$1500 touch screen POS system?

[hiii98]

i want to spend around $1500 on a POS system with a touch screen. I remember reading the forums several months ago and thought i found a decent system that would work good for this budget. I just found out we will be moving forward today with the bar and need a POS setup asap. Any advice on a system for this price range? The previous owner wants to sell me his system for $7500 and I think thats waaaaaaaay too much.

thanks

[hiii98]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-POINT-SALE-POS-Touch-System-BAR-RETAIL-/170398017230?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27ac8366ce

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-Aldelo-Restaurant-Bar-POS-Touch-System-PRO-/400081559587?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d26b82023

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-POS-Point-Sale-Restaurant-Bar-Touch-System-/360318718552?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e4ab5258

[hiii98]

http://desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_ItemCondition=1&LH_TitleDesc=1&_nkw=pos%20bar%20touch%20license&_fln=1&_mPrRngCbx=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&_udlo=1%2C000&_udhi=1%2C600

or

http://desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_ItemCondition=1&LH_PrefLoc=1&LH_TitleDesc=1&_nkw=pos%20restaurant%20touch%20bundle&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=1%2C150&_udhi=1%2C600

that links narrows all the available systems down. i'm not sure what the pros and cons are of each. Any advice on which system to buy? I'm getting the keys to the bar UNEXPECTANTLY this evening.

[hiii98]

i read several threads on various POS systems. Seems like future POS and softtouch are highly recommended. I just want to see if i can get a single system with support and all accessories for 1,500 if possible.... any advice?

[hiii98]

future POS wanted around $3,000 thats double

[gilbi]

How big is the bar? How many POS stations does the $7500 include?

[scott1988]

future POS wanted around $3,000 thats double

Even for Future POS that's still pretty cheap at $3k.

If you haven't read the posts regarding used POS systems, go back and do it. Otherwise, suffer your own cosequences and don't come crying on here after it doesn't work.

I'm tired of saying it over and over (and this doesn't matter what POS company you want, like or use) if it's an used system YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!!!. Dealers are NOT going to help you UNLESS YOU PAY FOR THEIR SERVICE.

You can get a new system for $2000 but you will: HAVE TO SET IT UP ALL YOURSELF!!

Stop trying to save a buck.....it's only going to cost you $1,000's in the long run.

If you want recommendations, we and I will be glad to give them to you but when you keep saying "I want to only spend $1000 per station but I want a full touch screen POS system" it isn't happening. You have to wake up to reality. The average system is $3700 to $4700 per terminal. End of discussion.

[scott1988]

Forgot to say........either one sounds great on Ebay......

Get whichever one you want.

I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

Great purchase starting out in a new place.

[hiii98]

you sound like a whinny salesmen for POS system. The system i listed has a complete liscense, and all hardware. So your suggesting just blowing an extra 2,000.00 for what??? someone else to tell you how to work a piece of straight forward software?? How lazy and how wasteful for you to offer such terrible advice to proactive and computer literate members.

lol even better... you do realize with one of those systems you get a year of unlimited tech support so whatever i cant figure out myself i can make a quick call. This isnt rocket science here, i already have 2 other businesses with POS systems a fourth grader could setup. Are you getting kickbacks from some of these POS guys or what?!?

[scott1988]

Alright Hiii, here's the deal:

No, I'm not a "whinny" POS salesman but have the knowledge and experience to back up what I say. I don't care if you don't believe me. It doesn't matter. I'm simply trying to give you the best advice possible. And for the record, NO the "do-it-yourself" approach is hardly ever the better option in almost any business situation UNLESS you've got the time and money to overcome your mistakes.

If....if (as I've always said about used POS systems or ones like this one you're considering) you've got experience with the same system or comparable ones AND have computer knowledge then you can take it on yourself. (as long as you understand the consequences). But the problem is, "most" people that want to get into this situation are just looking to save a buck only to have it cost them more in the end. Why would I recommend that you spend more money unless I knew there was a reason? Think about it instead of just getting pissed off about my comments.

I know what I'm talking about and if you want to "chance" that this is the best system for you, then go right ahead and buy it. Good luck with it. I don't care if it says "unlimited" tech support for a year. Do you really believe that they're going to pay somone to sit on the phone with you for 100-200 hours over the course of the year to take care of your little issues? Maybe they will but at least try to use some common sense about it. If they pay someone say $15 or $20 an hour for 100 hours of work, then that's $1500-$2000 over the course of a year. That's what the system cost so if this were the case, they would be losing a ton of money to every customer. Sure, maybe you won't need 100 hours of tech support but let's just say it's half of that and it's 50, that's still $750-$1000 which is half of what you paid for the equipment and I guarantee there's profit built in there somewhere. Otherwise, these companies would be shut down because they would be losing money with every single sale. They're like insurance companies or casinos, they're NOT designed to make you money, they're designed to make them money.

Another thing you need to realize is that "most" owners/managers are NOT that computer "literate" as you like to refer to them when it comes to setting up or even using their POS system. Their role in the hospitality industry is to manage a business and be more "proactive" with the guests, not the POS system. So, to imply that these people are "literate" is absurd. You didn't say "most" members but your comments do suggest so at least in this post.

I'm not talking about the "few" that may know how to do this sort of thing. If that's the case, they probably wouldn't be asking the questions in the first place and would simply just review a few and dive in regardless of anybody's opinion because they can take care of their own issues.

As far as POS being "straight forward" I don't even know how to respond to that other than to say to the end user, it should be as "simple" and "straight forward" from an end-user's point of view. Intuitive is another word that pretty much sums it up. But again, to say that it is "straight forward" and "magically" appears is again a misrepresentation of POS systems. Like it or not, they ARE complex to settup and do take time to manipulate to get them to work the way you would like them to. There's nothing "straight forward" about it to "most" people looking at POS systems.

But forgive me that you're different.

No, I don't get any "kickbacks"

If you already have 2 other businesses with POS systems that a 4th grader could set up, why don't you use that system? If those are so great, why are you considering something different? You are the one who posted the question remember?

You don't have to like my comments or suggestions but I'm not going to back down from what I said just because you sound upset in your response. Again, I don't care because I am trying to look out for the benefit of everyone considering POS systems, NOT just people who have experience. I've never, nor will I ever recommend for someone to spend more money than they should or need to. However, when I know (from experience and also other's experiences) that if they try to go "cheap" it could cost them way more in the long run (and lose "potential" revenue because of it), I'm not going to recommend them to do something for less money. Less is not always more.

Just do yourself a favor and be very thorough in your research for these companies ok? Get EXACT DETAILS about their tech support. Are there extra charges for multiple calls in one day or hour? Extra charges for weekend or holiday calls? Extra charges for calls after a certain time or say 10pm to 8am (during most non-business hours)? Extra charges for on-site support? What types of things are considered on-site support? How many menu changes (in other words: initial programming) can be made at first? What about after a week or two? I could list 50 other things but I'm sure you already know what you're doing so I'm probably wasting my time.

Go buy the system and be happy.

[scott1988]

By the way, you never said that you were computer "literate" until the last post so having that information upfront would change a lot. But you didn't disclose that. Even if you had, I still refer back to all the comments I've ever said for or against the idea of the "do-it-yourself" project. They're the same today as they were 2 years ago on here. The same rules apply. You should go read before you suggest that I'm making bad recommendations to members about POS systems. And just so you know, I'm not making it up about the average prices of POS systems when it comes to the top 10. Micros (one of the most installed since 1980 or so) is even higher and have a lot of happy and unhappy customers so it all depends on......well a lot actually.

[hiii98]

Just do yourself a favor and be very thorough in your research for these companies ok? Get EXACT DETAILS about their tech support. Are there extra charges for multiple calls in one day or hour? Extra charges for weekend or holiday calls? Extra charges for calls after a certain time or say 10pm to 8am (during most non-business hours)? Extra charges for on-site support? What types of things are considered on-site support? How many menu changes (in other words: initial programming) can be made at first? What about after a week or two? I could list 50 other things but I'm sure you already know what you're doing so I'm probably wasting my time.



now that is sound advice that i should take into consideration. I fully agree and it could be a major concern in the future when i set this up next week.


the system cost me $1,550. I felt i saved myself about $2,000 AT LEAST compared with the hoard of salesmen who have been badgering me to buy their systems and ongoing fees.... I'm happy so far and have a air of confidence (perhaps ignorance...time will tell..)

I am computer literatre, and extremely motivated to save myself a buck wherever i can. Also i feel this will make me more of an expert over my own system in the future rather than relying on others to teach my how my own operating software works...

I am a entrepreneur not a server, bartender, or hospitality employee. Saving money and learning my own system is paramount.

my other POS systems are specifically setup for their unique industry and would not integrate with this field.

[hiii98]

By the way, you never said that you were computer "literate" until the last post so having that information upfront would change a lot. But you didn't disclose that. Even if you had, I still refer back to all the comments I've ever said for or against the idea of the "do-it-yourself" project. They're the same today as they were 2 years ago on here. The same rules apply. You should go read before you suggest that I'm making bad recommendations to members about POS systems. And just so you know, I'm not making it up about the average prices of POS systems when it comes to the top 10. Micros (one of the most installed since 1980 or so) is even higher and have a lot of happy and unhappy customers so it all depends on......well a lot actually.

i was just quoted $18,000 yesterday by the salesman for a system and was in a bad mood all day after i kicked him out. Sorry if i took the heat out on you. Just beginning this industry i see how EVERYONE seems to be out to take financial advantage of the bar owner....friends included.

[scott1988]

Hiii98,
It's fine. I'll take it and get over it. Hey, understand this: I'm very "straight forward" when it comes to my life. As a result, I have a tendency to not be very "nice" when it comes to suggestions. You can read on here if you want but I'll save you the trouble and just tell you right now, I very very rarely ever "sugar coat" anything. A lot of people don't like this because they want to be told everything is going to be ok and that you're making the right decisions and keep you positive. That's great if you want to be "coddled" but I'm not going to do that. Bars can be fun but they can also suck the life & money out of you if you're not careful. Nobody needs that. Like I said, I'm all about saving a buck or two or 3 thousand but just want you to be careful.

I get a little upset about POS systems and other topics like (I want to buy a bar but the owner won't give me all the financial statements I want....should I proceed with their asking price of $500,000 when it looks like it's only worth $80,000?............what do you think?). The thing is, your questions about POS systems I already discussed on here and again, as I mentioned, my answers are the same now as they were 2 years ago and won't change. I wish people would use the search box (even though yes, it does take time to read the posts), it would save a lot of repeated questions and/or responses. ---IF YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, KNOW HOW, TIME & MOST IMPORTANTLY $$$$ TO OVERCOME YOUR "POSSIBLE" MISTAKES WHEN SETTING UP A POS SYSTEM, THEN....AND ONLY THEN SHOULD YOU EVEN CONSIDER TAKING THE "DO-IT-YOURSELF" APPROACH.-- Otherwise, it's "best" to seek the advice & services of a qualified company, even if it costs you a little more upfront. Remember, you have to think of this as an "investment" instead of an expense. It's like a pool table, dart boards, Sunday football games on your nice 7' HD video screens, your jukebox, the color of your walls, the atmosphere, food, drinks, and etc. at your establishment. Without them running smoothly or tasting and feeling great, you don't have repeat guests.

Hey, good for you that you want to learn this thing inside and out but just be ready for the "possibility" of it being a long drawn out nightmare. I hope for your sake (and anyone else who takes this route) it only ends up being a few 1 hour phone calls and a couple 20 or 30 minutes calls (after the 3 or 4 hour call to go through programming I'm sure). That's the "ideal" situation but is usually not the case.

Anyway, I don't know what your place is like or how many stations you are needing to run "efficiently" but if you wer quoted $18k for a one station system, I'll admit that the POS salesman would be lucky he didn't get shot on the spot. If it was 2 or 3 that's still quite high. If it's for a 4 or 5 station settup, then perhaps they're in the ballpark but again, it depends on the POS software company that they represent and whether training, programming, installation, what hardware and possible warranty were included. Most POS companies will include some training before installation and after installation and come for your first few days/nights of operation (again, make sure you get a quote of hours and menu/programming changes to make sure you're not limited to weeks or days) and also include a "warranty" period or "training" period which is anywhere from 3 months to a year depending on the company. This is where they will come and set it up, program the menu to function the way you would like and then show you how to make changes to your software and learn it over a 3, 6, or 12 month period. It's virtually "impossible" to know everything about your software in a month time frame and as you get it up and running, you'll learn more about it and have many more questions about functionality. This is why they include a "training" period.

Micros *(going on older pricing here)* "used" to be roughly $6000-$7000 per station. Some of their systems were a little less but that's the average I heard when in the industry. Digital Dining or Aloha were close behind at roughly $5000-$6000 per station (but I also know that Aloha came down on their pricing about 5 years ago...not so sure about Digital Dining). Maitre D and Pixel Point were close to these two but a little less and a little more at times depending on the dealer. Squirrel I don't even bring up because they really lost touch in the industry about 15 years ago so they weren't relevant. The other ones I mention like Future POS and Softtouch are similar in pricing (at an average of $3800 to $4700 per station) and very reasonably priced when compared to the others I mentioned. Also, they both basically had the same features and usually more in some cases. Some of the reporting is not as good "sometimes" but again, it really depends on "exactly" what you're looking for. Other than that, the other ones like Aldelo (which might be what you got) or a few others sold online I don't really compare because they're a totally different scenerio and settup.

Yes, it does at times seem like everyone is "out to get you" when it comes to opening up a bar. But I thought you already had a few other businesses set up? I was assuming that you've already had a few bars. Is this not correct? Did you actually say that you're not a bartender, server, or hospitality employee? If not, what are you doing getting into this industry? Just curious. Not sure what you do for your other businesses but it's not retail. Just sayin'

[scott1988]

BTW, do you mind if I ask you who you've talked to so far? What POS dealers are in your area?

[hiii98]

I've spoken with FuturePOS and Aldelo and also SoftTouch Pos(i think thats their name). And I did read your previous posts prior to starting this thread. My problem was i could not find a post about purchasing a system within that price range.

also I see the liscense,techsupport, and hardware as the investment. Not the holding your hands like a child while raping you for $1,000s . I honestly dont see that as an investment at all.

