Point of Sale¶
Overview¶
Point of Sale is the register application staff use to ring up sales at a counter. It runs in a web browser or on a dedicated tablet, and it records each sale against the same customer, product, and accounting records the rest of the system uses. A cashier signs in, selects products, takes payment, and closes out the register at the end of a shift.
Herring Bank deploys Point of Sale in a direct-sale, counter-service arrangement. A common example is the Wilbarger General Hospital cafeteria, where staff ring up fixed-price meals and drinks without table assignments.
Configuration¶
Register setup¶
Each register is defined by a Point of Sale configuration record. In our standard cafeteria setup the register is named “Restaurant” and is set to direct sale, which means a cashier who opens the register goes straight to the product grid without choosing a floor or table first.
Two settings control this direct-sale behavior:
Table service is turned off, so no floor plan or table picker appears.
No dining floors are linked to the register.
Note
These settings cannot be changed while a register session is open. Close any open session first, then edit the configuration.
Products¶
Only products marked as available at the register appear in the product grid. In the standard cafeteria build these are a small fixed menu, for example:
Breakfast and Lunch plates at a flat price.
A small number of named entrees.
Dessert, drink, salad bar, and soup line items.
Products are grouped into categories such as Meals, Extras, Desserts, and Drinks so the cashier can find them quickly. Register products are configured with tax removed so the posted price is the price the customer pays.
Payment methods¶
The standard register accepts three payment methods:
Cash.
Card.
On Account, used when an employee charges a meal to a running balance that is settled later through payroll. On Account requires the cashier to select the employee as the customer before validating the sale, and each employee’s balance is tracked separately.
Cashier sign-in¶
Staff sign in to the register with a personal numeric PIN rather than a full username and password. Each employee record carries its own PIN. This keeps sign-in fast at a busy counter while still recording who rang each sale.
Usage¶
Ringing a standard sale¶
Open the register and start a session if one is not already open.
Sign in with your PIN.
Tap each product the customer is buying. Adjust quantity if needed.
Tap Payment.
Choose Cash or Card, enter the amount tendered for cash, and validate.
Hand over the receipt if the customer wants one.
Charging a meal to an employee account¶
Ring the items as usual.
Tap Customer and select the employee.
Tap Payment, then choose On Account.
Validate. The amount is added to that employee’s running balance for later payroll settlement.
Closing the register¶
At the end of a shift, close the register session so the day’s sales are finalized and counted. Follow your site’s cash-counting procedure when prompted.
Troubleshooting¶
- The register opens to a floor plan or table picker instead of the product grid
The register is still in table-service mode. Close any open session, then turn off table service and remove any linked floors from the register configuration.
- A configuration change is refused with a message about an open session
A register session is still open. Close all open sessions for that register first, then make the change.
- An expected product is missing from the grid
The product is not marked available at the register, or it is in a category that is not shown. Confirm the product is set to appear at the register and is assigned to a visible category.
- The register page does not load after a restart
With more than one database present, the register route may not know which database to use. Confirm the deployment pins a single database so the register page always resolves.
Note
Not yet documented, pending source material: receipt printer setup, barcode scanner pairing at the register, and refund handling. These will be written from hands-on testing on our own Community installation and from the relevant OCA module documentation.