10 Questions To Ask Before You Buy A POS System For Your Bar

Posted by barblog on Oct 31, 2009 in Bar Management, Opening a Bar | 4 comments

Before purchasing a POS system for your business, make sure you consider all the options and ask yourself the following questions.

1. How many cash registers/POS systems do I need?

When looking at the number of cash registers/POS systems to put in your establishment you will need to look at several things. The size of your establishment, do you serve food, do you want to expand your business in the future, are you considering opening more bars elsewhere, and so on?

Only by having a complete site survey from your POS supplier and discussing each of these points can you truly work out your needs.

2. Security Levels

What levels of security do you want to implement with your POS system? Do you want staff to sign on using ID codes, Dallas keys (magnetic keys assigned to each staff member), etc?

It is important that you know what levels of security you want from your POS system, from your part-time staff to the highest management levels. POS systems today allow you to set different access levels for different staff members, e.g maybe you only want senior management to be able to print off reports at the end of the day, and set other levels for bar staff so they are only given access to the cash register drawer to complete customer transactions, and nothing more.

3. Reporting Requirements.

What reports will you need at the end of the day, week or year?

You need to be aware that a basic POS/cash register system will limit you to printing off basic reports about that particular unit only.

A PC based POS system can allow you to see at any time of the day how your sales are performing, how much stock you have on hand, and so much more. Depending on what you want to find out, whether it be from one cash register, or from every POS system on your premises (if you choose to have them linked) you have complete control over your business.

4. Handhelds, cash registers, or both?

Handheld terminals are a wonderful invention, but you need to consider if you really need them. Handheld terminals are an expensive route to go down and you need to consider all options before deciding on this route. Most establishments are able to use just one cash register for food orders, sending the order direct to a printer in the kitchen, allocating table numbers. You also have the option of having your cash registers linked so you can float all sales between every cash register on your premises.

5. Control Levels

What level of control do you want over your stock & sales? The truth is you want the best controls possible. You can choose to operate your whole stock control from your POS system if you want to. Alternatively, you could outsource your Stock Control to an independent Stock Control Company.

By bringing in an independent Stock Controller you can save time, rather than counting all stock yourself, and you also have an independent report to compare with your own reports.

It is up to you to chose what levels of control you want. Make sure you discuss this with your POS company.

6. Budget

How much are you willing to spend or how much do you have to spend? A good POS company will provide you with the best system for your budget, not try to get you to spend more than you can afford.

Look at how much you are willing to spend and what you can allocate for the future should you need to upgrade your system. Read more..