Whatever the case i will be fair and honest and report back here in a week after we are all setup. If the experience was a terrible one on my part I will bare all, and share my stupidity. If it really did save me thousands and was easier than expected i will share that as well.

[scott1988]

I've spoken with FuturePOS and Aldelo and also SoftTouch Pos(i think thats their name). And I did read your previous posts prior to starting this thread. My problem was i could not find a post about purchasing a system within that price range.

also I see the liscense,techsupport, and hardware as the investment. Not the holding your hands like a child while raping you for $1,000s . I honestly dont see that as an investment at all.

Whatever the case i will be fair and honest and report back here in a week after we are all setup. If the experience was a terrible one on my part I will bare all, and share my stupidity. If it really did save me thousands and was easier than expected i will share that as well.


Well, if you spoke with Future and Softtouch out of some of the recommendations from me, then I guess I'll say thanks but if it was simply by "chance" then I'll simply say ok, I understand. Maybe that's all you have in your area anyway so you might not have much to choose from anyhow? If you read my posts like you said, even though I do talk about those 2 companies frequently, more importantly than the brand of POS software you get is the actual POS software dealer themselves. As I've said before, even if it's good ol' Micros, Digital Dining, Aloha, Maitre D, and a few other "vetreran" POS companies that have tons more installs around the globe, it doesn't matter if their dealer doesn't do a good job of supporting their clients. It's like owning a Lamborguini, or Porsche. If you live in an area that doesn't service these vehicles and you have to get it towed 400 to 500 miles (or god forbid overseas) to the nearest dealer every time it breaks down, that would be some serious issues and be super costly. Not good on your pocket book. The same rules apply to POS companies (for the most part). Now let's take you for example. You like to get involved with the POS systems and how they function, operate, etc. so you can be more knowledgeable when it comes to fixing issues. Honestly, this is great and I truly commend you for it (despite my recommending otherwise) if you have the passion (really important), time (more important to be able to have the time to do what is needed to fix issues if you don't really understand what you're doing and basically have to teach yourself how to fix your issues "on the fly"), and money for it (this always helps lots). Great, good for you.

But most people have none of these. That's ok too. I'm just simply saying that "most" people won't choose your route. Doesn't make it wrong. Just different. Each choice will have goods and bads. Hey, I'm a car nut and know quite a bit about cars of all makes but even I'll admit that I don't know the first thing about a Lamborghini other than they're super fast but I probably couldn't fix too many things if something went wrong. So be careful.

I know you made the comment about "holding your hands and raping you" as a suggestion that POS companies do this. Well, yes like an UNTRUSTWORTHY car repair shop, they can take advantage of you and bend you over backwards with a monkeywrench. However, as a mechanic myself (studied automotive technology in college and worked as an automotive mechanic for 7 years) I know that not "every" shop or mechanic is out "to get you" and as a previous POS consultant as well, I can the same for the POS industry. There are trustworthy places out there but you do have to do your homework and research these places to make sure you're getting "quality" work done on that shiny new BMW. "Quality" does NOT necessarily mean expensive or cheap, it just simply means giving you the correct service for your needs.

No, you do NOT have to buy a POS system from a local dealer. You can do exactly what you did and buy it online. I just don't recommend it because of some of the repercussions it can sometimes bring. But, if you're going into it undestanding what the drawbacks may be, then fine. You're the one who will have to deal wih the "possible" (and I hope I'm wrong) issues on a busy Friday or Saturday night during rush hour.

As far as looking for a post within your price range, you're right, there wasn't one because I never recommend your way of doing things for various reasons (AGAIN...UNLESS you know FOR SURE what you are getting into). For a "good" system at what I believe is a "reasonable" price for "most" owners/users, the ones I mention are the ones I believe are pretty good but again, it really ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR DEALER.......(if you choose to go this route and feel there is a value in having your hand held so when a problem occurs, it will be taken care of). (Theoretically and/or ideally speaking of course.) Again, if you don't see the importance of having a dealer close by as an investment, then you just simply don't see them as a value. That's that.

All in all, I wouldn't assume you're going to have it up and going in a week or less and would be more realistic with a 3 or 4 week time frame but if you can get it up and going in 2 weeks or less with only an initial 1 or 2 major calls (2 or 3 hours each) and then 3 or 4 other smaller calls (30 to 45 minutes each) to take care of the little issues, I would say that wouldn't be all that bad really. But again, it will just all depend.

Again, I thought you got Aldelo with the hardware that you bought but maybe I was wrong. Which software came with your system? (or is coming with your system)?

I look forward to hearing about your experience, even though I disagree with your decision. Honestly, I really don't wanna say "I told you so" because that's just a crappy situation for you. You need to be making money with your POS system, not spending money on it.

Good luck.

