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James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 10:50 AM
Does anyone use a POS (Point of Sale) system with their shop? If so, how did you set up the different departments?

Would you separate it by acrylic products . . . wood products . . . or by office products . . . home decor . . . picture frames . . . desk products . . . tile . . . glass . . . vendors . . . and if you have a general gift shop would you separate it by raw materials, gifts brought in from other business . . .

ANY advise on this would be soooo appreciated.

Paul Brinkmeyer
02-26-2009, 11:29 AM
I use quick books POS. Really is an overkill, got a good price, but very poor support when I was setting it up.

I have few department, laser, embroidery, specialtiy candles, leather goods etc.

I then have sub groups...for example under laser I have rubber stamps, badges, signage, misc and a few other items I track. This is the breakdown I follow.

I have a bar code with each subgroup that scans in without a price as that varies. Candles and leather are inventory items as as such each have a bar code with price, and track invent this way.

Once it was set-up, it is very easy to use.

If you need more info, just ask.

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 12:16 PM
Thanks Paul, really appreciate the help.

We found QuickBooks on sale with hardware, it was nearly $500 off the regualar price and dove in.

Suppose you have a gift shop & website, some items you make, some you just bring in. (trying not to say the wrong thing to get edited) The things you make with your laser or embroidery, do you give them barcodes, how do you handle the raw materials in the POS?

Your barcodes are they actual bar codes or an in house barcode. Once you set up the departments is it fairly easy to go in and change things.

I use to be the support for a program called Computerized Maintenance Management System and once you went too far in the setting up or input, it took an act of Congress (so to speak) to correct it. I just don't want to mess up in the beginning. I am trying to sit back and really think about how this needs to be set up before proceeding, yet we are very excited and want to get it on line.

Thanks again.

Paul Brinkmeyer
02-26-2009, 3:22 PM
See below. Hope this helps



We found QuickBooks on sale with hardware, it was nearly $500 off the regualar price and dove in. That should be good, as most of my problems were getting the approved hardware to work on Vista. Now 2 years later I expect that to be worked out anyway.

Suppose you have a gift shop & website, some items you make, some you just bring in. (trying not to say the wrong thing to get edited) The things you make with your laser or embroidery, do you give them barcodes, how do you handle the raw materials in the POS? I use my own barcodes on my products and the manufactures barcodes when available.

Your barcodes are they actual bar codes or an in house barcode. Once you set up the departments is it fairly easy to go in and change things. Actual barcodes, it is built into the system. Easy to change.

I use to be the support for a program called Computerized Maintenance Management System and once you went too far in the setting up or input, it took an act of Congress (so to speak) to correct it. I just don't want to mess up in the beginning. I am trying to sit back and really think about how this needs to be set up before proceeding, yet we are very excited and want to get it on line. This should be easy for you then.

Thanks again.

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 3:44 PM
Great, thanks, really appreciate the help. As long as I know that I can go back in and change things if I mess them up then I am good to go . . . or should I say WHEN I mess them up.

We too intend to use in house barcodes or try to anyhow.

Thanks again.

Mike Null
02-26-2009, 3:49 PM
Zelma

There are things you can't change once you've used the item to record a transaction. I would look very hard at the tutorial so you understand what can be edited.

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 3:58 PM
O.K. Mike I had my confidence all built up and was ready to dive in . . . I've watched the tutorials about 3 times. Now I'm back to being . . . how is it they put it . . . skeered (better know as scared).

Back to the videos/tutorials.

Thanks Mike, I have and always will value your opinion.

pete hagan
02-26-2009, 5:19 PM
I've been a QB user for 12 years with various business interests. I had a business center where many items were already bar-coded (UPC) office supplies, equipment rental, pay to fax etc... and other items were not so we printed our own using cheap software like My Label Designer. What I like about QBpro is that I have my credit card processing and my shipping built into the package making it easy to only enter info once to generate a (1) bill of sale (2) credit card receipt and approval (3) shipping label with FedEx or UPS without going outside of the program.

Managing inventory is rather straight forward and you can assign different price levels for various customers. I have some who wholesale, some who are retail but bulk buyers and then straight retail with no discount. IF you can assign a specific barcode number for an item that doesn't change, say a pack of gum with a UPC already, then the software is very simple to use and to track inventory.

HOWEVER here it comes... wait for it.....IF you are like most of the creekers who make one-offs or do not have consistent pricing then it can be frustrating but it is doable. Since you have worked the accounting software side that part is easy in fact practically hidden to the average QB users. No real setting up account ledger numbers or such (but you can add very easily and get very detailed if you wish).

