Will be opening in a few weeks and keep wondering if I should go with a POS system or just do it the old fashioned way.Going to do a soft opening to make sure everything gets set how I want it.I plan doing around $8K a week.I will provide more thought in a lil bit.
Derek
I STRONGLY urge you to get a POS system for start up. I have records of every order that has gone out my door.
I use these records to know what is selling well and what is not. I also look at the number and value of orders for each customer and have the habbit of sending the loyal customers “thank you” items and those who haven’t been here in a while a “come back” incentive.
Your accountant will love you when you can produce accurate records of sales, discounts, etc.
DON’T OPEN WITHOUT A POS!
Just my two cents.
Yes. Get one. 
YES
YES
YES
at 8k you probably dont need it, but it will make ordertaking easier and at startup stage everything helps especially with training
i would go with something on the low end like that one for $599 until you grow into a busier place
I would say that it is very useful if you can afford it. If your initial working capital has room for the expense of the equipment and hardware and service maintanence plan, then it is a very useful tool. If you have to decide between the POS and something like adequate refrigeration for short term expansion, then you may have some different priorities.
Your ratios of key expenses will also be important. Rent, labor, food costs, the Prime Costs ratios, etc. If you can really afford it, it will be a great help.
POS is a needed item, as it will free up time and lessen mistakes…
I and many others can set you up with an inexpensive program that will run on used P4’s (no need 4 touch screens @ 1st)…
take the time and spend a few $$$…you’ll never regret it…
You bet you need a POS system. We went with Point of Success and Yes it is 599.00 but way better then the others at their 15,000.00. We have been on it for 3 years and we still love it. Try Pointofsolutions on the net and they can help you get started. Don’t OPEN with out some ones system… Pappy
You must understand that some guest on this site have no clue about the pizza business.
You do not need a pos system to start, to make money or to get rich…
If you have the funds, get one. Prioritise your business needs and go from there.
How many shops do you own???if any???
While I agree that its not an absolute neccesity, I would never open another store without one. I grew to 14K per week on door sheets, swearing that a POS is more hassel than its worth. Once I bit the bullet and purchased one, I still think they all suck, but wouldn’t consider going without ever again.
My husband absolutely hates ours and threatens daily to throw it out the window.
But, every time we want to check sales, history on a customer, find out how/where an order got messed up, time to complete tickets, success on certain promotions, whatever you can imagine - I just run a report and boom - there it is. It’s also great for timeclock, reducing theft and with touchscreen & pictures, the ingredients on the pizza are 99% correct all the time.
It was a huge expense (ours was 10K but leased over 3 years) but I still think it was worth it.
We are currently evaluating various companies re installling a POS system to our store which does $8 - $9K per week.
Costs in Australia for 3 touch screens, PC’s, printers and system run into about $14K, or $90 per week over 4 years.
I do adhoc checks on our orders and on average find up to $5 per quiet night and up to $50 per Friday night with incorrect pricing. These are only the ones I check!! And I haven’t even included write offs from wrong writing down of orders which require remaking.
To us investing in a system will pay for itself each week, PLUS we get the additional benefits of
a) Correctly written orders which are cleary defined
b) Correct pricing on deals, additional toppings etc
c) A flow where we can easily track orders in the system or even after delivery has been made
d) Tracking sales trends, customer buying patterns, loyalty programmes etc
plus all the other tangible benefits listed by users in many other posts on this subject
All we can see fom putting a POS is the benefits we are going to get out of it.
Already our customers are asking when it is coming as we have been collecting data from them ready to install in the system. They think its great and they now feel they have part ownership because we have explained to them what we are going to do when we have asked for their information.
To us installing a POS is a very expensive outlay of limited funds, but knowing that we will cover costs by eliminating mistakes is a no brainer to us. We look at it as being cost negative but in reality it will probably add to our profits as we clearly feel that the savings from errors will be more than the outlay.
All we have to do is find the right one for us that can do what we want and has a good customer support for if and when we may need it.
To say doing $8K doesn’t require a POS is like saying I will go out in the street and burn $50 notes.
The POS is not the all and end all of problems and errors buy it will reduce the error count and lost $$$ immensely.
From me I say go for it without hesitation. The outlay is a tax write off anyway.
Dave
I strongly suggest you get a POS system. I’ve done both, with POS and without. You will have it a lot easier with POS trust me. It will also be a lot easier to track your costs.
I’m opening 2nd place in few months, wouldn’t open without POS system. it’s the right thing to do for many reasons(check old POS posts)
paul7979 writes:
I grew to 14K per week on door sheets
[size=7]Old School!!! That was the back in the day![/size]
Yes, as you can see with post after post, it is imperative to have a sound POS system. pizzatime, I understand where you’re coming from but also understand there are so many helpful tools at your disposal. I think the biggest benefit I get from my POS system is the fact that I can see where I was, where I am, and where I’m going at the touch of a button. I can see how many new customers were generated on a weekly basis. I can see how much response I get from advertising. I can also figure out my labor cost and ideal food cost to the second at the touch of a button. I’ve been around a long time and if there’s one thing I do know, you can’t do that with D.O.O.R. sheets.
So yes, I’ll agree that it can be done without. I did it for many years with a pen and a 10-key. But knowing what I know now, find a way to make it happen because it will only help you in the short… and long run. -J_r0kk