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Hello

I am looking to use some proven methodology for over the counter sales
of product and services. Currently, the practices are at best, shoddy,
and I want to clean it up.

I am thinking of UPC Scanning ala Lowe's/Home Depot so as to both
prepare invoices and keep inventory using QuickBooks, which I already
use. However, QBks is not mandatory.

It appears that the sales and bookkeeping ends at times require more
knowledge and time than does the actual shop work.

Credit cards are processed in about 1/2 the sales.

I think that, if each item is bar coded with a price and each service is
bar coded similarly, then the reader could just scan the tags and feed
the data directly into Quick Books which would then produce an invoice
which the customer would pay. Somehow this seems like it would work.

Others tell me to keep an old fashioned paper log/invoice and bar code
scan the 'invoices' at the end of the day thus simplifying both processes.

Of course, each new customers' information would have to be entered
either way.

I just want to get hold of the processes and stay out of trouble. The
daily average number of customers is between 5 and 10.

If anyone knows either a way to do this or of a site that deals with
what I am looking for, I would appreciate and and all insight.

I have sent a request for information to Windward which seems like it
would be tailor made but may be out of the cost range for
me(http://computerstorepos.wws5.com).

Thanks for the time and trouble.

Bob

richard wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:31:10 -0500, Bob Bob
> <> wrote:
>
>> Hello
>>
>> I am looking to use some proven methodology for over the counter sales
>> of product and services. Currently, the practices are at best, shoddy,
>> and I want to clean it up.
>>
>> I am thinking of UPC Scanning ala Lowe's/Home Depot so as to both
>> prepare invoices and keep inventory using QuickBooks, which I already
>> use. However, QBks is not mandatory.
>>
>> It appears that the sales and bookkeeping ends at times require more
>> knowledge and time than does the actual shop work.
>>
>> Credit cards are processed in about 1/2 the sales.
>>
>> I think that, if each item is bar coded with a price and each service is
>> bar coded similarly, then the reader could just scan the tags and feed
>> the data directly into Quick Books which would then produce an invoice
>> which the customer would pay. Somehow this seems like it would work.
>>
>> Others tell me to keep an old fashioned paper log/invoice and bar code
>> scan the 'invoices' at the end of the day thus simplifying both processes.
>>
>> Of course, each new customers' information would have to be entered
>> either way.
>>
>> I just want to get hold of the processes and stay out of trouble. The
>> daily average number of customers is between 5 and 10.
>>
>> If anyone knows either a way to do this or of a site that deals with
>> what I am looking for, I would appreciate and and all insight.
>>
>> I have sent a request for information to Windward which seems like it
>> would be tailor made but may be out of the cost range for
>> me(http://computerstorepos.wws5.com).
>>
>> Thanks for the time and trouble.
>>
>> Bob
>
> 10 customers a day and you can't handle that with a standard notebook
> and a pen?
>
> Perhaps what you need is a more modern cash register that can generate
> the reports for you.
It is not that it cannot be handled, but in a one person shop it seems
to not get done properly. The cash register is a good idea and one that
I had not thought of. I currently just use a cash drawer keeping manual
paper records putting the data into Quick Books each night. Preparing
invoices via Quick Books is not the easiest when someone is waiting--for
new customers at least.
Sometimes it appears that I force QB to work instead of using it as a
tool. The bar code thing along with a smart register may do the deed. I
would still have to deal with something like QB though.
Thanks for the follow up.
Bob