Point of Sale Workshop Update

Thanks to everyone who attended my How to Choose and Budget for a Point of Sale System workshop at the awesome Oregon Small Business Development Center in Ontario OR! Here is information on the next workshop being held in Boise: https://www.idahosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=40320088

Note that these workshops can be held online or at a location close to you as well.

       

In Case You Shopped at B and N

News article related to credit/debit cards being compromised at Barnes and Nobel:

http://news.yahoo.com/barnes-noble-says-pin-pads-63-stores-hacked-023657958.html

Make sure that all of your point of sale or cash register equipment meets all the PCI compliance requirements for data security. I also recommend having a security company scan your entire system quarterly to ensure your system is secure.  I personally use Security Metrics and include the cost of the scans with in the cost of the point of sale equipment.

New Android Retail and Restaurant Solution

I've come across quite a few iOS (iPpad, iPhone & iPod) solutions over the last six months but this is the first Android based solution that I have been able to get my hands on. It is called "Clover" and is marketed as a solution for retail stores and restaurants that need more than a cash register but don't have the budget (or need) for a $3000 to $10,000 point of sale system.

Here are some pix that I took of the Clover unit.

Back of the system showing the LCD customer display

Front of the system showing the Android tablet, cash drawer, credit card swipe & receipt printer

Side of the system - a barcode scanner is an available option

Another shot of the front

A couple of things impressed me about Clover. One is that it is the first tablet point of sale system that I have reviewed that has multi-location capabilities.  I also liked that there is one set monthly price for the whole system (software 'app', tablet, warranty, support, cash drawer, receipt printer, credit card swipe and customer price display).  This really makes it easy on a retail store or restaurants budget since there are no surprises - just a monthly payment starting around $79/month.

*UPDATES 7/26/2014*  Recent feedback on Clover:

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