3 new features, Cash back, Cash in & out, Zero no sale

[Dale Harris]

In order to get ready for the X-Charge feature (which will allow you to process credit cards through POS and is coming along really well lately) I have to add support for "Cash back" on credit and debit sales.

You will be able to set it up to allow or not allow cash back for credit or debit sales. You can set each one separately, for example cash back for debit but not for credit.

Even if you set for multiple payment methods you cannot have cash back if part of the sale is paid by cash.

If you pay by both check and credit the credit must be larger or equal to the cash back.

I have been working on this all day. It is amazing how many details there are to get this right. It is really going to need beta testers.

If you have any comments or suggestions on this feature how about posting them now while I am working on it. Please note that where I work we do not give cash back so I am proceding blindly so this feature could end up working very weirdly, make some suggestions or describe how it works at your store.

[FormicaFun]

Dale,

I'm not sure if this is true for the rest of the country, or the world....but in sunny NC you have to have a special agreement with your clearing house <i.e. XCharge> to bill a credit card for more than the sale, and offer give the customer the difference <cash back>. This is more to do with the way credit card companies charge for their services on both the retailer, and the consumer end. Just like if you ever <and you're a fool if you do> stick your credit card in the ATM and get a cash advance. You're billed at a different interest rate than you would had it been a purchase for the same amount. The cash back interest rate is typically much higher than the one for purchases.

It's our store's policy not to offer the service of cash back on credit purchases. From what I hear from the bean counters <accountants> it's more headache than they're willing to deal with.

Furthermore, if they're gonna split the billing on a transaction between a credit card and a check/debit card/cash.........why would they need cash back from the credit card? Couldn't they just use the check/debit card to get cash, and bill the lot to their credit card?

Maybe the folks at X-Charge can shine more light onto this matter, and probably know the legal mumbo jumbo surrounding this in greater detail than myself, but I know the Fed's <IRS> get's kinda freaky when it comes to overbilling a credit card, for the sake of cash back, without specifing it in the transaction. It falls under the same lines of why you can't purchase money orders, or wire money with a credit card.....unless you do it directly through a regulated financial institution <i.e. your bank, the credit card company, money gram, western union>.

Anywho, hope this helps? Lots of love, and keep up the great work! 6.26 rocks!

-Ryan :-)

[Dale Harris]

Another new feature I am working on is to allow the program to accept cash pulls from the cash office or to give the cash office a cash drop.

"4. No sale" will now be "4. No sale / Cash" and when you choose this you will be offered the options...

1. No sale
2. Cash pull
3. Cash drop
4. Cancel

If you choose options 2 or 3 you will be asked for the amount. Two receipts will print, one for the register and one for the cash office which will have the amount printed on them.

On the closing screen and receipt 2 additional figures will appear.

CASH BACK
CASH DROPS/PULLS

Cash back will be the total for both credit and debit cash backs. Cash drops / pulls will be the total for both, with cash drops being subtracted of course.

Cash backs and cash drops / pulls will be calculated into the "Cash in reg." figure.

[Dale Harris]

Ryan,

I have no idea what the financial deal would be between your store and your credit card processing service. So it is a good thing that you will be able to use the POS program to turn this feature on or off.

Remember in the POS program that you cannot pay for a transaction with both a credit card and a debit card. As far as using a card and a check is concerned to pay for one transaction I have no idea whay anyone would want to do this either, but the option is there if you want it.

[Muskrat]

I'll do some Beta Testing.

[bdude]

Will the credit card processing be fully into the DHPOS program, or will another program launch to process it?
Also, will it be a seperate receipt, or will it be before the footer in your DHPOS software.
And also, is Xcharge available for all countries?

Thx in advance.

p.s I don't use credit but just wanted 2 ask.

[Dale Harris]

Bdude,

X-Charge will provide software that will run in the background (like APRINT) that will do the actual processing of the credit cards. Basically you start up the X-Charge software and then forget it. Then you start the POS program and it interfaces with the X-Charge software, so during the day you will only see the POS program.

All the credit information will be on the regular POS program receipt. Remember that you can set up the POS program already to issue two receipts for credit sales.

Unfortunatly X-Charge is currently available only in the U.S.

[Dale Harris]

Here is another new feature for the next version of the POS program. Over the last year I have received several requests that the program not allow the sale of an item if the inventory for that item is zero.

In a store I see two possibilities.

1. If the item is really out of stock then the customer cannot walk up the counter with one so there is no point in the register refusing to sell it to him because he can't bring one up to the register to ask to purchase it.

2. If the customer brings one up to the register to purchase (and the inventory in the stock table for that item in the stock table is zero) then you are not really out of stock for that item so why would you want the register to refuse to ring it up?

But in keeping with my current policy of no longer saving users from themselves I will be adding this feature to the program, here is how it will work...

In the"Stock table" feature of the POSCONFG.EXE program you will be able to reserve the first "n" lines in the stock table for those items that cannot be sold if the inventory is zero. If "n" equals zero then this feature is not used.

The reason for splitting the stock table like this is to assume that you are selling both products (locks, keys, key chains) and services (lockwork, scissor sharpening.) Since the inventory for services is always zero you do not want the register to refuse to allow you to ring them up.

Just remember that if your customer dumps 500 stem bolts on your counter, and the inventory for stem bolts in the stock table is zero, that <u>YOU</u> are the one who will have to explain to him why you will not sell them to him.

[smckane]

Hi Dale,

Just a couple of quick ones....

1. Will the cash drop/pull receipts have enough space for a couple of quick signatures - just something we use for security (blank space at bottom for example?)

2. Is there a minimum payment setting on the cash back? We have a minimum 5 pound spending limit to qualify for cash back - can this be enforced the way you've got teh program set up or do I actually have to go and train my staff (LOL :-)

3. Who in their right minds wants to refuse a sale because they can't count their stock????????? Can that feature come with huge alarm bells and a big stick that pops out of the monitor to hit the staff with?

Thanks,

Stewart

(ok, so I lied, it turned out to be 3 things LOL)