The End of Microsoft Dynamics RMS Is Official!

 As of today, July 12, 2021, Microsoft has ended all support for the Dynamics RMS Store Operations point of sale software. If you are still using RMS, you are on borrowed time. You need to be looking at either Retail Management Hero or Cloud Retailer.

Given the ending of support from Microsoft, my ability to support RMS will be quite limited and only offered on a case by case basis to retailers in the United States.

Updated for 2021: Microsoft RMS vs. Retailer Management Hero (RMH) vs Cloud Retailer

 A quick comparison of running sales transactions, inventory, purchasing, reporting and merchant services in the Microsoft Dynamics RMS, Retail Management Hero (RMH) and Cloud Retailer point of sale software programs.

For questions or comments, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Get Google Pointy for Free!

If you happen to be using the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software, then the folks at New West Technology are offering Google Pointy for free! 

While Pointy is not a e-commerce or shopping cart site, Pointy does allow you to showcase your inventory online by syncing your RMH inventory with Pointy.  This is a great way to allow customers to browse your store online before coming to the store to make an actual purchase.  Pointy sounds like a nice solution for retailers who have products that cant be sold online.

Pointy is completely new to me so I don't have a lot of additional information at thus time. I'd suggest heading over the New West Technology for more information which can be found here: https://www.newestech.com/pointy-for-rmh

Retail Management Hero or Cloud Retailer: Which is a better replacement for Microsoft RMS?

Designed to help you decide whether Retail Management Hero (RMH) or Cloud Retailer is a better replacement option for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.

One Update: RMH is available globally while Cloud Retailer is designed only for retailers in the United States.

For questions or suggestions, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Microsoft RMS End Of Life: Replacement Flowchart

 OK - I know - another post (and video) about Microsoft RMS end of life. This is due to the sheer number of RMS point of sale software users that have been contacting me over the last few weeks.  

I am also working on a video that shows some of the feature and functions in Cloud Retailer and Retail Management Hero that should help you decide whether Cloud Retailer or RMH is a better option for your store.

For now - a flow chart to walk you through the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software replacement decision:

Quick update that the folks at Retail Management Hero now offer Age Verification and similar features and function for liquor retailers. Contact them at sales@rmhpos.com for more information

Questions? Please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

What Liquor Stores are Replacing Micrisoft RMS With

WOW - thanks to all the liquor stores in Montana and Washington State who updated me on what they used to replace the aging Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software. In no particular order, here are the top 4:

• NCR CounterPoint (liquor store specific version)
• Retail Management Here (which now has a liquor store specific version of the software)
• LiquorPOS (no longer requires the use of Heartland for merchant services)
• Vend (this surprised me - I didn't know that Vend was popular in the liquor store retail vertical)

No one had any complaints about their decision so I felt that it was good information to pass along to any liquor stores wondering what to do about the upcoming July 2021 end of life date for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.

As always, please do call or email me with any questions.

 

Upcoming 2020 Changes to the Retail Management Hero Point of Sale Software

Wanted to pass along some important upcoming changes the the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software. Most of this will take effect in September 2020 unless otherwise noted.

1. Retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software can take advantage of a 10% discount on RMH licenses through June 30th, 2021. You do not have to be current on an RMS maintenance agreement to take advantage of this discount.
2. RMH Central is officially in general release now. Cost is $8/month per user plus $30/month per store.
3. Perpetual pricing for RMH will be made available in September 2020. Plan on a lane license to cost around $65/lane per month ($3900 over the course of 5 years).
4. How payment processing is handled in RMH will change. Newer versions of RMH will require a MAX Pay license and staying current on an RMH Enhancement Plan. Sounds like the cost for MAX Pay will be $8/lane ($480 over the course of 5 years) with the first year being free for RMH users on an Enhancement Plan.

The perceptual pricing will help retailers who are looking to put in a POS system (or replace RMS) at a low up front cost. However, the up front cost works out to be a better value over time - even with the annual cost for the RMH Enhancement Plan.

As always, the above information is subject to change - be sure to contact an RMH Reseller for more information.

 PS - I'm feeling much better about RMH and the future of RMH thanks to some positive feedback from retailers who put in RMH over the last month or two. Hopefully the new update in September 2020 will solidify RMH as a solid POS solution for RMS and Non-RMS users.

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

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

Top Reasons Retailers Contact Me

OK - not super exciting but here are the main reasons and topics why retailers are contacting me:

Locations and Blog Site Stats: http://www.pospondering.com/2019/10/the-power-of-social-media.html

Microsoft Dynamics RMS / HQ End of Life / RMS Replacement Options: http://www.pospondering.com/2019/08/what-other-microsoft-rmshq-users-are.html

Point of Sale Technology for Goodwill's and Similar Thrift Store Chains: http://www.pospondering.com/2019/09/goodwill-pos-meeting-updates.html

RMS Replacement Options Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-oS4ehvjgI
 

If you are in the US and need point of sale related consulting, advice, sales, service or support, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Android Stock Take App for the Retail Management Hero POS Software

Many retailers like that the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software includes a module called "Stock Take" for performing partial or full physical counts. Presently the Stock Take module can only be used on Windows based devices which can be a bit cumbersome when it comes to physical inventory counts.

Well, that will change a bit later on 2019 when an Android version of Stock take will become available. This should open up the door to use hand held devices that are more are rugged and designed for counting inventory.

Release is expected in late 2019. I will be sure to pass along details on pricing and compatible devices as soon as they become available.

In the meantime, if you have questions about RMH or point of sale software, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Welcome!

I really enjoy these types of posts!  A quick shout out to the following retailers that I am helping with new point of sale equipment:

1. Smokin' Willy's in Washington State: Replacing Microsoft RMS with Cloud Retailer at all store locations
2. Asia Grocery in Kansas: Replacing Revel with Cloud Retailer
3. Good Stuff in Louisiana: RMS Maintenance Agreement
4. Mary Janes House of Glass: Replacing Microsoft RMS and HQ with Cloud Retailer at all store locations.
5. Point Liquor in Texas: RMS/HQ Maintenance Agreement for all store locations as well as some new hardware

I enjoy working with all of you! If you would like to learn more about why these retailers are working with me, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

News Flash: Important Retail Management Hero (RMH) Upcoming Price Changes

I wanted to pass along some VERY important information regarding the pricing for the Retail Management Hero (RMH) Point of Sale software. this includes information on the Microsoft RMS to RMH discount schemes.

1. Effective Immediately: RMH iPOS license prices are now $495/each instead of $695/each.
2. Effective August 1st. 2019: RMH Base license price will be $1300. Additional lane and manager licence pricing will remain the same.
3. Effective August 1st, 2019: Payment Processing through RMH will carry a $7/month per lane charge to new users or users who let their annual maintenance lapse. This will not apply to users who do not process payments via RMH.
4. Effective October 1st, 2019: Microsoft RMS users who wish to migrate to RMH will only receive a 50% RMH license discount if current on RMS maintenance. The discount will be reduced to 20% for RMS users who are lapsed on maintenance.
5. Effective April 1st, 2020: All RMS license discounts end. There will be no RMH license discount available to RMS users.

For more details, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

News Flash: Important Retail Management Hero (RMH) Upcoming Price Changes

I wanted to pass along some VERY important information regarding the pricing for the Retail Management Hero (RMH) Point of Sale software. this includes information on the Microsoft RMS to RMH discount schemes.

1. Effective Immediately: RMH iPOS license prices are now $495/each instead of $695/each.
2. Effective August 1st. 2019: RMH Base license price will be $1300. Additional lane and manager licence pricing will remain the same.
3. Effective August 1st, 2019: Payment Processing through RMH will carry a $7/month per lane charge to new users or users who let their annual maintenance lapse. This will not apply to users who do not process payments via RMH.
4. Effective October 1st, 2019: Microsoft RMS users who wish to migrate to RMH will only receive a 50% RMH license discount if current on RMS maintenance. The discount will be reduced to 20% for RMS users who are lapsed on maintenance.
5. Effective June, 2021: All RMS license discounts end. There will be no RMH license discount available to RMS users.

