Overview - Point of Sale |
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Point of Sale, or "P.O.S.", is an added-cost option available for Campground Master. If you have not purchased this option, then this chapter can be completely ignored (none of the included functions will be available, unless you're using the sample database demo with the P.O.S. functions enabled). The simplest way to determine if you have purchased the P.O.S. option is look at the main menu of the program. If there is not a P.O.S. menu item after Transactions on the top menu bar, then your license does not include the P.O.S. option.
P.O.S. Summary
The goal of the P.O.S. functionality is primarily two-fold -- to take the place of a cash register, with bar-code scanning capabilities, and to provide inventory database functions. It's typically recommended for use in a store or registration office check-out counter that sees a fair amount of traffic with a large number of items sold, where the required rate of sales is too great to enter each item's charges manually. However it can greatly aid convenience and reduce errors even if only a dozen or so items are sold on a regular basis.
The P.O.S. functions are separate from the reservation functions in some ways, but they also fully integrate with Campground Master. P.O.S. transactions are combined for reporting and exporting to QuickBooks, and P.O.S. sales can be added to a customer or reservation receipt (by using the added "P.O.S." button to jump into P.O.S. sales-entry mode temporarily). It's basically just another function in Campground Master -- by default, the "cash register" icon will open the P.O.S. dialog for making sales, which is similar to the Transactions entry dialog but has inventory item scanning support and other features to aid in rapid sales. P.O.S. transactions are also seamlessly included in the Transaction tab view reports, with additional filtering and grouping options available for detailed inventory sales reporting.
The P.O.S. option also adds support for a bar-code scanner and pole display (both optional). The pole display is also used by the normal Transactions dialog for reservation check-in, etc., if the P.O.S. option is present. (While hardware support for a receipt printer, cash drawer, and credit card reader are also important for P.O.S. functions, those are included even without the P.O.S. option.)
The key features added by the P.O.S. option are:
•A cash-register-like interface for entering sales
•Bar-code scanner support
•Pole display support
•Inventory database for scanner support, price/descriptions, quantity on hand, etc.
•Automatic discount pricing based on several factors
•Inventory tracking and reporting functions
•Inventory reporting/filtering of Transactions
•Inventory import from CSV or tab-delimited text files
•Vendor purchase order printing, receiving and reporting
Setting Up For P.O.S. Use
You'll find most of the setup functions for P.O.S. in a special section of the Maintenance menu, with some settings appropriately located under new "P.O.S." tabs in Program Options and Printing Options. Setting up the P.O.S. falls into 3 general areas:
•Hardware setup
•Database fields and options setup
•Inventory setup (and/or importing from another database)
For complete information on setting these up, see the P.O.S. Setup section.
Further Topics: