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Point of Sale |
  
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Point of Sale |
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Overview
The POS system provides a simple and efficient method to replace your cash registers with state-of-the-art computer systems. You lose none of the efficiency inherent in a simple (or complex) cash register and have at your immediate disposal much more information about your sales than ever before! Through the many options available in this POS system you will be able to control all actions of the clerks and registers.
When you choose Point of Sale on the main menu, the list of options shown below is displayed. After providing brief summaries of each choice, this section describes the purpose and operation of each option in detail.
A - Run POS Register
B - Print POS Reports
C - Settle (Balance) Register
D - Force Logoff from Register
E - Post POS Transactions
F - Enter/Chg Promotional Items
G - Post Cash Out Transactions
H - Cash Out Report
I - Lay-a-way Transactions
J - POS Configuration Maintenance
This is the main register program and the one the clerks will run to enter sales into the system.
This program prints all the different reports available in the POS system.
The clerk uses this program to balance the register's cash drawer at the end of the day or shift.
D - Force Log-off from Register
If something happens to the clerk's system during the normal sale process and it is reset or turned off, the clerk will not be allowed to log back on until a forced log-off is performed. The manager (or employee with the proper approval) can use this program to perform the forced log-off.
This will post the transactions entered in POS-A to the proper files. It can be run at the end of the day or as a continuously running process in the background.
F - Enter/Chg Promotional Items
Enter or change the promotional pricing and dates for specific inventory items using this program.
G - Post Cash Out Transactions
Use this program to post cash out's to vendors for deliveries, etc.
This option will print a report detailing information on cash out's, including date, time, vendor, register, clerk, invoice number, and amount.
In this program you can look up information on lay-a-ways, complete a sale, cancel a lay-a-way, print an aging report, or list products currently on lay-a-way.
J - POS Configuration Maintenance
Use this program to set up the various system wide attributes and to enter/change register, clerk and payment type records.
Before You Setup Point of Sale
This process assumes that Advanced Accounting 7 has been installed properly and that you are familiar with both its specific operation and the general operation of any CAS program.
In the process of stepping through each of the items in this section, you will be learning about what POS adds to the underlying accounting system as well as preparing and entering your company information. The suggested start-up sequence covered in this section can be broken into 3 general phases:
| 1. | Preparing for setup: Planning, accumulating your data. |
| 2. | Entering initial information: Determining the initial settings for the control file and entering registers, clerks and payment types, etc. |
| 3. | Putting the POS system into daily operation. |
Before we continue, a few words about security. Much thought has been put into this program to eliminate, as much as possible, any chance of a clerk bypassing the normal process in an attempt to ring up a sale and not record it. In this way, a dishonest clerk might collect the money from the customer and pocket it instead of putting it in the register. We know this is a concern for many retailers. In trying to make sure this doesn't happen to you we have included several processes. We record all sales including voids, credits, and so on. At anytime you can get a list of all transactions in numerical order for that register. If one is missing you know something went wrong. Also, if the clerk attempts to cover up the audit trail by going to the extreme of turning off the computer or re-booting it before the sale is recorded, the system will not allow the clerk to log back on until there has been a forced log-off. By restricting the approval level of the person allowed to perform a forced log-off, you can make sure that someone knows each time this happens. You can also prevent the clerk from making changes to a sale so that their only option is to enter negative (credit) lines to balance other entries made; these negative lines will all be recorded. You can even restrict the ability of the clerk to enter negative items. Finally, we keep an audit trail of all log-ons and log-offs, and the appropriate clerk code. This includes anyone who logs on to the main control maintenance program itself. We believe that you will find the security measures in our Point of Sale system to be complete and effective in helping you reduce theft and mistakes!
Phase 1: Preparing for setup: Planning, accumulating your data.
Before you set up your new POS system, the following are several steps we recommend in order to make your implementation as smooth as possible.
