Counter Sales acts as a point-of-sale system, providing capabilities such as deposit handling, multiple payments, cash drawer and tray handling, credit limit checks, credit card handling (with CenPOS integration) and register balancing with Z-out reports. It also allows you to backorder items and drop ship them, check warehouse quantities, search for items, customers and documents, and review past sales and quotes.
The Counter Sales menu contains these programs:
Counter Sale Entry (SOE340) is used to create point of sale documents.
Counter Sale Print (SOP320), which prints counter sale documents in batch or documents not printed on the end of a sale entry. Counter Sale Print can also be used to batch print (and reprint) groups receipts. Printed counter sales receipts include all pertinent header and line-item information, addresses and totals. Use the Sales Orders Document Print Control F/M to change the depth of the counter sales receipt, indicate that the form is preprinted, enter the standard memo, etc. This also enables you to use the same format — and preprinted forms — for counter sales receipts, invoices and credit memos.
You can also print sales receipts from the Counter Sale Entry program. Invoice numbers (not to be confused with document numbers) are assigned just before each document is printed. Invoice numbers are not affected by reprinting.
Cash Drawer F/M (SOF610) is used to set up cash drawers in FACTS. It also allows you to see which terminals are signed in to which drawers.
Cash Tray F/M (SOF620) is used to create, or if necessary, delete cash trays, which are assigned to cash drawers in the Update Shift program.
Cash Drawer Sign On (SOE650) is used to sign onto a drawer in this program; the system ask them to sign on when they enter a cash-type payment in Counter Sale Entry or Payment/Deposit Entry. If the system does not require you to sign on in those programs, check that the SO Static Control Use Cash Drawer Handling flag is selected. Cash Drawer Sign On also serves as inquiry since it allows you to review which cash drawers are in use and which terminal, or user, is signed on to it.
Balance Cash Tray (SOR840) is used to ensure that trays balance at the end of each shift (after the Update Shift program). currency calculator is built into this program to help you count the amount of currency, coins, checks, credit card slips and other legal tender taken into the drawer during the shift. If there is a discrepancy in a tray, you can assign it to a specific branch or let the program distribute it proportionately among the branches. Any discrepancies will post to the DSR.After you finish counting a tray, you can print a Z-out report, which lists the tray’s activities for the shift. Once balanced, the tray can be assigned to another drawer. You cannot access this program if the DSR is in the middle of an update.
Update Shift (SOU840) is used to place trays in drawers and to assign starting amounts to trays and remove trays from cash drawers so they can be balanced in the Balance Cash Trays program. If you use cash drawer handling, use this program before Cash Drawer Sign On at the beginning of each shift and before Balance Cash Trays at the end of each shift. Update Shift is the program enables you to place trays in drawers and to assign starting amounts to trays. It also allows you to remove trays from cash drawers so they can be balanced in the Balance Cash Trays program.Assigned trays are removed by assigning a new tray to a drawer in this program’s Cash Tray ID field. For example, if you want to remove tray dd1 from drawer ssi, enter another tray ID, say dd2. Once you specify another tray, it is ready to be balanced in the Balance Cash Trays program.
Counter Sales is effectively the entire sales order process rolled into one program; it is structured so that you can service walk-in and established customers alike as quickly as possible and still tie into FACTS.
Distributors that don’t need the cash drawer handling features available in this system can still benefit from the Counter Sale Entry program. This program can be used to process orders quickly without requiring users to run through each of the programs normally involved in the sales order process. Counter Sales documents, also called sales receipts, can be printed in batches to further speed the order entry process. Small staffs with generalized responsibilities that process large volumes of orders may find this entry program useful.
To use the complete Counter Sales system with cash drawer and tray handling, several programs in the Counter Sale menu will need to be set up and a few file maintenances will need to be edited.
Terms codes
If you have not already done so, you will need to establish the payment types that will appear in the Counter Sale Entry footer. This step may be unnecessary since several order entry programs, as well as Payment/Deposit Entry, also use this information. If this program has not been set up, FACTS reminds you to do so when you try to open Counter Sale Entry.
From the Counter Sale Menu, enter the access code navigate to the SO Infrequent File Maintenances menu and select Terms Code Order Setup from the Infrequent File Maintenances menu.
Begin by entering a cash-type terms code (set in Accounts Receivable Terms Code F/M). Press F2 to search the available codes, then enter a user-defined description. FACTS only accepts cash-type terms codes in this F/M, which are those that are designated as type 1 through 4.
Use the up and down arrow keys to select, move, insert, edit or delete the six terms codes so they are in the order in which they need to appear in the ending routine.
Cash drawers can be simple shoe boxes or sophisticated peripheral devices. Either way, setup procedures are essentially the same. To enable cash drawer and tray handling in FACTS, set the Use Cash Drawer Handling flag located on the Use tab of SO Static Control. Then refer to the Cash Drawer F/M and Cash Tray F/M sections. If you use cash drawers that interface with your terminals or PCs, your Affiliate will need to create link files and install device drivers. In addition, a hotkey that automatically opens the drawer should be set up in Terminal F/M.
At the beginning of a shift, open Update Shift to open a drawer, assign a tray to it and place an opening amount in the tray.
Have your sales clerks sign on to cash drawers in Cash Drawer Sign On. This program shows you which drawers are already in use and tells you which terminals (users) are signed on to them. If someone forgets to sign on in this program, the system will prompt them to do so when they enter a cash-type payment in Counter Sale Entry or Payment/Deposit Entry.
Begin entering sales in the Counter Sale Entry.
At the end of the shift, open Update Shift to remove trays from their respective drawers. Trays are actually removed by assigning another balanced tray to the same drawer. Once another tray is assigned, the first tray is automatically removed and ready to be balanced.
Open Balance Cash Trays to count out the trays and run Z-out reports, which are printouts of the transactions run through those trays. A currency calculator is available to help you keep an accurate count of currency, checks, credit card slips, etc.
Once a tray is balanced it can be assigned to another drawer.
At the close of a day, make sure all drawers are signed off by entering Cash Drawer Sign On and setting each drawer to NONE.