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newsletternewsletter 296
Retail Quiz Retail Quiz Which one is the oldest retailer? Sears, Brooks Brothers, Lord & Taylor or Barnes & Noble? I am sure that most of you are going to say Sears. Here are the dates these stores and others were established (according to the December, 2008 issue of RIS, Retail Info Systems News).
Brooks Brothers, 1918 Should You Be Using Firefox? (What is it?) For those of you who do not know, Firefox is a FREE alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that comes installed with every Windows computer. Most of you just use Internet Explorer and have never heard of Firefox. Most of you are probably not aware that Firefox is now used by more than 20% (20.78%) of those who use the internet. Microsoft’s share of the browser market has declined to 70% (69.77%). Safari is another browser used mainly by Apple Macintosh owners. Safari has 7% (7.13%) of the market. Safari is also available for Windows, but has not had much of an impact yet. Chrome, Opera, and Netscape are three other Internet Explorer alternatives. Each has less than 1% of the market. Chrome has recently been released by Google and may have an impact in the future. Why use Firefox? … or why are so many people using Firefox? The #1 reason that you may want to use Firefox is that it takes up less resources than Internet Explorer. Because it takes up less resources, it runs much faster than Internet Explorer. Firefox is real easy to install. It may take you a day or two to get used to it. It has a great password manager to automatically log into password protected sites. Its tab features are great. For those of you interested in privacy, one click will delete your browser history and cookies so no one can see what sites you have been to. Many people prefer Firefox over Internet Explorer. I’m not sure that I can say it is better than Internet Explorer nor would I recommend that you switch. I would definitely recommend that you give it a try. I’ve been using it a lot because it works so much faster than Internet Explorer. If you try it, have patience. It will take you a little time to get used to and to learn how to use it. To download Firefox (completely free), go to: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ To see the browser market share for the past 12 months go to: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=1 Have You Backed Up Your CRE/RPE Database Lately?
The backup procedure has been enhanced to incorporate some new features. When you make a backup, a backup directory is automatically created (if you don’t currently have one). Backups are stored for 7 days. Backups older than 7 days are automatically deleted. All backup files are automatically zipped in order to save space. A 4 GB file (4 gigabyte file) can be automatically compressed to about 400 MB’s (400 Megabytes). Most CRE and RPE users have a much smaller database to backup (perhaps less than 1 GB on average). This means that most of you can store your backed up database on a small 4 GB Flash Drive that you can purchase for less than $25. Just back it up and take your data home with you. Check the pcAmerica web site or call tech support for backup instructions. Can I Help You? How do you greet your customers? Or, do you greet them at all? It is probably best to greet every customer that walks into your store, but how do you greet them? One way not to greet them is by asking, “Can I help you? It’s a great way to make your customers feel uncomfortable and have them walk out of your store. Managers and owners need to train personnel to be friendly and sincere. You also need to train your sales people to be excellent psychiatrists. When a customer walks into a store and starts looking at merchandise, they are not likely to respond positively when you ask, “Can I help you?” My answer when approached with that question is, “Do you have a men’s room?” or “Can you help me carry my packages to the my car?” It’s great to acknowledge your customer. Say “Hello.” Say, “Yo! How are you doing?” (Well, maybe not “Yo!”) Or, “It’s great seeing you again.” Now, on the other hand, if you see a customer walking around the store that looks like they are trying to find a specific item, then, “Can I help you?” is fine. Customers should be greeted with a good morning or some type of welcome greeting. It is fine to tell a customer that should he or she need any assistance, you would be happy to help. That’s different from asking the question “Can I help you?” which will probably be answered in some type of negative fashion. No matter what type of store you own, having someone greet a customer in a non-offensive manner is just so important. It changes the entire customer experience. Here’s one other psychological point. If you greet a customer and don’t mean it, your customer will no it. You and your employees need to enjoy working with customers, meeting and talking to people. If not, fire them. If you are the owner, you should be doing something else! Help pcAmerica Pilot New Credit Card Technology pcAmerica is working with leading-edge technology to ensure your credit card transactions are safer than ever. CRE and RPE are safe and secure, but we always recommend pursuing the highest level of security possible. We have recently completed a new interface that will further increase the security of your swiped credit and debit card transactions. We're seeking a few retail stores or fast-food\quick-service restaurants (located in the United States) to pilot this new technology over the next few weeks before public release. This may require a change in merchant account and a slight hardware investment (approximately $ 50 per POS terminal, and the hardware is yours to keep for permanent use in your business.) Businesses participating in this pilot program may be featured in nationwide or local newspaper or magazine publications as one of the first businesses to adopt this technology. E-mail beta@pcamerica.com with your name, phone number and a brief description of your business if you'd like to participate.
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We
already know that 50% of business users backup their CRE (Cash
Register Express) and RPE (Restaurant Pro Express) databases on a
daily basis and 50% don’t.
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