A. Make sure the base accounting system, Advanced Accounting 7, is set up properly.
The time you spend in this process will be spent wisely. Although much of POS is self-contained it does interface with the underlying accounting system in some significant areas. You need to have your inventory properly entered so that you will be able to do automatic pricing during register operations. (Both regular and non-stock inventory items may be accessed during the sale process.) If you are going to access customers other than a general cash customer you should have as many entered as possible. You can give permission to enter customers "on the fly." However, this will slow down the entire POS operation if it is done on a regular basis. You also need to have your G/L Chart of Accounts set up so that the posting process in POS can work properly. It isn't necessary to have all the specific accounts defined, but having as much detail as possible before you start processing will give you access to much more information down the road. One of the benefits of a computerized accounting system is the ability to recall past data quickly and easily. If you are constantly changing the accounts where you post, it will delay the time when you can make easy comparisons just by looking at the current, one year past and two years past amounts for that account to quickly (and easily) see the changes in amounts.
B. Make the decisions on how to set up your new POS system.
There are several decisions that need to be made before entering initial data in the system. These include:
SYSTEM WIDE CONTROLS - Several options can be chosen in setting up each register, clerk or payment type. However, some choices affect the entire system. These are:
Password for control program - You can specify a special password for the control maintenance program itself. In all situations, whether you set up a special password or not, the person running the program will have to enter their clerk code and it will be automatically recorded in the audit file.
Maximum number of characters in product code - The program will accept a product code of up to 15 characters. However, if you are going to use a bar code reader, or some other similar entry device, and you want to automatically enter the line when a product is scanned, you would set this to the number of characters the bar code reader will send to the computer. Then each time a code is read, the program will automatically find the item in the inventory and display it on the screen and go right to the next item. This will allow the clerk to quickly ring up an entire sale with a minimum of extra movement to touch the computer keyboard.
Default payment type - When recording payments for the sale this is the first payment type that will be displayed. (See the information later in this section on how to set up payment types.) The clerk can press the <Enter> key to accept the default and either enter the amount tendered by the customer or press the <Enter> key again to record payment of the exact amount. If the customer code entered is not the default code the program will attempt to match terms types. If it can't, it will also use the default value. Generally this should be CSH.
Forced logoff - You can specify the approval level required to okay a forced log-off. This would occur if the computer the clerk was running was reset for any reason. The register will not allow any new log-on until the current clerk logs off.
Receipt controls - This option will allow you to determine whether or not the program asks to print a receipt (if this is "no ask" the program will print) and whether the program should wait for a key press after the receipt has been printed but before clearing the screen. This would allow the clerk to use the information on the screen for making change, checking the accuracy of the receipt, and so on. You can also control how many receipts are printed.
Quantity changes - The program would normally start in the product code field. To change the quantity the clerk would press the <Left Arrow> key and the cursor would move to the quantity field. After entering the correct quantity, the clerk would press the <Enter> key and the cursor will return to the product code. You can specify whether or not the program should always (A) start at the quantity field (this would apply if you are very often changing quantities), never (N) allow the clerk to change the quantity (you want every item to be rung-up separately) or sometimes (S) change the quantity as described above.
Cash drawer - You can set whether the cash drawer should normally open only during a sale or anytime. If you specify only during a sale you can enter the approval level required to open the cash drawer at other times, such as close out.
Post Real Time - You can choose whether to post sales as they occur or to wait until you've made a number of sales and then post in a batch. If you post real time, there will be a short delay after a sale is completed while the posting process takes place. However, posting real time will ensure that all your data (such as inventory on hand) is up-to-the-minute accurate.
Special approvals - For the actions listed below, you can determine whether or not the clerk must have approval to perform the action, what approval level the clerk must have in order to perform it, and whether or not a clerk with the correct approval level can okay his/her own action. The actions you can control include: cancelling a sale; changing or refunding a previous sale; allowing credits (negative values); performing a cash-out to a vendor; and getting access to lay-a-way transactions.
Checking account - You need to specify the default checking account for the system.
