Cash Register

The right tool for easier transactions

By E.M. Robinson

The size of your business and its potential growth will be determining factors in choosing the cash register that will best meet your needs. With so many features available in today’s cash registers, you will want to consider the cost, ease of use and components. At a minimum, you will need your business cash register to:

  • Make return transactions
  • Provide compartments for denominations of currency
  • Add or subtract items on your customer’s bill
  • Provide price look-ups (PLUs)
  • Calculate correct change to customers
  • Have tax tables
  • Print receipts from a built-in printer
  • Run reports, track inventory or integrate your data into QuickBooks or another financial record program.
  • Have a locking cash drawer.

Additional Cash Register Features

You may also need to consider advanced features such as a register that connects to multiple registers and printers, prints graphic logos on receipts, provides better reporting capabilities or provides an LCD display. Additional features that may be needed for your business might include:

  • Bar code scanner
  • Touch screens as an alternative to keys for inputting information
  • Software that downloads your end-of-day report totals directly to your QuickBooks Pro
  • Capability to program your register from your PC
  • Ability to identify sales by department or employee
  • Customer display

Cash Register Manufacturers

There are cash registers by different manufacturers, and each of these companies offers different models to best meet your business needs. In addition to purchasing a new cash register, you might consider buying a refurbished one. You should also ask about trade-in value of your existing cash register(s), if you have any. Top brand names of cash registers include Royal, Sharp, Sanyo and Casio.

Restaurant Cash Registers

Your specific business needs will determine the features you want to have in a cash register. If you operate a restaurant, however, you will be sure to want to look at brands and models designed for restaurants. Restaurant-specific cash registers include such features as:

  • Spill-resistant keyboards
  • Capabilities to be programmed for menu items

Best of all, some restaurant-specific cash registers also offer the ability to connect to printers so cooks receive orders automatically in the kitchen.

Other Considerations

Just like when purchasing any type of equipment with specialized features, you will want to ask about warranties, technical support and repairs.

Your business needs will help you zero in on the type of cash register you need. You will want to have the equipment features that help you operate your business efficiently without bogging you down with complicated accessories you don’t need.