Sales Entry -- Point of Sale Dialog

The Point of Sale dialog is the "cash register" interface of the program, where you enter sales or return items.  

This dialog can normally be opened with Alt-. (the Alt key with the period key), or with the F4 key, or by clicking the cash register icon on the toolbar.  (This depends on the settings in Maintenance / Program Options / Functions -- it might be set to open reservation transactions instead.)  You can also open it from the menu, P.O.S. / Sales Entry.

Many of the functions in this dialog work the same as the Transactions dialog for reservations, customers, and unbound transactions.  Functions that work the same won't be covered again here, like printing receipts, opening the cash drawer, viewing transaction details, entering payments and refunds, etc.  -- see the main Working with Transactions chapter for the details of those functions.

This dialog has some special features to save time and support functions more like a cash register.  It supports entering special charges, credits and discounts just like the Transactions dialog, but those can be disabled or restricted to certain operators to further simplify the interface.

Note that if this dialog is opened for previous transactions (a sale already completed), most functions will be disabled -- you can't add more inventory items or charges, and may not be able to delete any transactions.  This is usually only done for reference purposes or to return items.

Entering sales for customers or reservations

If you want to add P.O.S. transactions to a reservation (to combine them with their reservation receipt for instance), or if you want to add the merchandise to the customer or reservation balance without entering payment in full at this time, then you can open the normal Transactions dialog for that reservation or customer first -- then click the P.O.S. button at the top of the Transactions dialog (or press F4).  

Alternatively you can use the Select Customer or Select Reservation button to choose where the POS transactions will go.  You can do this any time before printing or closing the P.O.S. dialog.  Once a customer or reservation is selected you can also Change the selected customer or reservation if necessary, but again this must be done before saving the transactions or printing a receipt.

If you find that you almost always want to apply P.O.S. transactions to reservations instead of anonymously, then you may want to change the settings so that the cash register icon (and the F4 key) open Reservation transactions first.  This will allow you to find the reservation to apply it to at that time.  You can still enter anonymous P.O.S. sales by going through the P.O.S. menu when needed.  Alternatively you could leave the settings for the cash register to do anonymous sales, but always use the Rack or On Site list to locate the reservation first, and right-click to get to its Transactions before entering P.O.S. sales.

Scanning or entering search terms

The main feature of the P.O.S. dialog (in fact the primary benefit of the P.O.S. system as a whole) is the easy selection of inventory items from the database and automatic addition of those items to the "ticket", with the price, taxes, and any applicable discounts.  With the addition of a bar code scanner, and optionally a receipt printer, cash drawer and pole display, it becomes a fully functional cash register which is also tied into the inventory tracking.  This is all handled through the simple "Scan" text entry box.

Note: If you prefer, you can allow sales entry with no inventory tracking at all.  This would be done using the Other Charges button, with Continuous entry enabled.  See below for details.

If you're using a bar code scanner, all you have to do is make sure the text cursor (a little blinking vertical line) is in the Scan box, then scan the item's bar code.  The cursor is actually returned to the Scan box after every action, so you rarely have to worry about that in.  

If you don't have a scanner, or if the item doesn't have a bar code, simply enter some word or partial word that should be part of its item code or description, like "ice" or "shirt", and press the Enter key.

When an item is scanned or a word is entered, one of four things can happen:

•If the item scanned is found in the database, and it's an exact match with the item's code, and it's the only exact match -- the item will be automatically added to the ticket, just like in store check-outs.  The description and price will be shown, with any known discounts, and applicable taxes added at the bottom.  If sounds are enabled, a beep will indicate that it was added automatically.  (If an item has multiple codes entered, it will check each of them for being a match.)

•If more than one exact item code match is found (for instance if you have the same item listed more than once because it requires selection of color), then all matches will be shown in a list.  If sounds are enabled, a different sound will indicate that your attention is required to select the appropriate item.

•If no exact match is found, it will check the database to see if the item code or description for any items contain the text or code you entered (a partial match).  If only one partial match is found, and if the Program Option is set to auto-add a single partial match, it will be used automatically.  Otherwise, if any partial matches are found they will be listed for you to select one.  Even if only one partial match is found, unless the Program Option is set to auto-add single partial matches it will not be automatically added because it's only a partial match -- you must confirm it by selecting it from the list.

•If no exact match or partial match is found, the selection list will appear but will show a message that there is no match.  A different sound will indicate no match, if sounds are enabled.

In addition, you may be able to view your entire inventory list by simply pressing Enter without entering any text.  This is an option that can be disabled if your inventory is very large (see Maintenance / Program Options / P.O.S.).

