Point of sale system
Point of sale (POS) system is a comprehensive computerized checkout system the includes a receipt printer, a bar-code scanner, monitor, cash drawer, debit and credit card scanner, and inventory management software (Fleenor, 2006). The main function of a point-of-sale system is to track sales and identify movement of inventory in real time. POS system comprises of electronic systems that provides businesses with the capability to gather and analyze a variety of transaction and inventory data on a continuous basis. POS systems haves become valuable tools for a wide variety of business purposes, including tracking supplies and purchases, refining market strategies, determining customer purchase patterns, and inventory management among others. Basic point of sale systems currently available includes standalone electronic cash registers and controller-base system. Essentially, point of sale systems serve as sales and cash management tool, but each has a unique feature.
Like any other computer-based innovation, POS systems continue to change and develop rapidly. Additionally, the demand for POS systems has spawned several new manufacturers, each with a unique array of standard and optional POS system features. For example, some manufacturers now cover customer promotions, hand-held scanning, counterfeit money checks, credit card confirmations, and staff scheduling (Fleenor, 2006). Owing to the proliferating number of POS systems and the cost involved, entrepreneurs should ensure that they conduct adequate research on their current and future needs before making purchase to ensure that they acquire customized POS system the meets the current operating requirement as well as future requirements. . POS systems are currently among the most sophisticated, friendly, and powerful computer in commercial usage. With the availability of these features and functions, one will hear different variety of terms referring to a certain POS software application. These include retail management software, multi-location management system, business management software, and POS software.
Point of Sale in the hospitality industry
Point of sale systems has remarkably revolutionized the hospitality industry. Its impact is most evident in the fast food franchise and hotel chains. The chains use the systems that generally use TCP or IP to network all their POS stations into a centralized mainframe server. Most of the point of sale systems used in the hospitality industry use touch screen display, which helps expedite the whole order taking and order tracking process (Fleenor, 2006). Owing to the accuracy of POS systems, they have significantly helped decrease the time taken to serve and increase efficiency in the service delivery process. The leading POS systems used in the hospitality industry include cash register, restaurant point of sale systems, stadium and convention point of sale system, and hotels point of sale system.
POS system has improved efficiency in the hospitality industry as it has drastically cut down total operation cost and mistakes resulting from human error (Fleenor, 2006). Without such systems, it would take hotels longer hours to track and process orders. For instance, a customer drives into the drive-thru window and places an order. In absence of such system, the cashier takes down the order on a book, receives payment, takes the order to the kitchen, and let the customer wait when food is prepared. Even though the time spent to move around may not look much, it heavily influences the overall quality and quantity of daily operations. POS systems also provide a platform for collecting consumer feedback with the aim of advancing service delivery. POS systems also allow businesses in the hospitality industry to use information effectively. For instance, POS system perform performs reporting function, where a business owner can generate sale data.
Ethical implications point of sales system
Ethical issues in POS systems include moral choices made by businesses in relation to the rest of the community, standards of accepted behavior, and rules governing the industry (Reid & Bojanic, 2009). The array of ethical implications relating to the use of point of sales systems includes privacy and misuse of data, control and access of information, and international considerations. In relation to the hospitality industry, firms operating in the industry must protect privacy of their customers as the POS systems have access to some information that may be confidential to the customer.
The collection and storage of data is one of the POS system issues that has proved hard to solve. One argument that has been advanced is that, without such information, the cost of maintaining the systems could escalate and the convenience of purchasing through a point of sale terminal or online could become impossible or obsolete. Opponents argue that this information should not be gathered, compiled, or kept on the system after a purchase is done.
In an attempt to maintain high volume of sales and revenue margins, retailers increasingly encourage self-service where customers pay at the checkout. Presently, many businesses in the hospitality industry are heightening their efforts to reduce labor costs by shifting to self-service checkout machines, where a single employee can handle a group of four to five machines concurrently, serving multiple customers at a time. The proliferation of POS systems in the hospitality industry has reduced the need for many employees and this has become an ethical concern as many people increasingly lose their jobs.
References:
Fleenor, D. G. (2006). Point-of-sale software. NPN, National Petroleum News, 98(3), 38-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223298179?accountid=35812
Reid, D. R. & Bojanic, C. D. (2009). Hospitality marketing management (5th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
