When Free is not Really Free

We've been down this road so many times but I keep running in to retailers who have offers for free POS systems or free upgrades from Microsoft Dynamics RMS to Retail Management Hero.  When I say "free", it means that the retailer has been quoted no software, hardware, installation, training or similar costs.

Aside from official license swap promotions, the costs for a new POS system or upgrading an existing POS system are there. These costs are likely either associated with a maintenance agreement or within merchant services rates. I've also see cancellation clauses or contract termination fees of up to $2500 associated with these types of sales.

What should you do when reviewing a quote for a free upgrade or free point of sale system:

1. Look for hidden costs like a maintenance or service agreement
2. Look for cancellation, change or termination clauses that have costs
3. Look for additional monthly or annual charges 
4. Look for additional per transaction or gateway fee's
5. Compare the merchant services rates against other merchant services companies to see if you are being charged higher than average rates
6. Make sure that you are not being locked in to any sort of long term contract (more than 1 year)
7. Add up any of the above and compare against other POS system costs to calculate an overall total cost (I would strongly recommend calculating all costs over 5 to 7 years to see the "big picture")

If you are working with someone that promises free but hides costs in the paperwork, is that someone that you want to be doing business with? Look for a vendor that clearly defines all costs - whether they be up front or on-going.

Need help with the above? You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for some assistance (no charge for up to 30 minutes for phone or email help).

Welcome to some new RITE Customers!

A quick shout out to some retailers and organizations that recently signed on with me for point of sale related needs:

Opus One Winery - Card Defecnder - CA

The Range - RMS Plug Ins - CA
Bullet Barn Guns - Cloud Retailer and Card Defender - CA
Rietdyk's Milling Co - Service and Support - WA
Quantum Raynbow - Caribian - Cloud Retailer Reseller
Everson Royce - Cloud Retailer and Card Defender - CA

Plasticare - Cloud Retailer and Card Defender - CO

4 Way Meat Market - Card Defender - CA

1 Stop Pool - Support and Service - TX

Young Life - Consulting Services - CO

The Range of Richfield - Cloud Retailer and Card Defender - WI

Marmot Mountain / Newell Brands - RMS Plug Ins - CO

I can be reached directly at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

What Does a Point of Sale Consultant Do? What are the Costs? How does this Save Me Money?

Brief video explaining what happens when I'm engaged in a point of sale consulting project, how this type of consultancy saves your organization money, and what the typical costs are.

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

Welcome to Some New and Upgrading Customers!

A quick shout out to the following retailers who signed on with me over the last 30 days. I look forward to working with you!

• O'Loony's Wine in Arkansas: Card Defender
• A & E Ramirez Market in California: Card Defender
• 4 Way Meat Market in California: Card Defender
• Greenfield Custom Meats in Idaho: Retail Management Hero
• One Stop Pool Shop in Texas: Microsoft RMS Dynamics support

In need of point of sale advice, you can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

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. 

ADA and Point of Sale Systems

I don't think that I've ever posted related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it effects point of sale systems. Mostly it seems that POS systems are designed to accommodate employees with various capabilities. Recently, I've run in to a couple of retailers who had been advised that that the payment terminals for the POS system needed to be lowered (or the whole counter needed to be lowered).

Obviously you never want to make it difficult for anyone to make a purchase in your business so it is wise to be familiar with any guidelines related to counter height and general accessibility.  It is possible that fines could be levied should your store not be in compliance.

As I am in no way an expert in this subject matter - it would be great if anyone who has some expertise could chime in. All I've seen in my travels is either one check out stand with a lowered counter or some payment terminals mounted on arms that can be rotated out and down to a suitable height.

If you are willing to contribute, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. Thanks!

Microsoft Dynamics RMS Replacements: Retail Management Hero and Cloud Retailer

So, I had originally made the video below to help paint stores determine which retail point of sale program might be better for their business but realized that the video is also a good overview showing how to determine whether Retail Management Hero or Cloud Retailer is a better replacement point of sale program for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS software.

Here is the video:

As always, contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with any retail point of sale related questions.

The Continued Saga of EMV in the US and Things to be Aware of

Quite a few studies and articles have been posted this week related to EMV in the US and how it relates to retail point of sale systems.  I'll link to the articles below but here are some bullet points:

• Watch for POS systems that use the old Mag Stripe Readers - these are generally not compatible with chip cards and most payment processing companies no longer support these devices for security reasons.
• Look out for solutions that say that the hardware/software is "EMV Ready" - these systems can not yet actually process chip cards.
• It looks like around 40% (or more) of retailers do not yet have equipment that can process EMV/chip cards.
• A good example of a solution that is true EMV (I've tested and installed multiple times myself) is Card Defender for Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Cloud Retailer (specialty retail point of sale software).  These systems are tested, certified, and even can be upgraded as new payment security requirements are introduced.

