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.

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.

Undercover Boss and O'Neills Clothing Point of Sale System

I watched the O'Neills Clothing episode of Undercover Boss the other night. One segment of the show featured 'problems' that an employee was having with their point of sale system.  With these types of shows it is tough to know what has been edited or staged for the show but the problem boiled down to the warehouse scanner requiring the enter key to be pressed after each product was scanned.

The warehouse barcode scanner appeared to be a wireless Symbol or MetroLogic/Honeywell.  These wireless barcode scanners can be programmed to emulate a carriage return (same as if you pressed the enter key on the computers keyboard) after each item is scanner.

Not sure if this is a classic "not knowing the capabilities of your point of sale system moment" or an "edited for reality TV" moment. I will be contacting O'Neills Clothing to make sure that the problem was resolved (I'm assuming it was since this episode was likely filmed several months ago).

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.