[hiii98]

ok here is the good and the bad.

the good is i bought a brand new touchscreen POS system for $1500, its solid the hardware kicks ass, and it includes the POS liscense and a month of free support direct from the company and a year of support from the 3rd party dealer.

now here is the one and only problem i'm having and its a big one. I was able to configure and register the computer and system, setup all the programs and hardware, but i have very little input on how to setup the ordering system or inventory system.

I still stand behind the idea that the buy couldnt be better, the price really was right. However i think i'm going to need some direct support on building the menu/ordering system. Any advice? I somewhat booted the local reps out the door, do i call them up and get a "training price?" ... or fumble my way through this and setup some crack menu (I've never run a bar before) based on the raw input of my bartenders?

I'm open for advice at this point. Again i'm happy with the system, and the included liscense, and i'm 100% setup, just need to build the menu...which i'm finding i'm clueless about...most likely more so because i've never run a bar before...rather than lack of computer savy


then I started getting feedback from my employees and not only from them but myself as well (I could see for my own eyes how difficult it was to use at times). I hated how I had originally set up our system. Ok, not “hated” it, but I knew that it could be A LOT MORE EFFICIENT. And more importantly “USER FRIENDLY.” So……I spent some hours reprogramming my menu and the way it was laid out and added some options and things and in the end, it became sooooo much easier to use but more importantly, efficient AND accurate.

So for all of the owners, managers, and/or POS/cash register programmers who may be reading this “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE” do your employees, yourself, and more importantly your guests a favor and set up your system “correctly”. And if it isn’t, please go back and change it so that it is. It will help your bottom line in the long run.


i just read your quote, and curious what you recommend? I'd like to hit the ground running with an efficient, quick, and friendly setup for the employees... using my aledelo system.

[hiii98]

going to have the local aledlo guys and one of my new hire bartenders sit down and hash out the flow chart for ordering drinks. This should only cost me a few hundered dollars. Just to built the outline of the system. in effect i'd have onsite training, software/liscense, and hardware for 1,700 for 1 station.

I think this is a wise investment. If i could do it over again i'd for sure buy a used system, buy the software seperately, and get paid training for setting it all up, would have saved myself hundreds more.

[scott1988]

going to have the local aledlo guys and one of my new hire bartenders sit down and hash out the flow chart for ordering drinks. This should only cost me a few hundered dollars. Just to built the outline of the system. in effect i'd have onsite training, software/liscense, and hardware for 1,700 for 1 station.

I think this is a wise investment. If i could do it over again i'd for sure buy a used system, buy the software seperately, and get paid training for setting it all up, would have saved myself hundreds more.

This "should" only cost me a few hundred dollars? You mean you haven't got specifics?:rolleyes: Come on Hii....ask the correct questions and get definitive answers. It's like your taking your car in for an oil change and saying "just check it out". That's like saying to an automotive tech (which I was for 7 years) "hey, tack another $15 onto my bill that I will bit*h about AFTER you've done the service but then can't get out of once you've done the work." When you tell an oil change place to just give it "the once over", that's like opening the doors to unnecessary parts like air filters *FOR EXAMPLE* (that are a huge...huge...huge money maker for oil change places and rarely NEED to be replaced). Air filters are an easy profit maker because the markup is huge at oil change places (average $10-$25 your cost on small vehicles *excluding most pickups and diesels*and only costs the oil change place usually $4-$8 average) and they only take 1-5 minutes to change (easy). Plus, more times than not, they don't ACTUALLY "NEED" to be changed. The service manager will come and show it to you and show you the little flower seeds, bugs, animal food pellets from mice or small debris lodged in between the paper fins of the filter and try to tell you it's "clogged" and in essence "choking" your engine and as a result, it's reducing your fuel economy...(which it is):eek:...nobody wants to waste more gas right? But the truth is, you can have them simply blow it out with air (which they are supposed to do for free) or even you yourself can just take the filter and tap it on the ground a few times and 80-90% of that debris will simply shake itself out. So, you didn't NEED a new air filter.:confused:

Now, back to your issue at hand.........the same principles apply. :cool: Ask them EXACTLY what they're going to do and EXACTLY what you're going to be charged for. If it's for a days worth of programming, then get specific times or hours. Is it for 4, 6, or 8 hours? What things are going to be covered? If you don't understand things the way you want, how will you get your questions answered after the time limit? What will that cost?

