Changing the Date and Time on a Sharp ER-A320 cash register

The Cash Register Guys have posted the directions for changing the date and time on the sharp ER-A320 You can find it here Program the date and time on a Sharp ER-A320 cash register for more resources on cash registers and to find a great replacement for your Sharp check out SAM4s cash registers here.

Bar code scanners for Sharp cash registers

If you are looking for a bar code scanner for a Sharp cash register we can help. Many companies sell scanner although they don't know what it takes to make it work with a Sharp register. We often get calls from people that have bought a scanner online for a very low price however it does not work with their Sharp. We know which models work with the register, we know what cable you need, we know how to program the scanner, and we know how to program the register.

If you want to get it right order your scanner from us, we are the cash register and scanner guys! Call to order at 1-800-863-2274 and no if you already bought your scanner somewhere else we can't make it work for free!

We offer programming for SAM4s cash registers and Sharp too

Over a week we receive numerous calls from people that have bought cash registers for a cheap price online maybe on Amazon or another online discounter. Of course we all want a great deal and value for our money but make sure you count in service or support into the equation. Like I mentioned we get calls every week from people looking for support for SAM4s Cash Registers or maybe a Sharp. They like the fact they can reach us, we answer the phone, we have an online chat support tool, and we know what we are doing. What they don't like is the fact that if you did not buy your cash register from us we have to charge for support. We do have quite a few of these calls turn into paying customers and we appreciate their business, however had they bought from us in the first place the support may have been free!

We hear from end-users that often do contact the people they bought their cash register from and they would like to help but they don't know how! Don't let this happen to you. You can still buy online for a discounted price but buy from cash register companies like us in the first place.

If it is too late and you have already bought a Sharp cash register or maybe a SAM4s model from someone that can't help you then call us. We can help you learn to use the register, program the register, take reports and more we just charge for our support. Please keep in mind that commercial grade Sharp registers and SAM4s machines are all sold by independent dealers and none of us are paid for support or service from the factory and of course can't help one another customers for free.

If you are interested in getting support for your cash register please give us a call at 1-800-863-2274 we are open Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm PST.

Please note we support commercial grade Sharp cash registers. We don't support models that begin with XE, sorry those are not commercial grade.

Programming your cash register

So it is the time of year to be programming your cash register. Many cites and States increase sales taxes this time of year. If you forget to increase the rate your cash register charges you still have to pay the state the correct amount. Don't lose profit get your SAM4s cash register programmed for the correct tax. We also program Sharp cash registers. Most changes are quick and the current fee for 2013/14 is $50.00 for most models. Call us at 1-800-863-2274 to schedule a time to program your cash register

get ready for the New Year if it involves a sales tax change

We are just a little bit more then a month out from the new year. Do you live in an area where the sales taxes are increasing and you will need to program your SAM4s cash register or your Sharp register?

We do programming for cash registers over the phone for all commercial Sharp registers and all the SAM4s models. Don't wait to get in line for the tax change, call early and arrange for a technician to call you back and walk you through the process of changing the sales tax.

Keep in mind you will need you program key and a phone at the register. The program key for a SAM4s is a "P" key or a "C" key as they both will work. For a Sharp cash register is needs to be a "MA" key

To schedule call 1-800-863-2274 and there is a fee for this service. Here are some sites you can visit as well

Programming sales tax on SAM4s cash registers

Sales tax programming on Sharp cash registers

Happy New Year and wishing you all a great 2014

Changing the time on a cash register

It is that time of year again when you need to program the time on your cash register due to daylight saving time ending. We can help program the time on a SAM4s cash register. If you bought your cash register from us we will help for free (if you ask for Dave Jr.) if you bought it elsewhere we can still help but the fee is $50.00

We can help on all SAM4s and Samsung cash registers and many of the Sharp models but not all. Call us at 1-800-863-2274

Most modern cash registers have four tax rates that can be programmed

Because of the trend in complex local and State sales tax rates cash registers over the last decade and a half started coming out with two tax rates however in the last 5 years or so most are coming out with four as the taxing rules have become even more complex.

I have only helped on customer set all 4 tax rates but it seems like a trend that will will not be able to avoid so when you buy a new cash register make sure it will handle the taxation requirements or your city, State and county.

The most common situation we run into is that the local sales tax will be one rate for hard goods, and another rate for restaurant and bar sales, and another for hotel/motel tax. In these areas many restaurants were surprised to find out that if they sold tee shirts, hats, souvenir glasses etc those items would be taxed at a different sales tax than the food and beverage.