G/L interface accounts - You need to set up G/L accounts for over and short amounts (used during balancing by the clerk), and certain lay-a-way accounts.
Lay-a-way Aging Default Days - You can specify default days to use for the aging report.
Scan Tone - You can set parameters for whether or not to send a scan tone for use with a bar code reader (indicates that item has been accurately scanned); the scan tone value; and the tone's duration.
SETTING UP REGISTERS - The system will allow you to keep track of as many different "registers" as you desire. All sales made at that physical location go to the register currently logged on at that location. You can easily log off and on that same internal register as many times as desired during the day. Until that internal register is closed out (balanced), the cash on hand, number of sales and total sales figures continue to accumulate. Different clerks can log onto the internal register but only one can be logged on at a time. You might specify a single register for each physical location or each actual cash register might have multiple internal registers. And a single internal register can be logged on to different physical registers but only to one at a time.
You decide how many registers to set up based primarily on how you want to do closings, or balancing out the cash for that register. If you are going to allow multiple clerks to access the same cash drawer in a single register during the same time period, then you probably only need one internal register record for each physical machine. However, this is not the recommended procedure.
If each clerk is responsible for their own cash drawer then they would typically log on to an internal register when they start work and would continue to use that register until they are ready to balance out their cash drawer. Again, they can log off a register at a physical location and then log back into that same internal register at a different physical location if desired, taking their cash box with them. This would distort the sales for each physical register during the day. However, it does keep the cash situation clean.
We recommend that you set up as many different internal registers for each physical register as you have shifts during the day. For example, if you have 3 shifts of clerks during the day, you might have 3 different internal register records for each physical machine. You would name them using a method that would associate the internal register record with the appropriate machine and time (e.g., REG1_AM, REG1_MID, and REG1_PM). Each register name can be up to 10 characters long. Using this approach, the clerk would log on to the appropriate register, work the shift, and, at the end of the shift, log out from the physical register, go to another terminal and complete the close out process. (If time permitted, the clerk could also to choose to close out on the same physical register.) Since most reports (where applicable) allow you to select by register name, you could enter REG1_AM as the From value and REG1_PM as the Thru value if you wanted to restrict the report to just that one physical register.
You also have other decisions to make about a given register. These include:
Starting cash balance - The beginning cash balance for this register (cash box). After completing the register balancing process (POS-C), the current cash in the register will default to this amount. The idea here is that after the balancing has been done, you want to start with a standard amount of money in the cash box.
Next ticket number - The next sale number for this register. When a sale is posted system-wide, the program uses the next A/R Invoice number as the actual sale number. However, the POS program also increments the ticket number so that you have a numeric listing of all sales for this specific internal register.
Default customer code - Each internal register can have a different customer code set up as the default. This would generally be a cash type customer and is displayed as the initial choice on the screen when the clerk is entering a sale.
Printer number - You may enter the printer number (LPT1 through LPT3) as the receipt printer for this register. The clerk will NOT be able to choose a different printer during the sales process.
Printer driver - You may choose the printer driver for the receipt printer. This would generally be GENERIC. The clerk will NOT be able to choose a different driver during the sales process.
Receipt type - You have the choice of three different receipts built in to the POS system. These are 40 Column Plain Paper, 80 Column Plain Paper, and 80 Column Short Invoice. Please see Appendix A for an example. NOTE: These were designed using the Report Editor in TAS Professional 7. They can be changed quickly and easily if you have the source code and a copy of TAS Professional or the special Screen & Report Editor for End Users. For more information, contact your dealer or call CAS direct.
Change customer code - You can determine whether or not to allow the clerk at this register to enter a customer code other than the default value as explained above.
Allow customers to be added on the fly - You can determine whether or not to allow the clerk at this register to enter a new customer at the time of sale. If you don't allow changing the customer code, the clerk won't be able to add a new customer.
Inventory location code value - In Advanced Accounting 7 this is the location code for that specific physical location. For more information please refer to your Advanced Accounting 7 manual about Inventory Control.