Do contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with any questions about EMV, Retail POS, Card Defender or Cloud Retailer.

Here are the articles - note that these are on a well known industry web site (Business Solutions Magazine) with point of sale technology news and information. Free registration is required to view the whole article:

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/emv-in-us-still-has-a-long-way-to-go-0001

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/why-emv-payment-integrations-aren-t-easy-0001

https://www.bsminfo.com/doc/remove-cost-and-time-as-barriers-to-emv-upgrades-0001

Free Malware and Virus Scan and Removal Utility

If you have some concerns that your stores computers may have some malware or viruses that may have been missed by your current malware and anti-virus software, here is a link to a free scan and removal utility from ESET: https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/

I checked and one of my computers had seven threats that had been missed by Windows Defender. Given the amount of malware and similar threats out there, it would be wise to run a scan to ensure that your system is malware and virus free.

Quick Shout Out to Some New Customers - Welcome!

A quick shout out to some businesses and organizations that recently signed on with me for point of sale technology solutions:

1. Boise Ranch Golf Course - Boise, ID: new hardware and an upgrade to the most current version of the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software. Pictures of the install appear below the post.
2. North Dakota Parks and Recreation: Cloud Retailer and Card Defender at all of the states Park and Recreation facilities (BIG project).
3. Archie McPhee - Seattle, WA: Card Defender EMV for Microsoft Dynamics RMS

I am thrilled to work with these businesses and organizations to make life easier for you!

Boise Ranch Golf Course Installation Pictures (the snow had melted and they are open - yeah!):

Cloud/No Cloud? Purchase or SaaS?

Which some of the "big gun" retail point of sale programs like Microsoft Dynamics moving to cloud and subscription based models, everyone may think that the future of point of sale technology is going to be only cloud and subscription based and not something that is purchased outright and deployed locally. This is not the case at all - both models have distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Part of why I am writing another post on this topic is that I'm constantly being told that the industry is moving towards mainly SaaS Cloud based solutions. My daily contact with retailers indicates a nearly even split in demand - in fact I've had several retailers tell me that they are migrating back to locally deployed point of sale systems after having poor experiences with SaaS Cloud based systems.  Point being - there is a need for both types of systems and its clear that many vendors will provide both for the foreseeable future.

Read on for more details:

Definitions:

• Cloud: point of sale software is fully or partially hosted (and run) over the Internet
• SaaS - Software as a Service: Continued use of the software requires payment of an on-going fee which is normally monthly
• Subscription Based: same as SaaS for this particular blog post
• Deployed: how the software is delivered to you/installed

Costs:

• I've run multiple different costing models factoring in over 20 different point of sale software programs as well as different sizes of retailers. The reality is that the long term costs are similar in most cases. By long term, I mean a period of 5 to 7 years.

Read No Further - if the following applies to your business, you can rule out the Cloud-based point of sale programs in most cases:

• Internet access in your area is limited, spotty, unreliable, or not available
• You are in an IT role and want to keep your job/stay busy supporting the POS system
• You have existing equipment in place (servers, hardware, etc) that are less than 3 years old and have no interest in replacing this equipment
• The idea of always having to pay an ongoing fee to use the system is unappealing to you
• You want full control of your data locally
• Business equipment tax deductions are setup in a way that requires an outright purchase

Factors to Consider:

1. Your business has limited funds - SaaS Cloud POS systems have lower initial costs
2. You like having a set budgeted amount for POS software - SaaS Cloud POS systems have a flat amount that normally includes software updates as well as support
3. You have limited or no IT staff - SaaS Cloud based POS systems are generally less intense to learn and use and include support in the on-going fee
4. You have a high volume business like a liquor store or convenience store - My real world experience is that only POS systems that are run fully or partially locally at the store can provide the speed that high volume businesses require 
5. Multiple location chains - I've found that the complexities of what chain business require generally dictates that a locally deployed POS system is used. This may change over the next 3-5 years.
6. You require customization - there seems to be nearly equal availability for customization's and third party add-ons for both models. The main differences are how the customization or third party add-ons are paid for (upfront or on-going) 

There are always other factors but my main point is that you should not let anyone lead you down the wrong path when it comes to selecting the best point of sale system for your business.

Point of Sale Best Practices - Natural Disasters

What if this was happening to you and your retail business?