Also in many places things may be taxed unless the consumer is paying with EBT which may reverse the tax status of an item.

So as you can see checking on your local sales tax regulations before you buy your cash register can be worth ding the home work. Find these things out before you buy or program your cash register for sales tax. I recommend contacting your department of revenue and giving them your address so they can tell you the rate(s) you must charge.

I think all the new SAM4s cash registers have the ability for four tax rates and so are the Sharp cash registers.

Sharp and SAM4s cash register keyboard templates

A great feature of flat keyboard restaurant style cash registers is your abilty to create new keyboards as well as update existing one. We simply use word templates and they allow you to change the color of each button, the text and a picture if you wanted. A good cash register company will provide you with the template so you can print your own on demand or make changes as needed.

Here are a few links to some pre-made keyboard templates and keep in mind many cash registers use the same template. Also little word of advice please print a blank, cut it to size and make sure it fits before you spend a few hours building a custom template only to have it not fit.

• Sharp UP-700 keyboard template
• Sharp ER-A420 keyboard template
• SAM4s ER-265 keyboard template
• SAM4s ER-285M keyboard template
• SAM4s ER-390M template
• SAM4s ER-600 keyboard template
• SAM4s ER-650 Keyboard template
• Samsung SPS-1000 keyboard template
• SAM4s ER-5200M keyboard template (works with many)

Again if your model number is close to any of those above download it, print it blank and try it. If it is close you can also adjust it in word. Some keyboard will print on 8.5 x 11 paper some will require leagal size so make sure you printer supports that. Also this are without warranty, use at your own risk. We make them available for free so please don't expect support for them as well but i can tell you we have created thousands of keyboards with these templates.

Cash register programming tips

Some cash register take longer to program than others however they all have a few things in common. All have departments or groups (whether you use them or not). The departments or groups is a good place to start programming.

When preparing to program your cash register we urge people to plan your programming in writing. Start by making a list of departments or groups, give them a name and tax status. Following is a sample

#  Name                                    Tax Status

1 Taxable Grocery,                  T
2 Non-Taxable Grocery           NT
3.Beer/Wine                             T
4. Cigs                                      T
5. Dairy                                    NT

So you get the point. Make sure you know the layout of department or Groups on your cash register keyboard and that your department listings match up where you want them. Example many cash registers the bottom left hand department button is #1.

If your machine has alpha characters and not just numbers (most have alpha) we like to map our the characters we need to enter to program the text. Most cash register use a two or three digit code for each letter. So on our list above I would expand like so: (only listed one but do you entire list in advance.)

# Name Tax Status

1 Taxable Grocery, T
    084 065 088 065 066 076 069 032 071 082 079 067 069 089 (alpha code for Taxable Grocery)
2 Non-Taxable Grocery NT

3.Beer/Wine T

4. Cigs T

5. Dairy NT

You then will have to program the tax status of each department. Almost every register I have programmed always come standard as every department set as non taxable however a few new Sharp cash registers are coming out of the box with every department programmed taxable.

You will also have to set the tax rate. Most cash registers can have a tax rate or table. Unless your city, county or State requires a table for some strange reason always set the rate and don't mess with a table. oddly enough the rate setting is almost always the second choice in the manual so people try setting the table first and get very frustrated.

Our techs are available to help you program your SAM4s cash register for a fee. We find that once most people program a few things it becomes clear and they fly right through it. You can call for rates and availability at 1-800-863-2274

cash register programming

We are always asked if this cash register (insert model here) is easy to program and we answer each time the same way. "Easy is a subjective term" To some it is to some it is not. This answer is the same regardless of make of cash register as it applies evenly to all registers.

Some innovations have made the task of programming a cash register less difficult such has multi line displays, programming wizards, PC interface, SD card ports etc. The biggest factor of making a machine easier (or less hard) to program however remains the screen. The cash registers with larger multi line screens are the least difficult to program I'm not talking about the standard 2 line LED or LCD display we are talking 8 lines or better.

Why is a multi line display a great tool for programming cash registers? Well because it allows a more menu driven format where you are often answering questions and filling in the blanks. This format also allows you to program multiple aspects of an item all in the same screen. Most cash register with screens allow you to set the name, price, tax status, department link and more all from the same simple screen. An older cash register would make you use a program code for each of those functions.

A multi line display also make cash register credit card interfaces possible to make your system even more efficient.

Another feature that cash registers are finally rolling out of the factory with is an SD card port and flash ROM. The SD card port allows you to back up you cash register program, transfer programming to another register (same make and model) and on some download sales reports.

