LA Point of Sale

The typicall POS systems you may see on restaurants and fast food chains are touch screen monitors, programmable keyboards, or scanners and handheld devices. Cash registers can be baught with or without a built-in cash drawer, printers can be dot matrix or thermal, programmable keyboards can have covers for spill protection and scanners can be a CCD scanner or an autosending laser scanner.

Touch Screens: Many restaurants find touch screen monitors as more intuitive to use than keyboards, as it can reduce mistypes and can easily cancel inputted orders in milliseconds, and because it provides flexible user interfaces and programming. Touch screens also uses less electricity and much easier to position on the counter table, but they can be more prone to breakdowns.

Handheld devices: Restaurant harware devices like PDAs, which are commonly wireless devices that transmits data back to its base station and into the POS system. You can also use the newer version, which is the write-on handhelds that allows you to write detail such as the orders and directly sends the oder to the kitchen! These types of handheld devices are perfect for your staff who interacts with your customers, when up-selling desserts and drinks roaming around table per table.

Keyboards: Most grocery stores prefer to use this type of POS systems, since they can program individual keys for specific item codes and prices. A standard keyboard consists of 101-key, like with any computer. Others are small and flat, which are common in fast food chains. POS keyboards often has a built-in magnetic stripe readers for processing credit cards.

Scanners: A very useful piece of electronic device that reads bar codes, converts and inputs its details to a POS system computer. Generally, it speeds up a sales transaction as well as accurately inputs product or service payment of a customer. It typically connects through Y-connectors called wedges that make them function as an extension of the keyboard.

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Volume of customers: For different volume of customers, using different types of scanners can be very helpful. If the counter line has several customers, your staff can easily use a CCD scanner or entry-level laser scanner. If the line is loaded with customers, then an  autosensing laser scanners would be better. This type of scanner  turns on when an item is placed in front of it, scans its code, and then turn off again. But if the counter line is overflowing with customers, you could sure use the help of an omnidirectional scanner, where it can scan a bar code from any angle with its 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously!

Additional POS hardware to consider

Cash drawers: Used to store cash, checks, gift certificates and other important papers. When looking to buy a cash drawer, look for a sturdy construction of at least 18-gauge steel, don’t just buy one because your local vendor tells you that it’s the best or simply because it looks fancy. Go for the most reliable cash drawer since the usable life of cash drawers are measured, you also have to make surer that you can replace rollers, bearings, and other parts. Most cash drawers opens only when it is signaled by the POS printer.

POS printers: Every restaurant owner has them, every POS system needs one of course! A POS printer is needed for printing a receipt and creating credit card slips. The dot matrix printers, also known as impact printers, are inexpensive and uses ink ribbon to print on regular paper. While thermal printers use heat and special heat-sensitive paper to generate receipts. It is slightly expensive than a dot matrix printer because it prints receipts faster and more quieter. They are also more reliable because they have less moving parts.

Customer displays: A customer display or pole display lets your customers know the price of the item they’re purchasing and some support advertising. Just make sure that your customer display is of the right height and shape to fit in to your counter table, as well as it’s compatibility with your POS software.

Check readers: If you don’t have one, I suggest getting one now. This device helps you be preventing check fraud by verifying essential account information, saving you tons of profit.

Magnetic stripe readers: A simple piece of hardware that is used to read credit cards. For added convenience, look for POS keyboards and touch screens that has a built-in magnetic strip reader, so you don’t have to buy a separate one.

Fingerprint ID readers: If you want to limit which POS terminal can a staff use, then this type of restaurant hardware can be handy. You can also use this for employee logins thus preventing any of your employees from logging in inplace of somebody.

Keep in mind, when purchasing for POS systems, hardware or software, make sure to know the item first before heading to your local supplier. No matter how expensive or cheap a POS equipment is, consider the environment where you’re going to use it. Regular cleaning keeps your keyboards and touch screens in top shape, vacuuming dust and lubing your receipt printer can extend its life and maintaining an over all clean workstation can help protect your POS terminal from dust and spills. You can always request for a FREE POS system quote online where local suppliers will provide you competitive price lists on any type of POS terminal your business needs.