Hii, I will get back to your questions about programming a little later because that is going to be a really really loooooooong post (as if this one wasn't) but before you go requesting an on-site rep to come out, do your homework instead of just "assuming" it's only going to cost you "a few hundred" dollars. More times than not, it won't. :mad:

[scott1988]

ok here is the good and the bad.

the good is i bought a brand new touchscreen POS system for $1500, its solid the hardware kicks ass, and it includes the POS liscense and a month of free support *Not that much really* direct from the company and a year of support from the 3rd party dealer *That's pretty good but I don't know what the 3rd party support is and it worries me a little because they may not be able to help with your issues due to not being "directly" involved. 3rd party may or may not be a good thing*.

now here is the one and only problem i'm having and its a big one. I was able to configure and register the computer and system, setup all the programs and hardware, but i have very little input on how to setup the ordering system or inventory system *don't get concerned with setting up inventory. If you've read my posts (which it looks like you have) you should know that inventory is basically a joke in the POS world. It's one of those things that everyone wants but nobody uses. Recently, I read on another POS forum that one of the top POS salesman for his POS company won an award for selling the most inventory "modules" or "add-ons" in their software and when he went on stage, someone yelled out from the audience..."yeah, but how many of them are still using it?" The reality is, only about 2-3% of the owners of the POS software actually use the inventory module that is in their POS software. The reason is, inventory is NOT....NOT automatically settup and updated in your system. The reason inventory is sooooo complex is because although the products may be the same (bud light, steak, french fries, t-shirt sales, and etc.) every place sets up their system to account for each of these things differently. Plus, inventory needs to understand ALL the different amounts of these items to work CORRECTLY AND ACCURATELY. More times than not, it isn't settup right from the get go and then when you're out of bud light bottles but your software shows you should have 100 bottles, you wonder what went wrong. It's because it was settup wrong in the beginning OR...OR...OR, (this is the big one) people forget to update the software when they get a shipment of beer in once, twice, or 3 times a week. Not to mention the food orders coming in. For a small place, this may only be once a week but for a larger place, this could be a few times a day even. Updating the inventory becomes more of a hassle for many people because they don't want to take the time to utilize it CORRECTLY and as a result, it becomes useless because it's INACCURATE. ***REMEMBER....the information you get out is ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INFORMATION YOU PUT IN***.

**As far as the "ordering" system. I don't know if you're talking about online ordering, ordering for your actually inventory items such as ordering beer & food for your establishment, or ordering for your servers/bartenders for the orders of the guests to be sent to the bar/kitchen areas. If you're referring to the first 2 types of ordering, I wouldn't worry too much about this part unless it is a NECESSITY RIGHT NOW to get the business up and running. If it's just something you would like to use to make the person's life easier (the one you're setting this POS system up for) then although it may seem stupid in the beginning, you're best off to set it up and then add these 2 items in AFTER you get the system up and running so you understand the little things that you may want to change BEFORE you set it up and then have to start all over. This will save you a lot of time of reprogramming. I know it sounds tedious but I'm just trying to give you some good advice and wait on this just like inventory. If you're referring to the last one, then you haven't even come close to setting up your system because this is the main thing about a POS system. Programming it for its use by your employees. If you don't understand how to do this, then you've got quite a few long days ahead of you.
I still stand behind the idea that the buy couldnt be better, the price really was right. However i think i'm going to need some direct support on building the menu/ordering system. *You may not "need" direct support but to do it on your own would NOT be a good idea no matter how much time you have. Sure, you can do it but if you've got free support, take advantage of it and just do it right the first time. Save yourself (and the people you're setting this up for) the time, headache, and "potential" future technical issues because you set it up wrong to begin with. NOT good. Any advice? *Yes, refer to what I just said.......CALL THE POS COMPANY AND GET THEM TO HELP YOU.* I somewhat booted the local reps out the door, do i call them up and get a "training price?" *Good luck with that. You "may....maybe...might be able to beg for forgiveness from them but why should they help you? You didn't want anything to do with them or got mad at them. Would you want to help someone that basically told you to get lost? If you are able to kiss their a**es and get help, that may be a possibility but I guarantee it will be at a price. A price that may not be reasonable. Plus, are you talking about the POS dealers of other companies or Aldelo? If they are reps of other companies, they can't help you anyway. If you're talking about the local Aldelo rep, why didn't you try to get their help in the first place? Or maybe you did I don't know. I thought Aldelo was primarily (and only) online and didn't have a direct rep presence?... or fumble my way through this and setup some crack menu (I've never run a bar before) based on the raw input of my bartenders? *NOT...NOT...NOT a good idea but you can sure try. If you do "attempt" to set this up, at the very least, only use "some" of the input from your employees. Understand that a system like this is also to be used to prevent "theft" which is what employees do. I don't care how nice, sweet, and convincing people are or seem, sometime or another, they WILL steal from you even if it's a "harmless" foul. A beer here or there or a side order here or there not rung in will eventually add up to lost profitability to the owners of the establishment which will put them under. It's not the employee's problem if the business fails so don't give them the option to make that happen. You can get "input" from them but there are things that you need to be aware of......I'll try to cover that later when I refer to the way to set up your system.

