ironplanet uk900 Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I like to do some things manualy even though it may be easier on a computer.........You keep the grey matter working. Everyone to there own I suppose, whatever your comfortable with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 If you look at the guys who you admire and who have succesfull businesses you will more often as not find that they bit the bullet and invested in some form of Money/stock/customer control systems (EPOS)Anyone else have POS ? Anyone in this trade TITs? I seem to remember some tried it and binned it, but that was many years ago, perhaps the system has changed. I have been on the receiving end of EPOS recently when a company assured me that an item was in stock as their computer records showed 8 items in the warehouse. I made a long journey to pick up just 1 of those items, guess what? Physical knowledge of your stock is better than numbers on a screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Thats were "shite in / shite out" comes in, In the wrong hands any tool is crap. Epos has been and is evolving all the time ( getting better ) but if the loose nut infront of the kayboard never does a physical count then the whole system crumbles, People dont use this because they can, they use it because it works Im only saying that if being in total control of all the facts is important to you then EPOS is a fantastic tool, If on the other hand your happy to get bye and have enough to buy a few beers and a packet of chips then EPOS is a waiste of money, For the first 10 yrs of being self employed if you asked me what my GP or my VAT commitment was for that quarter I would have pulled a number out of thin air now 20yrs on im totally on top of all my financial affairs day bye day, I can see items that are not selling, items that are fast selling, items that could have better margin. etc ect, these tools were not within my grasp before Epos, shure I would have a stab at any question I was asked by book keepers but now I no the exact £ and p ..........thats what i call Control. But hey its not for everyone, there are still loads of shops without PCs GLENGRAVING 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 I agree, any system is only as good as it's operator. Lee, EPOS is quite simple really, everything is booked in and everything is booked out via the till. If you don't book it in, the system doesn't know it's there. Initially, booking all your stock onto the system is time consuming, but once done, you'll never do a stock take again! Some people like to operate a perpetual count on certain high use items, but other than that, I think it's a must! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Some people like to operate a perpetual count on certain high use items, but other than that, I think it's a must! Keith I like that idea, could it be used as a split system so all retail stock lines could be entered into it, but items such as keys and engraving plates could be rung in as with a traditional till? Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Lee, I'm no expert, but these systems are not rocket science. Talk to a supplier and i'm sure they'll give you some onfo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 I may bw way off here gents but,.... If you have to do a physical count what the hell is the purpose of EPOS? Might it be just a whole lot quicker just to do it once instead of tilling it and counting it, plus the cost of the system and the glitches. I was in a bar on Monday and i ordered 2 drinks and an ice cream, it took 8 minutes for the girl to get the till draw open because she could not find a button for the type of ice cream, meanwhile several customers were getting rather annoyed. If you have control of static staff who know the system inside out and can put right all the wrongs then I might just sway to your side but in a very fast moving shop with temps or part timers it could be the till from hell. I've been the annoyed customer far too many times to be a fan of these tills, but if I have to wait while your assistant fumbles with the controls and cocks it up for the umpteenth time then I have the right to a moan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 The idea is, at the end of each Quarter, i print a stock sheet, on the sheet it has all my stock listed by type, I can if i wish trust the exact figure or chose a particular or all section and check to see if all is present and correct, and amend the stock if needs be, EPOS is not all about only stock control, I run about 50 christmas club customers and about 100 customers accounts from this system and it prints all the invoices, reminder letters,mailshots,record of payments,refunds ,credit notes, everything you need to track,record and CONTROL your dealings with your customers. Example 1. Customer walks in today with faulty item and his sales Reciept,( 10mths old) I hold the paperwork up to the barcode reader and it tells me on screen Who I bought it from, when I bought it, how much it cost me,what invoice number the goods were purchased on and give me the option to print a RMA for to send the goods back to suppier with all the relevant information already printed on the letter "Priceless" This is just 1 of the many advantages of "good" EPOS ( more lessons to follow) PS , not all EPOS is as good as it should be ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 That example TITs was very good at explaining some of the more advantageous points of the system and I can now see the logic but, another shopping experience not more than 3 hours ago. Customer has a trolly load of clothing (no prizes for guessing which sex), all items get rung into till, customer then produces a store discount card, all ok so far, then she pays by credit/debit card, bank refuse the transaction. After several phone calls to bank by staff the card is still refused, it turns out that the card holder is an International footballer who has given the card to his mother but has some form of problem with the bank (probably not paying the statements when due). All the items then have to be voided on the till but there is technical hitches due to the discounted amount not tallying with the store marked price. 4 senior staff and 25 mins later the problem was still not resolved although the customer had long since gone. Fortunately I was just a bystander observing. The folk in the queue though were not and were furious. Cant be sure it was an EPOS till but the size of the store would say it was. I have a pet hate of inefficiancy at till point and a store stands or falls on the way it proccesses transactions at that point. I aint so sure that the situations I come accross would ever materialise in the service environment of your shops due to the proprietors being in control and on hand in most cases but are you all comuter savvy enough to get to grips with the problems in a hectic day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Ye I hear ya, I went for a ferry boat today and the boat had broke down ! Shit happens, Boats breakdown all the time and so do tills, I maybe have one cockup every 18mths /2yrs, like you have just explained, the answer is to go with good quality EPOS on good hardwear, Dont ask it to make tea or butter toast, Just good maths and simple record keeping. I bet people had this debate 50yrs ago with them fancy motorised "drills" and high fangled sewing machines ! they would have said " I do all my finnishing by hand" dont want one of them fancy sandbelt machines, I heard about a man loosing an arm in one of them contraptions. Your children and the people who take over your biz when you retire WILL have epos, look at all the bigger more succesfull companys around you , they dont have it because they want it, they have it because they Need IT, get it "IT" that was a wee plug for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 What big companies in our trade are using them? What are the good makes? What are the good models? I ask these questions fro others who may wish to down the path to fulfillment. Oh and if you think that I'm giving up my Ratchet Rawlplug tool and replacing it with an electric motor drill your mistaken, I dont need a power supply, it dont need battteries charging after each hole and I dont have to buy tungsten drill bits, oh and it dont spew dust everywhere although it is like a machine gun going off Oh and another thing, I aint giving up my full set of Hand Irons either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Thats it !...................the answer to global warming When we run out of electricity you will be king All the "modern" stuff we have all adopted will be dead ! The old skill will be back, and people like me will wither and Die Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I agree with you TITs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 don't ferget to book your box whilst your in the final withering stages i am available most days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 And I thought I would be dead before Hugh agreed with me on something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Scottish Pine for TITS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 What.........Pine...........Im a child of the moder world, I will be planted in a Poly bag, no dove tail joints, no rebates , just Gaffa tape and a huge bit of poly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I trust that will be the Bio Degradable Poly TITs!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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