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

There are still a few Sharp ER-A320 cash registers left

Sharp ER-A320 Cash Register

The POS and Cash Register online store still has a handful of Sharp ER-A320 cash registers left that are new in box. The ER-A320 was discontinued mid 2012 even though it was one of the best selling Sharp cash register ever.

The ER-A320 is a work horse of a machine. This machine was very simple, durable and cost effective it's a shame it is gone. This was not a result of Sharp buy rather Epson who made the printer stopped production of the printer used in the A320.

As far as I know there is not yet a direct replacement for the A320 however rumors have been flotaing around that a new model is on the way? The closest thing to a replacment right now is the Sharp ER-A247 or the ER-A347 both of which are great cash registers however pretty different from the A320.

SAM4s ER-920 review

SAM4s ER-920 Cash Register

The SAM4s ER-920 is a great entry level cash register for restaurants. It is based on the same firmward as the popular workhorse the SAM4s ER-5200M which is still available. Several improvments were made however. The first improvment is the SAM4s ER-920 is that they included a SD card port, which is in important for two huge reasons. The first reason is it allows you to back up your cash register program even if you don't connect it to a PC. Second it allows you to upgrade the ROM version of the register so as SAM4s makes improvments you can upgrade your cash register to keep current. They also include free programming software if you want to program your register on the PC, this software does not include reporting. This machine is only available in black however they have a version with two printers if you would like a journal tape which is the SAM4s ER-940 The entire 900 series has optional credit card and gift card interface available by using a Datacap Twintran.

I would give this machine 4 out of 5 stars. The reason I'm not giving 5 stars is the memory is fixed and not expandable. For restaurants this is not a big problem however keep that in mind when selecting your register.

Make sure you can get support for your new cash register

Keep in mind when you buy a cash register that you may need support someday. Buy from a company that will be around to support you when you need to change the tax programming on you cash register or make a new keyboard template.

We hear it all the time from people that call our office wanting free support on a cash register they did not buy from us and the company they bought from either went out of business or they do not know anything about the cash register. Anyone can put up a website and sell any number of things cheap including cash registers. Before you buy from anyone call them. Do they know anything about the cash register? Do they offer support free or otherwise? Have they been in business long?

A good commercial grade cash register should last you 5 to 7 years (does not mean they all do) and in that time you may need some help or a repair. Maybe you want to upgrade to integrated credit card, change your tax rate, change prices etc.

At our dealership we provide support for everything we sell. We charge for most of our support however if you bought your cash register from us we will try and support you for free when possible. So if you are looking for a SAM4s cash register check us out before you buy, give us a call and see if we know what we are talking about. We have been in business since 1972 and we sell and deploy cash registers all over North America. You can reach us 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

Keyboard covers for SAM4s cash registers

We find adding a keyboard cover to you cash register will often make it last longer just by helping keep dust and lint out of the register not to mention the protection it provides in a spill. Also for flat restaurant style cash register keyboards replacing every so often helps the cashiers as the covers can cloud over time depending on your local envriorment.

We stock most of the keyboard covers for SAM4s cash registers and Samsung registers. If we don't have in stock we should be able to order for you. Even though a newer model we don have covers for the following

• keyboard cover for SAM4s SPS-520F cash register
• keyboard cover for SAM4s SPS-520R cash register
• keybaord cover for SAM4s SPS-530F cash register
• keyboard cover for SAM4s SPS-530R cash register

Don't wait until you need one, buy one ahead of time so it's there when you need it!

Call 1-800-863-2274 to order or order online

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.