For more details, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

PAX PX5 Certification on TSYS with Card Defender

Wanted to quickly pass along that the PAX PX 5 payment terminals are now certified with First Data to use with the Card Defender software from RITE. As a reminder, Card Defender works with the Microsoft Dynamics RMS, Retail Management Hero (RMH), and Cloud Retailer point of sale software programs.

Here is what the PAX PX5 payment terminal looks like:



Please contact RITE at sales@rite.us or 888-267-7483 for more information like pricing and upgrading existing Card Defender users from older payment terminals to the PAX PX5.

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!

Updates on Retail Management Hero Central

Fresh off of a webinar regarding the status of the Retail Management Hero (RMH) Central software designed for retailers with more than one location, here are some updates to pass along:

• 50 partners have been trained world wide to sell and support RMH Central
• Uses background services to sync data between store and central HQ (no worksheet required, looks for changes and syncs automatically)
• Near real time data sync
• Can have store specific customers (customer record doesn't have be stored at all the stores)
• Can return products at a store that is not the same store as the original purchase
• Global customer loyalty program included
• Global voucher (gift card/gift certificate) included
• Very simple and straightforward inventory transfer abilities in near real time 
• Regional suppliers

At this time, no release date information on RMH Central was shared. My best guess is that we are looking at very late 2019 or early 2020 before RMH Central will be stable and deploy-able.

Please let me know if you have any questions on RMH Central by contacting me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

New Pricing Options for the Retail Management Hero (RMH) and RMH Central POS Software

***Information on new pricing for RMH as well as the phasing out of RMS user discounts can be found here: http://www.pospondering.com/2019/07/news-flash-important-retail-management.html***

Very important information related to the pricing scheme for Retail Management Hero (RMH) and RMH Central as well as the iPad version of RMH. be sure to note the effective dates as this may effect your decision related to upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics RMS to RMH. Please note that this is subject to change. Also note that subscription based pricing is listed below the pricing matrix as well (based on 12 month minimum commitment)

RMH, RMH Central & iPOS Pricing Scheme – New User

License	Before Oct 1st 2017	Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st 2018	Starting April 1st 2018	Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager	$1190 + $215	$1250 + $225	$1250 + $225	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above	$1190 + $215	$900 + $162	$900 + $162	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 & Above	$400 + $72	Same	Same	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
iPOS for iPad	$650 + $117	Same	Same	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
RMH Central – User	$72/year	Same	Same	Expected release Q1 2019
RMH Central – Store Connection	$360/year	Same	Same	Expected release Q1 2019

RMH Pricing Scheme – Lapsed RMS Users

License	Before Oct 1st 2017	Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st, 2018	Starting April 1st, 2018	Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager	$250 + $215	$500 + $225	$875 + $225	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above	$250 + $215	$360 + $162	$630 + $162	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 & Above	$0 + $72	$160+ $72	$280 + $72	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance

RMH Pricing Scheme – Non Lapsed RMS Users

License	Before Oct 1st 2017	Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st, 2018	Starting April 1st, 2018	Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager	$0 + $215	$0 + $225	$0 + $225	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above	$0 + $215	$0 + $162	$0 + $162	“+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 +	$0.00	Same	Same	Up to 10 manager licenses total

RMH Subscription (based on 12 month commitment)

$59/month per POS station which is $708/per 12 month period. The software will check to ensure that the subscription is paid.

Questions or need help? You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Calls and Emails from Retail Management Hero

Based on conversations with several retailers in the US, it appears that the folks at Retail Management Hero have been calling and emailing users about upgrading from the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software to the Retail Management Hero point of sale software. I appreciate that many of you have contacted me directly to confirm what options are available to you.

While I can not speak on behalf of Retail Management Hero, I am more than happy to assist you with validating whether upgrading to Retail Management Hero is a viable option for you. Over the last several months I have been onsite helping retailers upgrade to Retail Management Hero from RMS or have met onsite with retailers who recently installed Retail Management Hero.

The best way to reach me is at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com.