Selecting Items

If a list is shown to choose from after scanning or entering text, just use the arrow keys or the mouse to select the one you want, press Enter (or double-click on the item), and it will be added to the ticket.  You can also Cancel if you want to just try again, or click Details after selecting an item to see more information before making a selection, or even to make changes in the inventory data (if your access level allows it).  

If you want to try finding the item a different way, for instance if you don't know the name but want to browse items by Item Class, click Find More.  This will open the Find Inventory dialog to help you locate and select the item to use.

You may also have the option to Add New if your access level is high enough.  In this case, the Edit Inventory dialog will open with a new inventory record and the code you entered or scanned will already be inserted.  If you complete the information and Save it, then that new item will immediately be added to the ticket.  Or you can Cancel to simply return to the P.O.S. dialog without saving or adding the item.

Adding or Changing Quantities

If more than one of an item is being sold, you can save time and space on the receipt (and space in the database) by entering a quantity for it instead of scanning/entering it multiple times.  To do this, enter a number in the Quantity field before scanning or entering it.  The quantity cannot be changed once an item is added to the ticket.

Tip: Press Shift-Tab or Alt-Q to move from the Scan field to the Quantity field, then just type the number and press Enter to get back to the Scan field.

If you forget to enter the quantity before scanning an item, you can also change it later.  Make sure the item to be changed is highlighted in the list, and click the Change Item Qty button.  A window will appear where you can enter the new quantity.

Discounting Items

If you have set up Item Discounts for items that are always applied or depend only on the quantity purchased, those discounts will be deducted from the ticket and added to the receipt automatically when applicable.

If there are automatic discounts that only apply to certain Discount Types, such as seniors, employees, club members, etc., then you must select the discount type used before scanning the items.  This is important -- discounts will not be automatically applied if you change this after adding the items to the ticket.  (This also allows you to change it for different items, for instance if you know a senior discount is best for some items and the member discount is better for others.)  To select the discount, click on the Discount type used field with the mouse and select the discount from the list.  You can also press Alt-U to jump to the list and use the arrow keys to select the appropriate item (Alt-down arrow will open the list up to make selection a little easier).

There is also a function to manually discount items.  (This can be disabled or may only apply to certain operator access levels.)  To add a manual discount, select the item in the transaction list to be discounted and click the Discount Item button.  An "Enter Special Discount" dialog will appear, where you can select the appropriate category, discount type, description and amount or percentage of discount.  The category will default to the same as used for the item (recommended).  After making the selections, click Save and the discount transaction will be added.

Note that there are no safeguards in discounting items, so this should only be allowed for managers or other trusted people.  For instance, a discount can be entered that's larger than the price of the item, or multiple discounts can be added for a single item.  Of course they are all recorded as entered, so accountability is still there.

Discounting multiple items at once (percentage only)

It's also possible apply a percentage discount to many items at once.  Just select the item(s) to be discounted, click Discount, and enter the discount information as above.  The main difference is that you will only be able to enter a percentage, not a fixed amount per item (since they may be different prices).  Note that it will not combine all of the discounts to a single line -- it will still add individual discounts to each item as if each was done separately.  This allows you to remove/return individual items later, and also generate correct reporting for sales of each item.

Non-Taxable

If the Program Option has this option enabled, and if the operator has a sufficient Access Level, then this option will be shown at the top next to the Discounts selection.  Check this box to enter items as Non-Taxable.  Note that it only applies to items added to the sale while the Non-Taxable box is checked -- so you could do a sale where some items are taxed and others are not.  For tax-exempt customers, you would check this box before entering any items.  It will remain checked and apply to items added until unchecked, or until the sale is completed.  It will always start a new sale with this box unchecked.

Voiding Items

If you entered an item and want to remove it from the sale, there are two ways to do it - Void or Delete.

If you have a sufficient access level, then you can select the item in the transaction list and click the Delete Selected Items button at the bottom.  Simply confirm the prompt and it will be removed, along with any applicable taxes and discounts.

If you don't have access to delete items, or if you prefer to show that it has been voided on the receipt, then select the item and click the Void Selected Item button.  Instead of removing it from the list, an additional transaction will be added with a negative quantity to credit the item, and it will show "Void:" in the description.  Voids done this way are also recorded in the transactions, for reporting and historical purposes.

Voiding the Sale

If you wish to void the entire sale instead of individual items, simply click the Cancel button.  All transactions entered will be deleted without saving them.  Note that it's possible to void the sale even after a payment is entered (depending on the settings and your access level), unless it was a credit card payment that was already processed and authorized.