Here's an example.
I make a product that includes parts from 6 different suppliers. I can either set it up so that when the raw materials come in I allocate it to "cost of goods sold" or to "inventory parts of an assembly". (I do the second) Once the items come in I can then see, based on the quantity of raw materials I have on hand, how many widgets I can sell. When I enter the order EVERY widget has the same part number / barcode and it accurately provides me with reports as to when I need to reorder the raw materials based on my previous sell thru. HOWEVER if you want to track each absolute item (like a serial number) QB is not the software for that.

It works well and I even have a bar code scanner on my computer in the shop to scan the barcode into QB as I pull the finished item off the shelf to ship. What is lacking is a good way to deal with backorders and partial shipments but it may be that I simply haven't looking far enough into the program to figure it out. It is easy to use, somewhat easy to set up. You can import and export the items list to actually modify that in excel if you wish and this can easily handle a small company in the 50K through 2-3 million dollar sales range. Most accountants worth their weight can easily take the file and prepare your taxes from it versus taking piles of printouts.

That's my 2cents.

BTW We did use the software as a point of sale and it worked very well. Because we had things like computer time for business people coming in to check emails (before laptops and wifi was so rampant) we just had a book with the barcodes printed on sheets and opened it up to scan 15min - 30min etc... It worked OK and I believe they have an actual POS system now that likely works better. The straight package worked fine for us.

Best of luck!

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 5:34 PM
:eek:
:eek:
:eek:

That is a lot of information & and I really appreciate it . . . :mad: . . . :confused: . . . ;)

Seriously, thank you. I think I'll study this for a while or better yet print it out and let James G have some fun . . . he is the other 50% of us.

I know there is a lot more to this than just jumping in and starting that is why I ask. Thank you so much for all your help.

Paul Brinkmeyer
02-26-2009, 5:49 PM
The QB POS system has worked OK for me. As I have missed items, depts or needed to change things, I have not had any problems yet. I have never used quickbook. so I can not say about that.
In POS you can use your part number or the vendors or both. (I do this)

Scan barcode, enter any part of the discription or any part number and it usually finds it fast. For ones, twos, and odd ball stuff, I just set up an item or dept. with zero for a price and enter it at the time of sale. You can even change the discription of an item on the fly.

The only thing I miss from other POS systems I have used is the touch screen interface. It's OK, but I have had systems that let you program big buttons and many sub menus under them so very seldom did you have to touch mouse or keys. But after setting up all the barcodes the way I like, I am almost there anyway.

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 6:47 PM
The QB POS system has worked OK for me. As I have missed items, depts or needed to change things, I have not had any problems yet. I have never used quickbook. so I can not say about that.


Paul,

I thought when you said you were using QB POS, that stood for Quickbooks, does it not?

Paul Brinkmeyer
02-26-2009, 9:29 PM
Yes, Quickbooks POS. You do not need QuickBooks to use it, and I actually use just plain old quicken for the accounting side.

James & Zelma Litzmann
02-26-2009, 9:34 PM
That is what we have, not the accounting part . . . not yet.

Dave Yanke
02-27-2009, 12:46 PM
Does anyone use a POS (Point of Sale) system with their shop? If so, how did you set up the different departments?

Would you separate it by acrylic products . . . wood products . . . or by office products . . . home decor . . . picture frames . . . desk products . . . tile . . . glass . . . vendors . . . and if you have a general gift shop would you separate it by raw materials, gifts brought in from other business . . .

ANY advise on this would be soooo appreciated.

I have used them in my other opperations, however now find it just simpler to use either Peachtree or Quickens accounting programs without the POS modules.

First, I would advise staying away from a piece of software called AccuPOS. Along with being very poorly, customer service are two words they try to avoid at all costs.

That being said, try to categorize things (using either method) so that you have a few items as possible that you have to use or suddenly the software is using you not the other way around.

In Quicken and Peachtree, one of which you will probably be using as the underlying engine of your POS anyway, this is done by grouping individual items so instead of hitting a key for a set-up charge, engraving charge then assembly, you group all these under one name. You can then choose when the invoice is printed to either list the individual items or just the grouping.

Since I have set these up in my different operations, anything I go with new I just use Quicken with groupings (My preference would be Peachtree, but the wife does the books and likes Quicken) and don't use the POS. Personally I find POS more bother than it's worth, even in my retail set-ups. I think their value lies more in Resturaunts and bars, however this is my preference and I am sure some will chime in that like them.