Cash registers are just starting to come out with USB ports and that should really help their ability to connect to a computer.

Both SAM4s cash registers and also some Sharp cash registers have machine with multi-line displays however SAM4s has many more of them in their product line up.

Need help picking a register than call us at 1-800-863-2274

Programming tax rate on your cash register support

We can help you program the sales tax on your cash register even if you did not buy your cash register from us. We support all SAM4s cash registers, all commercial grade Sharp cash register models (model number must begin with ER or UP) and for most items we can help via phone. We can not help you if you have a XE model of Sharp. Sorry that is a different divison of Sharp and we don't have anything to do with them.

If you bought from us in most cases we will give you support and direction at no cost (depending on what the problem/question is) If you did not buy you cash register from us we can help but we charge for our time like all service companies do.

If you require service and you are willing to pay someone who knows what they are doing than call us at 1-800-863-2274 and tell the person that answers that you would like to set up a support call.

Sharp cash register templates

When you buy a sharp cash register with a flat keyboard you want to make sure you receive a template in order to make your own keyboards when your wear out or you make changes to you register. We provide our customers with the templates for free and if you buy the register from us with full programming we even create the first keyboard for you and give you the file so you can print your own when ever you would like.

There are many Sharp registers that have flat keyboard like the following

• Sharp ER-A420 cash register
• Sharp ER-A530
• Sharp UP-700
• Sharp UP-820F

We also have the templates for legacy models as well. If you bought your machine from us and can't locate a keyboard template let us know and we will email you one.

Programming sales tax on Sharp Cash Registers

So the first business day of the year and our phones are ringing off the hook with people looking for help programming their cash registers. We can help with commercial grade Sharp cash registers. Please don't call us if you have an XE model as we do not service them.

We charge for our support and the number is 1-800-863-2274 but before you call make sure you have your cash register manual (we can do without if need be) and your programming key. Most Sharp cash register programming keys have the letters MA on them. A SM or REG key will not get to the program mode and will do us no good! We sell all the keys as well.

New year new taxes for your cash register?

The New Year is often accompanied by new sales taxes in many states or counties so make sure you are prepared to program your cash register if that is the case. We are also seeing an increase in many areas where there are now multiple tax rates for example a general retail sales tax and maybe another separate higher one for food and beverage? If your area is moving to multiple sales taxes make sure you know how to program your cash register for one. Almost all newer Sharp cash registers and all of the current SAM4s cash registers can handle up to four tax rates.

When programming your cash register for a second rate don't forget you not only need to set the rate but also make the items or departments taxable by the new rate. None of the tax programming will affect your cash register and credit card interface if you have one.

Make sure you know how to do all this before the day you need to start. Don't forget cash register companies do charge for support for this service even if over the phone. If you require help programming your cash register call us at 1-800-863-2274

supplies for Sharp cash registers

There are a couple good places to find supplies for Sharp cash registers where you can find keyboard covers, receipt paper and ink ribbons, cash tills and even replacement keys. If you need support they can also help with that. Here is a list of three of the best

1. Cash Register Guys
2. National Business Systems, Inc
3. POS and Cash Registers

Programming Cash Registers for the New Year

So as the new year approaches plan ahead if you have to do any programming changes to your cash registers. Is your sales tax going up the first of the year? Maybe a new tax rate being applied so you will now have two rates? Does the date on your cash register roll over to the new year or do you have to program it?

The new year should not affect anything to do with cash registers interfaced with credit card or gift cards so should be good there. The new year may be bring new PCI concerns so check with your processor.

Make sure you can locate your programming manual and programming keys in case you do need to make some changes. Most cash register companies do charge a support fee when you call up to make tax programming changes or related items so don't be surprised.

Our company can support all SAM4s cash registers , all the commercial grade Sharp registers and you can call us at 1-800-863-2274 and if you bought your register from us we may be able to help you for free (for very simple quick changes sometimes) if not we will help but we do charge for support.

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

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

Cash Register Help

There are several sites with free Cash Register help but sometimes you do need to face facts and reach out to the pros that can help you within a matter of minutes. Yes it is going to cost you a few bucks but also save you a lot of time and like most people I'm sure your time is valuable. One of the best places to call is the Cash Register Guys at 1-800-8633-2744 they have sold and supported cash registers all over the world.

Sharp ER-A320 Programming

Here is a site that offers How to program Tax on Sharp ER-A320 Cash Register and there are other help guides on this model and other models too.

The Sharp ER-A320 is an awesome work horse of a cash register