Other Credits

If the function is enabled and you have sufficient access, you can use the Other Credit button to enter special credits.  This is usually used for coupons or other special cases.  Note that credits entered this way are not applied to any particular item and will not reduce the price of an item, so the item's full price will still be counted in sales reports.  It also won't reduce the taxes calculated.  However it will reduce the amount to be paid and will thus affect Receipts reports appropriately.  Credits are generally reported in their own category, so they can be applied to your accounting as needed.

As with discounts, there are no safeguards on entering credits, so you may want to only enable this and allow access as you feel comfortable.

Other Charges

If the function is enabled and you have sufficient access, you can use the Other Charge button to enter charges without selecting an item from the inventory.

This function can be used to enter miscellaneous charges (sales) that have no related inventory items.  It works basically like the Charges on the main Transactions dialog, opening the Enter Charge dialog for the details, but with a couple extra features.  The main addition is the Continuous entry option.  With this checked, the Enter Charge dialog will re-open immediately after each charge is entered, until you click Cancel to stop entering charges.  You can also select the Same Category option to make it keep the same category selected subsequent charge entries.

For even more rapid price entry, you can select a default Transaction Category for other charges (see Maintenance / Program Options / P.O.S.).  When this is set, the category is pre-selected on the Enter Charge dialog and the cursor starts in the Amount field.  Simply enter the amount and press Enter (assuming quantity 1, and assuming the taxes selected by default are correct).  In this mode, it's basically like a cash register where you can just enter one amount after another.  You may even use this mode to skip inventory tracking altogether if you prefer.

Memo

As with the main Transactions dialog, you can use this function to enter notes with the ticket. Memos don't appear on the receipts unless you select the 'Print' option when you enter the memo.

Refund Payment

This is only enabled if there is a credit balance (e.g. after returning an item), so you can enter the refund given to the customer.

Cash / Credit Card / Other Payment

Use one of these to enter the payment for the sale.  This is basically the same as for Transactions, but there are a couple a special options that apply only to the P.O.S. dialog.  Depending on the options selected, it may print a receipt and/or close the P.O.S. dialog immediately after entering the payment.

The difference between the cash/credit/other buttons is that the cash & credit buttons will pre-select the payment type and start the input cursor in a more appropriate field.  Other Payment is the general purpose payment entry which can be used for any payment type.

If you're processing credit cards with Debit Cards enabled, then instead of one "Credit Card" button there will be 2 buttons -- "Credit" and "Debit".  The Debit button pre-selects the debit card payment type and is ready for you or the customer to swipe the debit card.

Note:  If you are accessing the Point of Sale from the P.O.S. button on a reservation's or customer's Transactions dialog, you don't need to enter the payment here.  Just click Done to go back to the Transactions dialog, and enter a payment for their complete bill at one time.  (This is the only time the Point of Sale dialog can be closed without payment in full, without canceling.)

Returning Items

Returning items is also done through this P.O.S. dialog.  You can either just start normally with a blank sale, or you can locate the original receipt and re-open it to return items.  The latter method is recommended, so you can verify the amount paid, any discounts applied, etc., especially if they don't have their original receipt.

To return an item without finding the original receipt first, enter the POS Sales Entry and simply enter a negative Quantity (e.g. -1) and then scan or enter the item.  A negative charge will be shown, with appropriate taxes also deducted.  Then enter a Refund Payment and print a receipt if they need one.

To return an item and record it with the original receipt, use the Find Receipt function to locate the original receipt.  This can be located by the receipt number or item code, and/or date.  See the Find Receipt section for details.  Once the item is located, this P.O.S. dialog will be opened with the complete original receipt.  Then you can select the item to be returned (click on its "Charge" transaction line) and click the Return Selected Item button.

When you click Return Item, a dialog will show the description to be used on the receipt for the return, and allow you to enter the quantity returned (in case the original entry was for multiple items).  Click Save, and new transactions will be added with appropriate negative charges and taxes.  Any automatic discounts that were based on quantity may also be adjusted.  Then enter a Refund Payment and print a receipt if they need one.

Note: The Return Item function adds new transactions, never affecting old ones.  This way it's impossible to affect reporting for previous days or shifts -- the return is a new transaction.  While it may be possible to use Delete if your access level allows it, this should not be used for simple item returns.

Also note that when viewing an old receipt, there is a new option next to the Print Receipt button, "Print only new transactions". This is the default, and recommended for returns.  Only the returned item and refund transactions will be printed, instead of the entire original receipt.

Shortcut Keys

The following function keys can be used as shortcuts:

F5 - Enter Other Charge

F6 - Enter Cash Payment

F7 - Enter Credit Card Payment (or Other Payment if credit card processing is not enabled)

F8 - Print

F9 - Open cash drawer

F10 - Done