Cash Registers

Keep track of transactions and speed up checkouts by getting a cash register for your retail store. The basic design of this business machine includes a cashbox, an adding machine to register transactions and a receipt printer. Staples carries a wide selection of such registers ranging from simple cash drawers for small shops to full-fledged POS systems (point of sale) for department stores and restaurants.

Choose the Right Cash Register for Your Business
Before ordering a register for your store, first consider its size and the scale of your operation. A simple cash and coin drawer will do for a very small location and you can get a portable battery-powered register if you have a temporary or mobile shop. Pick a hardwired model for a business with a fixed address. While you can make do with a traditional register for a location with low patronage, an electronic cashbox is a more robust checkout solution for stores with lots of customers. For such businesses, choose a register with an integrated barcode scanner as well as credit card and check readers. Such digital POS machines can also help keep track of inventory and automatically add sales tax to orders.

Features to Look for When Comparing Cash Registers
Make sure the register you select has a receipt printer. This streamlines transactions by giving customers summaries of their shopping bills and providing records of transactions for store owners. A model with an LCD makes it easier to total the items in customers' carts and quickly generate receipts. To guarantee transparency, choose a unit that also has a rear display for customers to observe as the cashier rings up their orders.

If you want to generate receipts detailing all the items in customers' orders, you need a register with a PLU feature. PLUs, or product look-ups, are unique codes assigned to the goods in a store. They identify each item and make checkouts go faster. PLU-enabled models are essential for stores with multiple departments and lots of items on their shelves. Select a credit card reader with a high PLU capacity to make sure you can generate codes for all of the items offered in your store.

What Security Features Do Cash Registers Have?
Traditional registers use locking drawers that require keys to manually lock and unlock their cashboxes. Some models use electronic locking drawers. An electronic drawer locks every time it shuts and requires the cashier to input a preset code to open. There are also password-protected POS machines that require cashier machines to have codes to ring up sales and open their cashboxes.

What Is the Difference Between Thermal and Print Ribbon Cash Registers?
Most registers use print ribbons to make receipts. These print details of each order with ink cartridges. Thermal print registers use special heat-sensitive paper that turns black when heated. With no ink cartridges to buy, the running cost of a thermal print register is lower, but a print ribbon model generates clearer and longer-lasting receipts.

Can Power Outages Wipe a Register?
Yes. Manufacturers have built-in features to prevent this from happening. The most common method is the use of battery backup. This saves all gathered data when the power goes out. You can then retrieve the saved information after restoring power. Some registers have SD card slots and backup data to memory cards during a power outage. This makes it easy to retrieve saved information without needing to power up the machine and connect it to a PC.