The Disadvantages of a Point of Sale System

A point of sale system is what you see when you take your groceries up to the front of the store to pay for them. It is a computerized system that links the cashier and customer to an entire network of information, handling transactions between the customer and store and maintaining updates on pricing and promotions. Although a point of sale system has many advantages, it is important not to overlook the disadvantages.

The whole point of having a point of sale system is that it allows you to connect a single register to a larger network of information that would otherwise be unavailable or inconvenient to access. For this reason, many businesses decide to go with a web-based system rather than a software-based system, because it optimizes this aspect of the point of sale system. However, this additional advantage comes at an additional cost, in that you will need to pay for Internet access on your registers as well as a monthly fee to the provider.

If you go with a software-based point of sale system, you will need to continue updating it with new versions from the manufacturer or software company. In addition to the complications and costs that come with these updates, you may need to invest in hardware updates as well. These updates can result in significant continuing costs for something that is supposed to be an investment that brings long-term returns.

Customers who use debit cards at your point of sale stations run the risk of divulging their PINs to other customers. Most systems do take some measures to hide the keypad, but none of these efforts are perfect. Additionally, if you have web-based system, you run the usual security and privacy risks that come with doing business on the Internet. Though most providers of point of sale stations offer significant security protection, they can never negate the security risk completely, and the convenience of making your system widely accessible can come at a certain level of danger.