My Mini, Me and My Aftermarket Shop

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I am a mini copper enthusiast. I own a 2010 Blue BMW Mini Cooper S and a Blue 1999 Rover Mini. I used to order aftermarket parts for my cars and my fellow mini owners have asked for my help in acquiring parts for their own minis as well. They told me that if I put a store or shop, they would be more than glad to support and help me spread the word about it. So, after more encouragement and sleepless nights, I put up my aftermarket shop. It has been three years and the shop is still growing strong with more Mini owners ordering and buying stuff from my shop. It’s both work and play and I love it.

When I was putting up the shop, I made it a point to get the best retail software and system to make my work easier. I scouted around and found a supplier for the system. A friend has recommended it and I was able to get a discount for the system. The POS system that we have acquired included a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display, a barcode scanner and a debit/credit card reader. The point of sale software was very easy to understand and use. It just took us a total of three days to know the functions and features of the system. As a retailer, I don’t want my sales unrecorded; or my inventory doesn’t match the tallies and spending time correcting mistakes. The system is a good investment because it solves many operational tasks and record keeping headaches. Based on these merits, the retail software has more benefits that I can tell you. This type of system was only available to major retail stores and thankfully, it’s now readily available to small and medium businesses.

The point of sale software speeds up the checkout process by calculating sales, change and adding the sales tax. It has made the shop more efficient and we can talk to the customers and spend more time with them answering their inquiries and made them feel that they are important plus we can show them parts that can help the performance of their Minis and in return, it makes the customers happy because they do not go through a lengthy checkout process. The retail software also lets me identify inventory levels especially when the books do not match the actual stocks in the shop. The degree of inventory control is important in sales and the software can track which items are selling well and it also determines which stocks or parts are not popular.

Some say that most point of sale software and systems are just sophisticated cash registers, which I say is true but as a user of this system, I can say that its more than just a sophisticated cash register. It has a standard format for records and transactions that keeps daily sales, which is very easy to understand. It also keeps tab on the person who performed the transaction and the amount of the items purchased. There are more benefits a point of sale software offer but it will depend o the individual or type of business the system is used for. In my case I was lucky to have a reputable point of sale software and system vendor that discussed the benefits and the various features of this system. Everything is much easier, efficient and effective. I can balance my Mini cooper aftermarket business while enjoying rides and rallies with fellow enthusiasts and friends.

Author: 

Jerry Hall is a father of two and a Mini Cooper enthusiast. The love affair with the Mini began when his father gave him his first second hand 1971 Morris Mini in 1986. He now owns an aftermarket shop selling parts and accessories for classic and BMW Minis. Jerry has attested the use of point of sale software has helped him in managing his business efficiently. 

A Grocer’s Testaments To POS Systems

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As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The first impression given to the potential buyer will determine if the store-owner has gained a client for life or lost a potential long-term buyer. Recent studies state that most in-store purchase decisions are made in the store at the time of purchase; it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Putting more emphasis on the shop’s design, shopping environment, in-store promotions; will increase the influence impulse or mood purchasing.

Point Four Touch Point of Sale Till (Photo credit: Cyberslayer)

There are so many qualities that you need to have if you want to run a successful retail business. You need to make sure that you’re in a position to make your store a success.  In these tough economic times, many businesses are struggling to make it or to stay afloat.  You need to have the right place, timing, business sense and tools to succeed. One of the tools that any retailer need are POS systems.  I know because I own a medium sized grocery and having a POS system has greatly increased the productivity, efficiency and made the job of managing the store easier.

What are POS systems? Point of sale refers to the software solution that is used at the point of purchase by the sales clerk. It allows the store to have a simple checking process.  POS systems usually include a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display, a barcode scanner and a debit/credit card reader. The system, particularly the software is easy to use and understand. The POS software speeds up the process by calculating sales and change and adding in the sales tax.  It has greatly increased the efficiency of our store and we can spend more time on the floor servicing to customers and it made the customers feel that they are important and well cared for.

The POS systems record each transaction and helps manage the inventory. Updates allow accurate records of sales to be pulled out at anytime of the day. Transactions are time stamped that help products sold together to be identified. It’s really handy and gives me useful information to keep tabs of our sales. Taking inventory is one of the most time - consuming and labor intensive task every storeowner face and one of the most crucial. Having too much stock or too little of it is very costly. Although having a POS system track my store’s inventory, it does not substitute for a physical inventory count but it reduces the number of times each year I have to conduct this time consuming task. Good thing I have wireless portable scanner programmed to the system that saves me hours and footsteps in the process. Really nice.

POS systems have the ability to provide immediate and accurate assessment of my inventory. Each time an item is sold, the item is immediately subtracted from the inventory list. It lets me know when a given item or products are in its reorder point. . As a retailer, I don’t want my sales unrecorded; or my inventory doesn’t match the tallies and spending time correcting mistakes. The system is a good investment because it solves many operational tasks and record keeping headaches. This type of system was only available to major retail stores and thankfully, it’s now readily available to small and medium businesses. Some say that most point of sale software and systems are just sophisticated cash registers, which I say is true but as a user of this system, I can say that its more than just a sophisticated cash register. POS systems are a complete solution.  

Neil Adams is a father to three boys, a hardworking funny man that enjoys Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Jack Black. Neil has been in the retail business for 10 years now and thankful that POS systems were invented.

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POS Software Increases Profitability

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Maximizing sales can significantly impact profitability, especially if it’s done in such a way that your overheads remain practically the same. How can that be achieved? Easily. All it takes is a website. By creating a website to sell your products, alongside your brick-and-mortar store, you are gaining access to a massive pool of customers you may not have otherwise been able to reach. In fact, if your products can be shipped globally, there is absolutely no reason for you not to sell your goods all over the world.