I'm open for advice at this point. Again i'm happy with the system, and the included liscense, and i'm 100% setup *NO, YOU'RE NOT. Stop "assuming" you are if you haven't got the menu set up or are having questions because just because you powered the system up, got the printers to work, and can get into the programming side of things DOES NOT mean you're set up. It just simply means that the system is powering up. It does NOT necessarilly make it functional from an usability standpoint. More importantly, it doesn't make it accurate and efficient. This is the tough part. , just need to build the menu...which i'm finding i'm clueless about Again, the most important part....most likely more so because i've never run a bar before (which is why I questioned why got involved with this project to begin with but I must remind myself that you're not being asked to supervise the operation of the place, just simply being asked to program the POS system. No big deal right?) Hey, I'm not saying you "have" to have experience but it would've helped. But you don't and that's that. Anyway, it isn't "required" by any means because some people have 10-20 years of "experience" but it doesn't make them better than someone with NO experience. Sometimes anyway. It would give you a better point of view about setting the system up but that's why you're here too right? ...rather than lack of computer savy *Which you claim to have and I'm taking your word that you do have.


I just read your quote, and curious what you recommend? I'd like to hit the ground running with an efficient, quick, and friendly setup for the employees... using my aledelo system.


I was trying to find that thread but decided it would take to long to read. I'll answer that in the next post.

[gilbi]

I stumbled across this post again today, hiii, and noticed that you completely ignored my response to your original post. I just happen to be a bar owner who also bought Aldelo online and setup my 5-station POS system completely on my own (including inventory which like scott said, is damn near impossible with any POS system). The only time I have ever called Aldelo for tech support was to "activate" a new computer setup or to inform them of a bug in their system.

... that being said I agree that *most* bar owners should hire an experienced, trust-able sales rep and *not* do it themselves.

I can't actually recommend Aldelo even though it works well enough for me. There are a few very important problems with Aldelo which the company could fix easily enough but they choose not to. If anyone's interested, ask me and I can offer more details.

[scott1988]

Gilbi,
Nice to hear things are going well for you (for the most part).

I just typed about 2 hours worth of stuff and accidentally hit a button on my keyboard and it completely deleted everything. I tried to go forward and retreive the lost message but to no avail.

So, I may just try to do a video. I don't know. Man I hate it when that happens.

Anyway, I was going to give you some ideas about setting up your system for ease of use and how to account for inventory correctly (at least my opinion) but now that I just wasted 2 hours of my time, I may have to rethink how I'm going to do this. Uggg.....

[hiii98]

i paid the tech $200 for training and he basically taught me how to use the system and also setup the entire rough draft of our menu. Also any further questions i had i could call aldelo with my free 30 days tech support. I still think this was a brilliant decision. It cost me about $1700 to 1800 in total for a new POS system. I think thats pretty good. We've been running sales for the past week now without a hitch.

[scott1988]

Hii,
It's good to hear that you've got it up and running. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you about different ideas for setting up the system but right now, I'm working on one of my biggest projects for this Friday and until I get that done, I don't have much time to do a video or type up 2 or 3 hours worth of ideas.

But either way, I hope that this works out for you despite my concerns. Those won't go away in my head but hopefully if you do have issues or questions, the company you purchased the software/hardware from will be able to help you.

If indeed you've only spent $1700 to $1800 ($1500 initial purchase price for hardware/software and an additional $200 to $300 for extra tech/training support) for the system so far then yes, that is a great deal because it is less than half the cost of the average 1 station settup for a POS. But like I was going to say (or maybe I already did in a previous post and can't remember now), setting up the menu is actually the main thing about your POS system so until you've got it up and going and worked with it for a month or 2 and seen what it can and can't do, that is when you will determine if it was a worthy investment. There are always changes and other little things that you will notice about the system but generally speaking, until you get to use the system fully, you don't know what's missing.

Either way, I hope it will work out for you because it will save a lot of money in the long run.

Just an FYI for other POS lookers out there, currently there is some talk about IPads being capable of running POS software and being used for POS in the bar/restaurant place. Keep in mind that an Ipad is NOT new technology in the POS realm. It's only a newer model of an old idea that's actually been around for a long long time. Almost 30 years. Wireless POS systems have been around for that long but there have been only a small handful (literally maybe less than 5) that have done it well and only in as recent as say the last 6 to 8 years. There are many things to consider when thinking about a wireless POS situation. Sure, the idea of an IPad to use as a POS system sounds really cool but you have to think about it in practical terms and I'll give you a few:

