POS Experience II

Retail storeowners are learning the hard way how easy it is to automate their store. "I've owned my store for five years, really had very little idea about how much I was losing by doing everything manually" says Jennifer Shreiber, owner of "Got Gifts?" in Sacramento, California.

Smith says from the moment she decided to update her equipment help wasn't hard to find. "It was challenging to find the right kind of help." Needing someone to accommodate her needs and not change the way she runs her business was the tough part. She met with five different companies.

"I wanted the a complete package, many of them seemed the type to just drop off the software and not be around when I need them." Then she met the ca|micro pos solutions "out of the blue" I received a call from Retail Solutions Manager Rob Leal. He said he just wanted to come in and talk to me about my store see if his solution would be a good fit."

The result was positive. "I'm a skeptic, always have been, I don't like change but knew it was time. Mr. Leal came in, took a lot of notes about my store and saw the way we did business, saw the amount of inventory and number of employees. He asked a lot of questions and seemed to really care.'

'I checked out the demo did some research. The company was credible, had references, and when I called to ask Rob questions a real person answered the phone. Shortly after our meeting I decided to purchase."

Smith says she hasn't looked back since. "It's been nine months since the system was installed, anytime I need help I get an immediate response. The training was thorough. My staff had a handle on it after just an hour."

Smith believes she got her money's worth when she put her trust in ca|micro. "It was more than I expected. Not only did they offer a total solution with computers, programs, uploaded my inventory down to the last item. They've created a machine to do exactly what I needed it to do.

After the installation was complete they stood by when we put it to use." Smith says the solutions engineers did a great job helping her and her staff through the transition." If I'd chosen any other company I'm 99 percent sure I wouldn't have received the same amount of service."

Smith says when she compares her current way of doing business to the previous way, she is amazed that her business was surviving. Payroll previously took Smith a day and a half to complete. "I've been competing against large chain stores since I opened my doors. I really needed a system to help with the accounting end of things. I thought I had a handle on my inventory and profit margin. Now payroll only takes thirty minutes."

Her idea of inventory and profit was far from realistic. "I was getting by, able to pay the bills and keep on top. I thought I was doing well. It was a harsh reality to learn how many of my products were being undersold, and I had an employee dishonesty issue.'

'The ca|micro retail management system is with out a doubt a lifesaver. I'm more profitable than ever, they hyped about my return on investment I didn't believe it at first…but now I definitely see it."

Her regular customers are excited about the change. "They come in and like how little time they spend at the register." Her employees spend less time processing the sale and more time making sales. "I've entered the 21st century and am happy about the change.

"If I'd known just how much things would improve I would have done it years ago and saved a lot of money.