Point Four Touch Point of Sale Till (Photo credit: Cyberslayer)

But many retailers shy away from putting up a website because they fear it would be like a second business they need to run, with all that entails from inventory control to other retail administration tasks. Well, this isn’t an issue with quality POS software because it features an integrated website management system, allowing you to synchronize everything so that the website basically runs itself, with stocks updating in real-time. In other words, your business will consist of online and offline stores that can be managed using the same system, giving you more free time to find other ways to improve profitability.

Another way you can maximize sales and improve profitability is by increasing your customer retention rate. We all know that repeat customers are more cost-effective than new customers and loyalty is a powerful thing when it comes to people parting with their money. But how can POS software help to increase the number of repeat customers? Simple. A good retail software system will provide you with all the tools to better understand your customers so you can make them irresistible offers.

Using a variety of methods, including branded loyalty cards, you will be able to capture the information of your customers as well as their purchasing habits. Using this data, a POS software system will be able to analyze customer behavior, allowing you to create irresistible offers and incentives that can be used to draw them back to the store.

POS Software to Reduce Costs

Increasing profitability is not just a matter of maximizing sales. Decreasing costs is also an important aspect and one of the biggest problem areas for many retailers is inventory management. It is rare for a retailer to be able to optimize their inventory and they often find they’ve spent too much money on excess inventory. Considering that inventory is the largest cost for a retail operation, it makes sense that the ability to manage it properly and ensure stocks are always at optimal levels will lead to lower costs and bigger profits.

Any good POS software will be able to help you with inventory management, as stocks are updated in real time and intelligent stock ordering systems analyze past data and make recommendations. Thus, you will constantly have optimal stock levels and save a lot of money because you will never have excess stock again.

In a highly competitive market, retailers need every edge they can get and POS software is one of the biggest advantages you can have over your competition as it allows you to streamline your operation. Higher efficiency implies lower costs, which in turn increases profitability and allows you more time with your customers, increasing customer loyalty.

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Computer 101: The Dot-Matrix Printer is here to stay.

One of the early technology in printing is the impact printers, during the early era of computers in work place, home and school there is the all kinds of impact printers. One of the most recognizable model of the impact technologies for printers is the Dot-Matrix Printers. It is every where, where there is computer there is bound to be one of this kinds of printer. As time and technology for printer evolve and developed new type of printer started to dominate the landscape for printing. The once proud and dominant dot-matrix printer where slowly replace by the more silent and more efficient ink jet and laser printer. But did the dot-matrix completely loss is usefulness in the era of ink jet and laser printer, well the answer is a big NO. 

Even with today's new type of printing where almost all printer is a combination of three machine or the so called all-in-one type, where one can print, scan and photocopy any type of documents, and yes there is the fourth one the printer can also be used as a fax machine. But before we go any deeper, let's do a quick tutorials on what is a dot-matrix printer. 

What is a dot-matrix or impact printer?

A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer is a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth, or in an up and down motion, on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like the print mechanism on a typewriter. However, unlike a typewriter or daisy wheel printer, letters are drawn out of a dot matrix, and thus, varied fonts and arbitrary graphics can be produced. Because the printing involves mechanical pressure, these printers can create carbon copies and carbonless copies.

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Each dot is produced by a tiny metal rod, also called a "wire" or "pin", which is driven forward by the power of a tiny electromagnet or solenoid, either directly or through small levers (pawls). Facing the ribbon and the paper is a small guide plate pierced with holes to serve as guides for the pins. The moving portion of the printer is called the print head, and when running the printer as a generic text device generally prints one line of text at a time. Most dot matrix printers have a single vertical line of dot-making equipment on their print heads; others have a few interleaved rows in order to improve dot density.

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Well i hope that the explanation above is clear enough for us to understand what is a dot-matrix or high impact printers. Even though we think that because of new development in printing technology the dot-matrix printer will become obsolete. Well for me i think not, because until this very day that i wrote this article there is a lot of offices and home that is using the dot-matrix printer.

Use of  Dot-Matrix Printer Today

As of 2005, dot matrix impact technology remains in use in devices such as cash registers, ATM, and many other point-of-sales terminals. Thermal printing is gradually supplanting them in these applications. Full-size dot-matrix impact printers are still used to print multi-part stationery, for example at bank tellers and auto repair shops, and other applications where use of tractor feed paper is desirable such as data logging and aviation. 

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Some are even fitted with USB interfaces as standard to aid connection to modern legacy-free computers. Dot matrix printers are also more tolerant of the hot and dirty operating conditions found in many industrial settings. The simplicity and durability of the design allows users who are not "computer literate" to easily perform routine tasks such as changing ribbons and correcting paper jams.

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Some companies, such as Printek, DASCOM, WeP Peripherals, Epson, Okidata, Olivetti, Lexmark, and TallyGenicom still produce serial and line printers. Today, a new dot matrix printer actually costs more than most inkjet printers and some entry level laser printers. However, not much should be read into this price difference as the printing costs for inkjet and laser printers are a great deal higher than for dot matrix printers, and the inkjet/laser printer manufacturers effectively use their monopoly over arbitrarily priced printer cartridges to subsidies the initial cost of the printer itself. Dot matrix ribbons are a commodity and are not monopolized by the printer manufacturers themselves.

What do you think is the future of the dot-matrix printer for the next 10 or 20 years, will still be around by that time or for all usefulness and durability it will be another extinct commodities in technology? Can you share your thoughts on these?