Other - Information automatically kept by the system for each register includes: date and time of log-on and clerk code if register is active, current cash balance and number of sales and total sales dollars since last balance. This information can be easily and quickly retrieved on-line in the control maintenance program, or as a report.
SETTING UP CLERKS - The system uses the same employee code that you used when entering the clerks in the payroll system. Of course, the employee data needs to be entered in the payroll module before you can use the clerk codes in the POS system.
Point of Sale requires a clerk to log on to an internal register before entering any transactions into that register. This includes entering the correct password if one is specified. The decisions you must make for each clerk are:
Approval level - Many security controls within the POS system concern themselves with the approval level of the clerk. If you wish to utilize this process then you must carefully decide which levels you are going to require to do certain tasks. These include allowing voids, changing or refunding a previous sale, allowing credits, giving cash out to vendors, accessing lay-a-way transactions, and the ability to generate a forced log-off of a clerk and register. The level ranges from 0 through 9, with 9 being the highest approval level.
Make changes to lines - You can specify whether or not this particular clerk has the authority (and experience) to make changes to line items entered. If you allow this capability, a dishonest clerk could enter an entire sale, take payment for it and then go back and change each line. However, once a receipt is printed the sale is saved.
Password - Each clerk may have their own password. The password will be required before the clerk is able to log on or balance a register, or enter the control maintenance program.
Other - If the clerk is currently logged on to a register, the date and time of logon and the register code are also kept. As with Registers, you can easily and quickly retrieve this information.
SETTING UP PAYMENT TYPES - You may have as many different payment types as desired. You must have at least one called CSH that will be used for all cash sales. One payment type is set up automatically by the system called 'cbk' (it uses lower case letters since you cannot enter it that way yourself). This type is used to keep track of cash returned to the customer by the clerk, either as change, or as the difference between the amount of the check presented and the amount of the sale.
You must also define a payment type called LAY if you want to offer lay-a-way's to your customers. This payment type will be used by the lay-a-way programs in the POS system.
A single sale can be split among as many as 10 different payment types, and the same payment type can be used up to 10 times. For example, if the customer is splitting the bill over 2 or 3 VISA cards, you might have a payment type specifically for VISA used several times. The program will record each amount to the same payment type but will keep 3 different payment records for this sale.
Options for each payment type are:
Allow cash back from this payment type - Whether or not the clerk can return cash to the customer when using this type of payment.
Whether or not an account needs to be entered- This option will allow you to require that the clerk enter an account number for the payment type. The account number might be for a credit card or even a check and can be used during balancing to make sure you have all the non-cash payments.
Payment requires bank (or other) approval - Choosing this option will force the clerk to enter an approval code before the payment type can be accepted.
Dollars before approval is required - If you entered Y to the Requires Approval option you can also set a dollar threshold. Sales for that payment type that are for less than the threshold amount don't require approval.
Terms - POS allows you to make sales to customers who normally pay other than at the time of sale (e.g., Net 30 terms). The program will search for a terms type that matches the normal terms for that customer as set in their customer information record. When the system is posting the sale it also uses this information for determining whether to post the sale to cash or accounts receivable. The clerk will be able to override the default if the customer decides to pay by cash or if they are going to charge this particular sale when they would normally pay by cash.
You need to have at least one terms entry with a type of C (cash). You would normally name this term CASH and this should be the terms code you use for the default payment type. By having a type of C (cash) this tells the program that all sales made using this terms code will go directly to the checking account as a deposit and not to the receivables.
In conjunction with this we suggest you set up a separate checking account called Cash Drawer or Deposit Accumulation, etc. This account would be the default checking account for the POS system. Then, all cash transactions (CASH, M/C, VISA, etc.) would be 'deposited' directly to this account as individual items. At the end of the day, or whenever you would normally make your deposit to the bank, you would transfer the appropriate amount from this accumulation account directly to the 'real' checking account using GL-L, Transfer Bank Account Funds. This will then show up in the appropriate check register as a single deposit instead of many small deposits, which will match what your bank will have when you receive your statement, and will make your reconciliation process much simpler. In our sample data we have setup an account called CASH DRAWER so that you might see this process in action. When you decide the amount of cash, checks, etc., to be deposited then run GL-L and transfer that amount from CASH DRAWER to (in our example) ABC Bank. If you deposit bank cards directly upon approval, then you would transfer that amount separately from the checks and cash. This would allow you to show two deposits for the day, which would again, match what your bank will show on the statement.
