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I developed POS software, and it is an extremely challenging job. The workflow described in this article is still rather simple, there are so many more possibil

by andix 3y ago

I developed POS software, and it is an extremely challenging job. The workflow described in this article is still rather simple, there are so many more possibilities (some apply more to shops than restaurants). One hypothetical example: a tiramisu with coffee has a special price, but you still need to put them separately on the invoice, either because you track if the tiramisus are out of stock and want to stop people ordering more. Or coffee and tiramisu may have different sales taxes (very common in Europe to have a lower tax for food). Different prices for take away and eating in the restaurant, happy hours. Payment in different currencies, some articles may have fixed prices in a foreign currency, others need conversion with the current exchange rate. The possibility to split or join invoices. Usability and speed is crucial at the POS, the users go crazy if they are busy and their software is too slow or has too many submenus. It has to be easy to learn too, often they hire people that fill in for a few days, and they need to be able to use it. A lot of people using it are also not very skilled with computers, or have no interest in learning how to use the software. The owner may restrict some features to some users, so they can't cheat the system (taking cash payments, cancelling the invoice and keeping the money). There may be some tax fraud prevention laws to be implemented, vastly varying on the region, like digitally signed invoices or the need to report every issued invoice to the authorities in real time.

Falkon1313 3y ago
Those kind of tax and price variations are quite common in the U.S. too. Some examples: Bread from bakery plus lunchmeat from deli = taxed at grocery rate, but a shrinkwrapped sandwich using the same bread and lunchmeat = taxed at the higher 'prepared meal' rate (because that's a luxury). One candy bar is taxed at the grocery rate, because it includes wheat in the ingredients, while another is taxed at the junk food rate because it doesn't. They're both mostly chocolate and nougat, but one has some wheat, so it's legally considered a cereal. And of course all of that varies from town to town and state to state, and sometimes even in different neighborhoods within the same town. And of course, some towns cross those political boundaries. I used to live just down the street from a shopping center where the tax rates were different depending on which store you were in (east side of the mall vs west side of the mall). That's all before you get to sales and specials and membership discounts and such. Oh, and tax-exempt shoppers (because they work for a charity or something). People always make fun of the U.S. for not just putting the total final price (tax included) on the shelf but the reality is, we can't because quite often we just can't know what it will be until you checkout. For something that seems so simple and everyday, it really is bafflingly complex.

by andix 3y ago

Falkon1313 3y ago

Those kind of tax and price variations are quite common in the U.S. too. Some examples: Bread from bakery plus lunchmeat from deli = taxed at grocery rate, but a shrinkwrapped sandwich using the same bread and lunchmeat = taxed at the higher 'prepared meal' rate (because that's a luxury). One candy bar is taxed at the grocery rate, because it includes wheat in the ingredients, while another is taxed at the junk food rate because it doesn't. They're both mostly chocolate and nougat, but one has some wheat, so it's legally considered a cereal. And of course all of that varies from town to town and state to state, and sometimes even in different neighborhoods within the same town. And of course, some towns cross those political boundaries. I used to live just down the street from a shopping center where the tax rates were different depending on which store you were in (east side of the mall vs west side of the mall). That's all before you get to sales and specials and membership discounts and such. Oh, and tax-exempt shoppers (because they work for a charity or something). People always make fun of the U.S. for not just putting the total final price (tax included) on the shelf but the reality is, we can't because quite often we just can't know what it will be until you checkout. For something that seems so simple and everyday, it really is bafflingly complex.