system and the power has gone out
If the power has gone down then most of your equipment has shut down as well and you will not be able to use it.

I strongly encourage the use of a battery backup (they run under $100) to keep the computer and monitor running. Not using a battery backup can cause problems with the point of sale system software database and/or damage equipment - I have seen numerous cases of this happening and the repairs can easily exceed $500.

In theory, you could put all the equipment on  battery backups (including your router and related internet access equipment). What folks forget is that battery backups are not meant to keep all the equipment up and running long term. The battery backups (depending on model) are good for around 5 -20 minutes of power. They are designed for short power outages or to allow for the proper shutdown of the equipment for longer power outages.

2) Computer based point of sale system and internet access is lost/down
Most programs will keep running but you will likely not be able to process credit or debit cards.  Some systems will only allow you to accept cash or check or require you to manually call for credit card authorizations (like we have time to do that!). At any rate, you will likely be operating on a "cash only" basis on using a 'knuckle buster' from the 1970's.

One good idea is to have a back up plan in place. This could be as simple as a mobile hot spot via a cell phone, a secondary internet access service, or even a dial up credit card terminal. Your merchant services provider and point of sale provider can let you know what the acceptable options are. The easiest option is to have a backup credit card terminal that uses dial up for authorizing credit and debit card transactions. Please don't write down credit card information for processing later - that just opens the door for credit card fraud.


3) Mobile (tablet/smart phone) based point of sale system and the power has gone out
As mobile devices are designed to run on batteries, there should be no issues with the device itself assuming the devices battery is installed and charged.  However, other equipment like receipt printers and your internet access equipment may go down if they are not battery operated.

Again, it would be worthwhile investing in a battery backup as needed to keep all non-battery powered equipment up and running in the short term and allow for an orderly shut down if facing a long power outage.

4) Mobile (tablet/smart phone) based point of sale system and internet access access is lost/down
This scenario depends heavily on the device itself. If the device has both WiFi and Data then it may switch automatically.

Some mobile point of sale systems will go in to an 'off line' mode but you will not be able to authorize credit or debit cards.

Of course, check with both your point of sale provider and merchant services provider for the system is capable of and what is allowed within your merchant services account.

Best advice is to plan ahead when shopping for a point of sale solution and ask what happens in the various situations described above and what your options are.  It is also clear that the mobile point of sale solutions have a clear advantage over computer based point of sale system.

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.

Undercover Boss Hudson Group Episode Point of Sale Problems

The latest episode of Undercover Boss featured Joe DiDomizio, CEO of Hudson Group going undercover at stores and facilities within the Hudson Group organization. I know that I have shopped at their stores in various airports in the US. Since this was another episode that showed possible issues with the point of sale system used within the store, I thought that I should point out some tips and tricks learned from the show.

From what I could see, the point of sale system used in the stores appeared to be slightly older - possibly much older as the inventory transfer software almost looked to be DOS or UNIX (or AS-70/400) based.  Hopefully the company will invest in a new point of sale system which will increase revenues through better efficiencies. My contact information appears at the bottom of each post in case I can help with any further questions related to point of sale solutions for multi-location retail stores.

• The water bottle not scanning or not being in the point of sale system: tough to know if this was because of a cheap barcode scanner (the barcode scanners looked to be decent quality MetroLogic laser barcode scanners), the water bottle UPC not being in the system, or just a "made for reality TV" moment.
• Have an open-ended/open price/prompt for price plu/sku in the point of sale system would allow you to still sell the item and then add the item to the point of sale system when there is not a long line of customers (versus writing down the UPC while customers wait).
• If the issue is because the scanner won't scan a small or curved UPC barcode, then it is very easy to set up the item as a menu item on a touch screen or to print out a more easily scanned version of the UPS barcode and keep it by the register for quick scanning.
• Tossing away receipts when a customer doesn't need a copy. This is a complete waste of paper and time. Just about every multi-location point of sale system today offers a setting that allows for how many receipts are printed as well as an "print on demand" option for when a customer wants a copy of his/her receipt.
• Transferring items between locations. In the show they had to move several books between two different locations. A very cumbersome procedure was involved with multiple steps in the software needed for each book to transfer the book from one stores inventory to the inventory for a different store.  This is completely unrealistic with todays multi-location point of sale systems. The systems that I have sold, installed, and supported allow you to create a transfer order using either a handheld computer/table or a barcode scanner. the whole process is much easier that what was shown on the show and, again, means that the Hudson Group is likely using an outdated point of sale solution.

The lesson here is that point of sale systems are investments that do need to be updated or replaced on a regular bases. It also pays to invest in the correct hardware that can handle all the different needs of your business. Finally, annuals reviews of the point of sale system should be done to ensure that the system is updated and not missing any important features or functions.

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 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.