Electronic Cash Register vs. Point of Sale System
By: Sergio - 1/17/2014

I recently spoke with a few individuals who were looking for an electronic cash register. Because POSGuys.com sells the latest and best point of sale equipment, I had to advise against it for various reasons.
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When considering weather to buy an electronic cash register or POS system, there a few things to consider. I have put together this list of pros and cons for comparison.

Electronic Cash Register

PROS:

They are very low cost

Easy to use

You can find them locally

Simple set up

CONS:

Not always durable and often cheap

Programming guides are sometimes complicated

No inventory management

No support for physical inventory counts

No purchase order creation

No detailed reporting

No customer tracking

No menu items (for restaurants)

No tabel seating arrangement (for restaurants)

No gift card capabilities

No employee time clock

Not designed for take-out (for restaurants)

Not designed for delivery transactions (for restaurants)

Not designed for integrated credit card transactions (have to use separate terminal)

Cannot save or transfer sales data

Cannot support multiple tax codes

Cannot customize receipts

Cannot connect to peripheral devices most of the time (example: barcode scanner)

Point Of Sale System

PROS:

User friendly

Set up and installation is usually straight forward, often already done by vendor (POSGuys.com)

Equipment comes with manufacturer warranty

Suited for all types of businesses, retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare/spa services, etc.

Software can be uninstalled and switched to a different software

Easy database backups and file transfers

Most software has full inventory management capabilities

Track Sales

Diverse reporting features

Fast transactions

Integrated credit card processing

You can upgrade to a better computer or software at any time

Compatible with handheld scanners, printers, scales, fingerprint scanners, etc.

CONS:

Computer, Monitor, Printer, and cash drawer are usually not integrated as one unit

Separate equipment requires more counter space

Investment is often more than an electronic cash register

In conclusion, you can see there are more benefits of using a computerized point of sale system versus an electronic cash register. The Pros outweigh the cons for a POS System. As technology and requirements change and advance, so should the streamlined process when running your business. Electronic cash registers offer a convenient solution to get away from doing hand written receipts, however the technology is old, and there are numerous limitations.

Electronic Cash Register vs. Point of Sale System By: Sergio - 1/17/2014

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Electronic Cash Register vs. Point of Sale System
By: Sergio - 1/17/2014