Point of sale (POS) (also sometimes referred to as Point of purchase (POP) ) or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs.

A "checkout" refers to a POS terminal or more generally to the hardware and software used for checkouts, the equivalent of an electronic cash register. A POS terminal manages the selling process by a salesperson accessible interface. The same system allows the creation and printing of the receipt.

Retail industry
The retailing industry is one of the predominant users of POS terminals. A Retail Point of Sales system typically includes a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner, and the majority of retail POS systems also include a debit/credit card reader. It can also include a weight scale, integrated credit card processing system, a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device. More and more POS monitors use touch-screen technology for ease of use and a computer is built in to the monitor chassis for what is referred to as an all-in-one unit. All-in-one POS units save valuable counter space for the retailer. The POS system software can typically handle a myriad of customer based functions such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, BOGO (buy one get one), quantity discounts and much more. POS software can also allow for functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types. The POS unit handles the sales to the consumer but it is only one part of the entire POS system used in a retail business. Back-office computers typically handle other functions of the POS system such as inventory control, purchasing, receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations. Other typical functions of a POS system are to store sales information for reporting purposes, sales trends and cost/price/profit analysis. Customer information may be stored for receivables management, marketing purposes and specific buying analysis. Many retail POS systems include an accounting interface that feeds sales and cost of goods information to independent accounting applications.

Hospitality industry
Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties. Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server, often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data.

The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders. Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.
[edit] Hair and Beauty Industry

Point of sale systems in the hair and beauty industry have become very popular with increased use of computers. In order to run a salon efficiently it is essential to keep all appointments, client, employee roster and the checkout in a system where you can create performance reports for. The nature of salons and spas vary depending on the setup of the business and products offered in addition to the business. This is why POS comes along with most salon software.
[edit] Restaurant business

Restaurant POS refers to point of sale (POS) software that runs on computers, usually touch screen terminals or wireless handheld devices. Restaurant POS systems assist businesses to track transactions in real time. Typical restaurant POS software is able to print guest checks, print orders to kitchens and bars for preparation, process credit cards and other payment cards, and run reports. In addition, some systems implement wireless pagers and electronic signature capture devices. In the fast food industry, registers may be at the front counter, or configured for drive through or walk through cashiering and order taking. Front counter registers take and serve orders at the same terminal, while drive through registers allow orders to be taken at one or more drive through windows, to be cashiered and served at another. In addition to registers, drive through and kitchen monitors may be used by store personnel to view orders. Once orders appear they may be deleted or recalled by "bump bars", small boxes which have different buttons for different uses. Drive through systems are often enhanced by the use of drive through wireless (or headset) systems which enable communications with drive through speakers. POS systems are often designed for a variety of clients, and can be programmed by the end users to suit their needs. Some large clients write their own specifications for vendors to implement. In some cases, POS systems are sold and supported by third party distributors, while in other cases they are sold and supported directly by the vendor. Wireless systems consist of drive though microphones and speakers (often one speaker will serve both purposes), which are wired to a "base station" or "center module." This will, in turn broadcast to headsets. Headsets may be an all-in-one headset or one connected to a belt pack.
[edit] Hotel business

POS software allows for transfer of meal charges from dining room to guest room with a button or two. It may also need to be integrated with property management software.

[edit] Checkout system

A Checkout in a Guatemalan supermarket.

A checkout system generally involves the following components:

General computer hardware General computer software Checkout hardware Checkout software Miscellaneous store hardware

Because of the expense involved with a POS system, the eBay guide recommends that if annual revenue exceeds the threshold of $700,000, investment in a POS system will be advantageous.[2] POS systems are manufactured and serviced by such firms as Fujitsu, IBM, MICROS Systems, Panasonic, Radiant Systems, Sharp, Squirrel Systems, and Vectron POS among others (see the point of sale companies category for complete list). Point of sales systems in restaurant environments operate on DOS, Windows or Unix environments. They can use a variety of physical layer protocols, though Ethernet is currently the preferred system.

Features and Benefits

Cash Register

Track differences in the Cash Registers. Analyze Cash Register Totals by Systems, by Post Dated, By Reconcile and By Average Sales. Compare periods of Sales History of the movement of the cash. Register (Sales, deposits, Petty Cash, differences). Search Discounts by Percentage or Dollar Amount. Recall past sales ticket by Barcode, Model #, Customer name, and date. Show regions where customers reside. Display quantity of invoices and profit for the diverse regions. Analyze what type of payment is more used by the customers. Invoice History. See all detailed invoices (who bought, who sold, discounts, etc). Fast way to merge invoices for one single pay. Apply discount by line or total transaction. Reprint Invoices. Visualize open layaway and holds. Determine what time of day and day of week has the biggest volume of customers in the store. Show increase or reduction of employees, cash register, salesperson, etc., based on graphs. Learn the best and worst sale items. Analyze cash results or percentage profit. Analyze Accumulated Profit by item, print, or export. Personalize labels for direct mail. See profits by percentage or dollar amount. Compare profits between periods. Track which hour in the day has the biggest money turns in the store (helps to know when to increase security and transfer money). Compare monthly sales with previous periods by year and month.

