Victor Pichardo (right), owner of Wineplex in South River, NJ, is joined by store floor manager Cesar De La Rosa. Pichardo bought the store a few months ago and upgraded the POS system to the cloud-based ShopKeep system, using an iPad that serves as the register.
wider variety of point-of-sale (POS) systems and business models to choose from than ever before.
Beverage alcohol retailers have a By Cheryl Ursin
very beverage alcohol retailer is different. Some are new to the business; others are old hands. Some run single stores, others chains. Some sell only beverage alcohol; for others, it is but one depart- ment. And of course, depending on their state and local laws, beverage-alcohol retailers are subject to different regulations.
E
While the basics of point-of-sale (POS) – recording transactions and tracking inventory – remain the same, these different retailers, even though they are in the same industry, can have vastly different needs. Luckily, as the POS market continues to grow and develop, even small retailers can find systems that work for them.
When Victor Pichardo bought an existing liquor store in South River, N.J., two months ago, one thing was immediately obvious to him: the existing POS sys- tem, running on personal computers, was taking up way too much space, both at the check-out counter and in the back office.
Pichardo, whose store is named Wineplex, did some research and found a POS system that could use an iPad as its register. The system from ShopKeep POS (see buyers' guide) is web-based. "I like that it is cloud-based," said Pichardo, noting that he doesn't have to have a computer in his store at all. One iPad, bolted to the counter to prevent theft, is the store's reg- ular register. Pichardo's receipt printer is attached to the store's modem. The cash drawer is attached to the printer. But the iPad accesses both of those things and the scanner wirelessly.
Pichardo uses other iPads in the store to access the system. For example, he walks around the store with one while doing inventory. He can also access his store's POS system and information, through the internet, with his computer at home.
No Upfront Costs Besides Hardware T
he ShopKeep system has no upfront costs other than the hardware. Retailers pay a monthly fee, based, among other things, on how many registers they are using. "Eventually, during the holidays, I will need a second register," said Pichardo. "The thing I like is that I can add – and pay for — that second register when I need it, but I can shut it down – and stop paying for it, when I don't."
Though it may feel a little insubstantial and imper- 30 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2012