1. Technology - The Ipad is basically a wireless touchscreen device in the POS world. (This is NOT new technology as it has been around for a long time). So it's not anything new.
2. Size - It's also fairly large compared to other wireless systems (the Ipad is roughly 10" x 7 1/2" x 1/2" thick and a normal handheld device is about the size of a large PDA that will fit in your apron....the Ipad will not).
3. Weight - The Ipad weighs approximately 1 1/2 pounds which is not a lot but consider holding in your arm for a full shift for multiple days on end and it may or may not be a good option. A regular POS handheld unit doesn't weigh much less but less is better regardless.
4. Durability - Although people dispute the fact that if you put a protective cover around the Ipad it will make it stronger and more durable, do you really believe something that is as thin as a 1/2" is going to be durable when dropped from an average of 4 feet to the ground? (that's the average drop from a counter or your hand). Maybe once or twice but common sense tells me otherwise. Other devices are much thicker and stronger and because they're smaller, can fit nicely into an apron which you may not be able to do with an IPad so it has more chance to get bumped, scratched, or knocked out of an arm, hand, or otherwise. Also, it is simple to just buy a $20 retractable cable that you put on the device to prevent and/or minimize it from hitting the ground in the possibility of a drop. Sure, you can do this for an Ipad too but again, due to it's size and weight, I don't know how big of a retractable cable you would need. The smaller units can simply be put on this retractable cable and clipped to your pants or apron and minimize impact if it is dropped.
5. Cost - Actually, the costs of such devices are relatively similar with a normal POS handheld device ranging from $300 for an inexpensive unit all the way up to a $1500 or even $2000 handheld unit for more durable unit. But, most people spend an average of $500 to $600 per handheld unit which is $100 less than the average Ipad I believe. So cost is really not that much different. But, I'm not sure what the software licensing requirements will be for an Ipad so you will have to check to make sure.
6. Theft - This is a big one because anyone who would use an Ipad for a POS ordering device may just decide that they love it so much they'll take it home. No owner wants to have to worry about having their equipment being stolen but the same could be said for the other smaller POS handheld units so really, you have to put policies in place to prevent theft for either unit but the Ipad just seems way sexier. Or make it known that each person using one of these units will have it checked out to them at the beginning of their shift and if it is not returned, it will be considered stolen and could be prosecuted and blah blah blah. Again, you have to decide on your own policies. This stinks but it's really the only way to protect your investment and it doesn't matter if it's a regular POS handheld unit or an Ipad. People are mean and steal your stuff, plain and simple.
7. POS integration - Regular POS handheld units are more prone to be used as POS systems due to their software integration however, I've heard that the Ipad has been able to run the same software on them so I'm not sure of all the ins and outs of its capabilities or lack thereof when it comes to this part. But, again, understand a few things. Most POS systems are built under a PC based Microsoft Windows operating systems and/or platform and NOT a Mac/Apple based product like the Ipad is. That's not to say that they don't exist because they do but just beware of jumping into something only to find that you may be very limited with what you can do in the POS world.

Last, as with this person in this post, be cautious if you're going to run a POS software with your Ipad. If you understand what you want to accomplish and can live with issues along the way, it may be for you. As with any remote ordering system, there is ALWAYS a learning curve that is different than a standalone stationary POS system. Wireless POS is just different no matter if it's Ipad or regular handheld POS systems. But if you can't have the patience to wait for the technology to catch up to your wants now, go get it and deal with it. However, you may want to wait a few years until they come out with something designed for the Ipad. Yes, they do have it now and people are using it so you can do it if you want. Again remember, this is NOT a new technology for the POS world. It has been around for a long time so if it hasn't caught on by now, there may be a reason why. Be cautious.

[NewBar]

wow. great thread people

[gilbi]

Personally I think that the iPad (or Android Tablet) could easily be the future of POS systems. It has nothing to do with portability, although that's certainly a plus. For the price of a touch-screen display alone you can can have a POS system that can easily be mounted anywhere.

This is what the iPad (or other tablets) has to offer:
- A touch screen
- A processor and OS powerful enough to run a full-fledged POS
- Less parts to fail, less parts to replace
- Easier, quicker setup
- Built-in battery

So yes, you could possibly use a tablet via wireless and for many people this should work great. But what if you just want to use the tablets the same way you use a traditional POS? The beauty of this is simply that's it's cheaper and simpler and smaller. For example, mounting an extra POS station behind an already-cramped bar should be lot easier with an iPad the main challenge now will be where to locate the cash register. In the past, we had to worry about where to locate the computer and UPS (uninterrupted power supply), now the computer and touch-screen are fully integrated, and at a pricepoint that makes replacing the whole thing not too painful. It also makes diagnosing problems a lot simpler. Furthermore, all tablets have their own built-in batteries so the UPS issue is also solved.

The main problem I see with tablets is that they don't have ethernet ports. Running database-based apps over wifi can be tricky sometimes.

[scott1988]

Hey Hiii98,
Would you kindly get back on here and update us on how things are going. I know I had my concerns but last we talked on here, it sounded like you had most of them worked out. Just wanted to know how things were going for my own curiosity sake and to help educate others on here too. I still wouldn't recommend the "do-it-yourself" approach to just anyone but if you have the time, patience to learn, and money for backup in case it doesn't work out, I'm not "totally" against it.

Let us know what's up. ;)