Total Sales Grouping by Zip Code Invoices Open & Holds

Best Sellers

Customer Mailing Labels Sales Profits by Year / Month / Day Graphic - Sales per Hour

Graphic - Monthly Sales

Graphic - Profit per Category Cash Flow Chart Break Even

Compare categories that generate larger or smaller profit in determined periods. Monthly results for one or all of the stores. Gives the monthly break-even point. Includes all expenses, operational costs, and merchandise cost. Easily tracks layaway. Manages multiple layaways for each customer. Organizes payment schedules and calculates future income. Provides fast search for customers' layaway by name or number. Track media for most effective customer attraction. Track media for most effective profit generation. Track categories for advertising impact. Track media for effective by store or location. Analyze media results by period for all the stores. Allows easy media data entry for all sales for future analysis. Shows print Agency & Agent Invoices by Date. Gets fast calculation of Total Sales by Agency or Tour Guide. Organizes Agents' Results (grouped by Agency). Provide Management Reports for Agency and Tour Guide commissions. Analyzes all the purchases made in any specific period by when queried, by salesperson, or by PO number. Prevents redundant purchases through transferences between stores. Sends Price Quote to unlimited vendors by E-mail or Fax. Analyzes the lowest price with simple spreadsheets. Automatically creates Purchase Orders. Automatically allows others to receive quote by E-mail (or Fax) with the current best prices flashing on-screen. See all Back Orders that have not arrived in the store. Track open orders. Send PO to Vendor by Email or Fax. Organize PO with simple grid.

Layaway

Advertising Media

Travel Agency

Purchases & Price Quotes

Back Order by Vendor and/or PO

Implement rapid processes for Purchase Orders and Budgets. Create a PO from Systems Ordering or a manual salesperson request. List all purchases on a single Purchase Order, obtaining better price. Automate Price Updates from new costs. Organize Multiple Stores with a single PO. Generate Service Orders by System or by Salesperson. Marketing / Customer Purchase History All activities linked in Accounts Payable and Receivable Movement History Lists all customers who buy a specific product, and send an email to them with the arrival of new merchandise.

Profits, purchases, sales, accounts payable and receivable, and interactive. Displays history for all merchandise transactions that took place among stores. Analyze Sales Profits during for any specific time period. Display prices that were changed by item, by category, or by entire inventory. Better control of defective merchandise. Rapid analysis of the turn of money in order to prevent losses. Send, Returns Repaired, or Credit on the same transaction. Credit on defective merchandise linked with Office Manager. Easy creation of size and color detail. Allows individual item pricing. Uses matrix to create default barcode for each size and color item. Quickly updates quantity status for item. ABC Inventory Classification. Automatic Purchase Order based on ABC Classification. Tracks Average and Cost prices. Unlimited levels of promotional price for each product. Exports inventory to Text, Spreadsheet, HTML, or XML files. Fast grouping and searching of inventory items.

Track Sales History

Inventory Repair

Size & Color matrix

Inventory Maintenance

Track inventory history. Display all purchase history for a specific item. Track Serial Numbers. Barcode Automatically creates barcodes for merchandise. Customizes barcode reports. Supports multiple barcodes for single items. Allows you to eliminate slow items and speed sales, e.g., a person who buys a certain product receives free perfume or one item for $2.00, three for $4.99, etc. Controls the items that go into the basket IN & OUT of the inventory. Calculates how many basket you can make with the actual inventory. Check what items are missing and how many, to make to make "X" number of baskets. Saves actual Inventory before counting physical Inventory for later comparison between old and new. Zeros all quantity: speeds the process of inventory count. Compares differences on Inventory. Adjusts Inventory up and down. Has random inventory counting every day suggested by the Systems. Exports to a Spreadsheet, Text, HTML, or XML files. Shows the merchandise that has been on the shelf for a long period of time. Control all the commissioners of the company in a simple way. Monitor all activities, including employee commissions: they are logged in the ledger. Establish commissions for Profit or Total Sales. Establish commissions by Target Sales. Integrated General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable History. Browser (Internet Explorer).

Special Sales Promotions

Kit sales

Physical Inventory

Aged Inventory by Date Commission

Integrated System

Export and Import

Export and import Vendors, Customers, Employee, etc., to QuickBooks and Peachtree. Export bank account transaction to QuickBooks, Quicken, MS Money, or Peachtree. Account transaction History. Export to a Spreadsheet, Text, HTML, or XML file. Fast management of the hours of each employee. Employees easily log in and out of user-definable work functions. Computer totals daily break time and deducts excess from pay. Full report of clerical activities. Each employee will have different levels of access to the system. Multiple password protection levels. Track who made changes and when. All the rules used in the system are created by the owner of the company. Tax sales by Category or Department. Non-taxable status by line item. Simple and complex tax support. Help screen and tutorial help (How To). Create short cuts. English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. Change screen color. Change menu name, image, and color background.

Time Clock

Password

Parametric System