Thursday, November 15, 2012

Datacap credit card interfaces to cash registers

Datacap Systems who make the Datacap Twin Tran that is the most popular method of interfacing your cash register and credit card payments make several models. Datacap Products:
  • Datacap Dial Tran SL
  • Datacap Dial Tran ML
  • Datacap IP Tran SL
  • Datacap IP Tran ML
  • Datacap Twin Tran SL
  • Datacap Twin Tran ML
Also keep in mind each version listed about also can come with built in MSR in most cases. In order to interface SAM4s cash registers to credit card you must have a Datacap device, Almost all Sharp registers also require a Datacap as well with the exception of the ER-A247 and ER-A347 registers that can use a certain Hypercom terminal

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Sharp ER-A320 won't be around much longer

The Sharp ER-A320 won't be around much longer which is a real shame. this cash register was a work horse and easy to use. However there are still some available however if you need one you should act quickly as I don't think they will last long.


Sharp ER-A320 Cash Register
Sharp ER-A320 Cash Register

Friday, November 09, 2012

Programming more than one cash register

This topic comes up often whenever people are shopping for cash registers and are trying to get the cheapest one they can. OK none of us wants to spend more money than needed right? Well before doing that figure out what is needed!

Perfect example of how this affects a business happened this morning at my office. A customer had called a couple weeks a go looking for five registers. The customer was very sure of the make and model they wanted and just wanted a price. Nothing more just price, price, and price! The customer was really sure this was the best machine for them and there was not going to be an opportunity to discuss anything else.

They bought the 5 registers and took delivery of them. This week the customer called for support to get started programming the registers, no problem we do that all the time. In discussing programming and set up with the end-user I quickly determined it was going to take 3 to 4 hours to program each machine. It take a very long time to enter the names of hundreds of items, prices for hundreds of items, make the custom keyboard etc etc. That is a lot of time 3 to 4 hours times 5 registers so now looking at 15 to 20 hours of your time programming cash registers.

If the time had been taken to discuss the other options we would have steered them to a register that has an SD card port so after programming one register the data could be transferred to another register within a matter of minutes! So now it would still be 4 to 4 hours programming the first register and maybe 30 minutes each for the other 4 including taking them out of the box as you can quickly replicate them rather than re-doing all the work!

So when buying more than one register where the program will be the same make sure you buy one with and SD card port, or an IRC feature, or PC software all of these features would allow you to clone the first programmed register. Also if you decided to use a Datacap Twin Tran to accomplish credit card interface with your cash registers IRC would allow you to share one interface rather than needing one per register.

Very few Sharp cash registers come with a SD card port or PC interface. Many more SAM4s cash registers have free utility software for programming and SD card ports in almost all newer models.

So if you save $50.00 a register is it worth 20 hours of your time? I doubt it is. Consult with us before you pull the trigger on buying your cash register to make certain you are at least presented with your choices and make an informed decision. 1-800-863-2274

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Support for cash registers

Here is a blog that offers cash register support. They have post regarding SAM4s Cash Registers and Sharp cash registers too. They cover topics like cash registers that process credit cards and other more advanced features.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Sharp Cash Register Support

This site has Sharp cash registers and all the supplies for them. They also have the cash register credit card interface and provide support for all the Sharp models except the consumer grdae models that begin with XE

Friday, November 02, 2012

Samsung or SAM4s who is who?

We still have people calling or emailing looking for Samsung cash registers which of course no longer exist. I guess it played out something like this. Samsung cash registers used to be sold world wide by the company we are all familiar with "Samsung".  From what I understand Samsung never actually made the cash registers they were OEM'd by another company whose name I don't recall.

So at a certain point years a go Samsung for whatever reason decided to exit the cash register business. I understand that the company who also made them for Samsung decided to make them on their own and with a new brand name. The name they went with is SAM4s Cash Registers and they have been doing very well. They quickly surpassed Sharp as the most cutting edge cash register brand in the US and I would imagine the world.

So Samsungs are now SAM4s which in this case has been a good thing. Samsung is a great company however we have found SAM4s to be more responsive to the industry and really willing to forge ahead of others with some great features and fair prices.

So not sure if I'm 100% correct here but that is the story as we know it!

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Are there electronic cash register that comes with integrated credit card processing

Sharp and SAM4s both make several models of an electronic cash register that comes with integrated credit card processing. Sharp even make two registers that interface with a Hypercom credit card terminal although most interface with a Datacap Twin Tran interface as all the interfacing SAM4s registers require.

Some of the larger Sharp and SAM4s registers can share the Datacap between them while the smaller ones require one TwinTran per register.

When you interface the register and credit card payments you will have a more efficient check out at the register with fewer errors and much less fraud regardless of Sharp or SAM4s we reccomend interfacing every time.

Right now The Cash Register Guys are offering a $200.00 rebate for purchasing a cash register and setting up merchant services with Mercury Payment Systems who will supply a no up front cost Datacap Twin Tran you can call them at 1-800-863-2274