Phase 2: Entering initial information
A. Run CLRDATA to remove sample data.
If you have used the sample data provided, the CLRDATA program will allow you to replace all or part of the information included in the sample data. If you did not copy the .NEW files to .B or have entered real data in the appropriate locations then don't run CLRDATA now. To run CLRDATA, select UT-A, Run TAS Program from the Utilities menu in Advanced Accounting. When you are prompted for the program name, enter CLRDATA. You will be able to select a partial or complete deletion of the sample data.
BE SURE YOU DON'T CLEAR DATA FROM OTHER MODULES IF YOU HAVE LIVE TRANSACTIONS. YOU ONLY WANT TO CLEAR THE POINT OF SALE DATA IN THAT CASE.
B. Enter a CASH customer.
Using AR-A, Enter/Change Customers, enter a customer record using the code CASH. Make sure you specify a terms value for that customer that matches the terms setup for payment type CSH. If you have any questions refer to the sample data sent with the program.
You would also use AR-A to select a customer and set the Hist? flag to Y to make sure all invoices are saved in the history information. If you do this, all POS sales for the customer will be saved in the customer's history and will be available for review. We recommend that you set the Hist? flag to Y for all your customers.
C. Enter control information, registers, clerks and payment types.
Now, using POS-J, POS Configuration Maintenance, you can enter all of the information you decided on in the first phase.
D. Run reports on all data entered to make sure you have made the entries correctly.
Now, using POS-B, Print POS Reports, you should get a paper print-out of all the entries you have made and make sure that the entries are correct. The reports you would want are: Registers, Clerks and Payment Types.
Phase 3: Putting the POS into Daily Operation
You are now ready to start daily operation of your new POS system. We think you'll be very pleased with the features. Some of the special features you will use all the time include:
Posting - You can choose to post each sale as it occurs, or to post in batches at a time that's convenient (e.g., the end of a shift or the end of the day). We offer a separate "batch" posting program so that the actual POS register routine can run as quickly as possible, in case speed is more important than maintaining up-to-the-minute data on things like inventory on hand. If you post real-time, there will be a very brief delay at the end of a sale, but all your data will be continuously updated. We also allow a combination approach where you can start the posting at the beginning of your sales day on a stand-alone computer and have it post sales as they are made by the registers. By running this program at the same time as the registers, everything will be posted immediately (including changes to inventory). However, the registers themselves won't slow down as would be the case if each program posted its own sales.
On-line information - At any time during the sales day you can see the sales for each register or clerk just by using the control maintenance program (POS-J) and displaying the appropriate records, or by printing reports in POS-B.
Easy modification - Finally, Point of Sale is written entirely in TAS Professional 7. The source code for the product is available, and with the language itself you can quickly and easily make modifications to the product. Further, if you don't have the computer experience to make your own modifications, or are too busy running your own company, your dealer or Computer Accounting Solutions can make those changes for you.
Changes to Other Programs
If you have activated the Point of Sale System (see UT-D - Turn BOM/JC/POS On/Off) three programs within the base system are modified. These are GL-D, Print Journals, IC-A, Enter/Change Inventory and IC-F, Print General Information. The menu options will be enabled in the Main Menu. Only the changes are documented here. For more information about these programs please refer to the base program documentation.
A new option has been added to the list of journals. This is the PS or Point of Sale postings.
In this program the Short Description field has been added directly beneath the Long Description.
This report now prints the Short Description field where the Manufacturer's Code used to print (on the third line of the item block in the first field position).
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