• Schools are closed for 9 days straight
• The roof of your building collapses
• Your stock and technology products are destroyed by water damage
• Your sales decline by 95% 
• Power goes out in -10 degree F temps
• Store stock is depleted
• Stock can not be replenished as trucks can not travel to your area

Well, right now all of the above is happening as a I type this right in the area that I live in - we are actually under a state of emergency due to a weather related natural disaster. Obviously I hope that this never happens to you or your business but here are some best practice tips when it comes to natural disasters and point of sale technology equipment:

1. Make sure that all of your point of sale technology equipment is documented for insurance records (make, model, serial number - pictures or videos are even better if they clearly show the actual equipment as well as the details about each product).
2. Ensure that all of your data is being backup up offsite - whether that be a removable drive or to a cloud based backup service.
3. Have good power protection in place (line conditioner, battery back-up, etc) to help prevent power fluctuation related damage to the hardware.
4. Make sure that you have the correct business insurance to cover technology products like point of sale software and hardware.
5. Do work with the business that sold you the point of sale equipment to provide cost estimates for insurance claims.

As always, do contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com if I can be of further assistance - I have dealt with this on multiple occasions but this is the first widespread incident that has happened right where I live.

Public Sector RFP Problems

Update 01/18/2017:
I've actually had a few government entities utilize the information below to prepare better requests - one has even signed on for a 17 location/30 concurrent user Cloud Retailer point of sale system - nice!

Wow - it always amazes me to review any sort of point of sale related RFQ/RFI/RFP from a government entity as they are normally well over 50 pages long but manage to miss critical details.  The one that I am reviewing right now provides some conflicting requirements, fails to include detailed information on existing equipment, and requests accounting functions from a point of sale system (without noting if accounting software is already in place or if accounting software is needed).

Thankfully, they have included a clarification period in the bid response period which is great!  If you are a government entity, or even a larger organization searching for a new point of sale system, please considering the following:

• Have a team comprised from one person from each department develop the point of sale RFP
• No one member of the team has higher say than other members. For example, IT does not have veto rights over someone representing the cashier staff. 
• You do need to have a project leader to keep the group focused and on task
• Have a replacement process in place should one member of the group need to be replaced or removed.
• Do remove members of the group who are only focused on their own departments needs or agenda and are not capable of seeing the big picture (I'm always amazed that organizations keep employees who can't see past their own agenda - regardless of what position they hold. Offer them retraining or show them the door as they are hurting more than they are helping. Interestingly enough, I've seen this equally among women and men, and yes, I have told them to pack it up and move on).
• Seek out multiple experts as needed that are unbiased or speak with other agencies who may have gone through the process recently - you can learn so much from them and they may even be able to provide you with some documentation that can be used.
• Keep in mind that you are asking a potential vendor to spend 20-40 hours preparing documentation so provide them with plenty of time to complete the documentation.
• Be realistic on expectations. For example, I had one member of a POS RFP team insist that the vendor compensate the organization for system outages. That is completely unrealistic. Does the power company compensate you when the power is out? Does Dell, IBM, or HP compensate you when a computer is down and needs to be replaced?  Keep the requirements realistic or you may find it tough to find anyone to respond.
• Make sure that the RFP/RFQ/RFI is announced through proper channels. It would reflect poorly on your organization if the bid was awarded and a local company was missed and filed a freedom of information request exposing that your organization failed to include local companies in the process. 
• Same goes for transparency. It is really easy to tell when a RFQ/RFP is being sent out even though a vendor has already been selected and the bid weighted in that vendors favor. Do this and expect a freedom of information request and a lot of media coverage that reflects poorly on your organization. I'm aware of one government entity that selected a vendor and bypassed the correct process. After spending well over $150 Million (!) in tax payers money, the vendor could not deliver a finished product and the entity had to almost start from scratch.

OK - enough for now. I realize that point of sale systems are a somewhat niche area of knowledge which one reason why this blog exists and why I pass along free advice.

Retail Point of Sale Service and Sales - Utah

A quick note that I'm headed to perform some sales and service work in the following areas and would be happy to swing by your retail business to offer some no cost retail point of sale advice (any service work would need to be scheduled ahead of time):

• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Ogden, Utah
• Logan, Utah
• Layton, Utah
• Lehi, Utah
• Park City, Utah
• Provo, Utah

Do call (208-340-5632) or email (kevinantosh@gmail.com) me if we should schedule a time to meet.

Retail Point of Sale Idaho and Wyoming

A quick note that I'm headed to perform some sales and service work in the following areas and would be happy to swing by your retail business to offer some no cost retail point of sale advice (any service work would need to be scheduled ahead of time):

• Mountain Home, Idaho
• Twin Falls, Idaho
• Pocatello, Idaho
• Blackfoot, Idaho
• Rigby, Idaho
• Rexburg, Idaho
• Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Jackson, Wyoming
• West Yellowstone

Do call (208-340-5632) or email (kevinantosh@gmail.com) me if we should schedule a time to meet.

RITE Expands Westward

Retail Information Technology Enterprises (RITE), Sartell, MN has expanded their local presence westward to provide local retail point of sale system service and sales to the under-served states of Idaho and Utah.

Since DirectPOS (Boise, ID, Salt Lake City, UT, and Spokane, WA) stopped selling and supporting point of sale systems in late summer 2013, retailers in these areas have experienced difficulty in obtaining service and support for their point of sale systems. Retailers in these areas searching for a point of sale system have found that they are limited to simple mobile point of sale systems or working with someone whose sole focus is not just on retail point of sale systems.

Since 2002, RITE has provided sales and 24/7 support of multiple point of sale systems for retailers of all types with a special focus on specialty retail stores with between 1 and 300 locations. 
RITE's Idaho and Utah office can be reached at 208-994-9404 or kevina@rite.us

Best Point of Sale Systems for Wineries

Even though I live in a desert like area of Idaho, I'm actually only about 15 miles away from two areas of Idaho that have multiple vineyards and wineries and felt that it may be helpful to pass along my experience working with wineries to provide them with cash registers or complete point of sale systems.

Wineries have some unique needs depending on size, customer base, online sales, distribution, and on site events.  Many wineries have tasting rooms, offer tours, have on-site sales, a restaurant, a loyalty program, and distribute their products and/or sell their products online. There is also a seasonal factor depending on the location of the winery.

Smaller wineries whose annual retail sales are under $150,000 would find that a basic cash register or a simple cloud based point of sale system will automate some aspects of the business and provide basic sales and inventory reports.

Wineries generating $150,000 to $400,000 in annual gross retail sales will find cash registers to be too basic so cloud based mobile point of sale solutions are a good match.

For wineries exceeding the $400,000 mark, you are at the point that a true point of sale system is the route to take as you likely want some or all of the following:

• Custom products labels with extended descriptions
• Ability to sell products by single item or case
• Mix and match promotions (special price when 6 different type of wine is purchased)
• Promotional packages like selling the wine along with an opener and decanter
• Wine Club loyalty program
• Email marketing
• Ticketing/Admissions for events and tours
• Sample event tickets
• Food sales
• Wholesale product sales/distribution sales

This is not a complete list but these are some of the more common requests that wineries have shared with me.  I know that Microsoft RMS/Retail Management Hero, NCR CounterPoint, Cloud Retailer and Retail Realm Essentials/Microsoft Dynamics AX are systems that are in use at wineries and market their solutions specifically to wineries. 

As these systems have significant cost differences, you'll want to speak with someone directly who can help you decide which systems are best for your winery. If you are not already working with a company that sells the above systems (or are not happy with their level of service & support) , and are in the US, please contact me on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com and I'd happy to provide some no cost advice. 

Point of Sale Terms

Nice article covering some of the terms that are used related to point of sale systems - I'm guilty of often using acronyms so here are some additional terms not found in the original article:

SaaS: Software as a Service - software that you pay an ongoing fee to use (normally monthly but can be annual or even seasonal).

Partner: Company that is trained and certified to sell, install, train on, and support a specific point of sale software program.

POS: Point of Sale - a software program or app used to track sales, inventory, and customer information. Not to be confused with payment terminals or point of service hardware and software.

Merchant Services: any and all things related to how you accept and authorize payment by debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet. This includes the hardware used as well as the company that provides your credit and debut card processing (like Heartland, First Data, Gravity, etc).

Here is the rest of the article: http://www.cashdrawer.com/blog/12-pos-jargon-terms-to-know/?utm_source=Q2-+2016+NL+to+Dealers+%26+Press&utm_campaign=Q2+NL+to+US+Dealer+%26+Press&utm_medium=email

If you need some help defining point of sale terms or have general questions related to retail point of sale systems, please contact me using the form to the right, on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com

Retail Point of Sale Systems in Minnesota

A quick reminder that I frequently travel throughout the state of Minnesota so if you happen to be searching for a retail point of sale system and your business is located in the state of Minnesota, please visit my contact page for information on how we might be able to meet in person for free and unbiased retail point of sale systems advice.

The areas that I visit the most frequently are:

• Twin Cities
• Minneapolis, MN
• St Paul, MN
• Duluth, MN
• Rochester, MN
• Winona, MN
• La Crosse, WI
• North Shore, MN
• Forest Lake, MN
• Alexandria, MN
• St Cloud, MN

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.

Retail Point of Sale Systems in Utah

A quick reminder that I frequently travel throughout the state of Utah so if you happen to be searching for a retail point of sale system and your business is located in the state of Utah, please visit my contact page for information on how we might be able to meet in person for free and unbiased retail point of sale systems advice.

The areas that I visit the most frequently are:

• Salt Lake City, UT
• Ogden, UT
• Bountiful, UT
• West Valley, UT
• Sandy, UT
• Orem, UT
• Park City, UT
• Provo, UT

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.