Clone a Station

With it's Clone Station feature, POSitive makes adding a new register station a breeze!  

After setting up your register station with the feature settings desired, you can save time by cloning an existing station instead of creating subsequent stations from scratch.

1. Click the Maintenance tab and choose Station Manager
2. Highlight the station to be cloned
3. Choose the Clone Station button
4. Give the new station a unique number and a name (Note: if the number already exists, it will overwrite the settings of the existing station instead of creating a new station)
5. Choose OK to complete the cloning

SQL database indexes are very similar to indexes in libraries. SQL indexes allow locating information within your database fast, much like they do in libraries. If all books in a library are indexed alphabetically then you don’t need to browse the whole library to find a particular book. Instead, you’ll simply get the first letter from the book title and you’ll find this letter’s section in the library starting your search from there, which will narrow down your search significantly. It is a good idea to create SQL indexes periodically to ensure that your POSitive database is operating efficiently.

Creating SQL Indexes
*DO perform a backup of POSitive's database before performing these steps
*DO perform these steps on the server, where POSitive is installed
*DO perform these steps while no one is using POSitive

1.  Log into POSitive with management credentials
2.  Click Maintenance tab at the top 
3.  Click the Data Utilities button and then select Utilities
4.  Click the Create SQL Indexes button
5.  Press OK

POSitive features a comprehensive list of easy to run inventory reports.

POSitive's Inventory Valuation Report lists inventory in stock and calculates the wholesale value of all items.  This report includes item SKU, inventory description, inventory type, stock count, average cost and total cost.  The last page provides a synopsis by department and category with total cost, total stock counts and percentages each department and category fulfill.

Adding Report Details

Experiment with activating report details.   Choosing to print with report detail turned on shows purchase order sources which explain the average cost and additionally includes vendor name, purchase date, purchase order number, quantity received and cost.

Try the Inventory Valuation Report:

1. Launch POSitive's Report Center
2. Choose Inventory Reports on the left
3. Choose Inventory Valuation on the right
4. Press the Run Report button
5. Choose the desired sort order and any additional report options
6. Press OK

Several shortcut features are built into POSitive to save you effort, time and worry. Some of these features will need to be activated while others are always working for you.

 SmartFeature Spotlight:  ZIP Code Lookup*

POSitive stores all the ZIP codes of your marketing area.  When adding a new customer, the ZIP code will be automatically populated to save you time.  Activate this SmartFeature in POSitive System Setup. 

Importing ZIP Codes is most beneficial if you sell to customers across the country. If you obtain a listing of ZIP codes in comma delimited format, you will be able to import them.  If your marketing area is extensive, you may purchase ZIP code list(s) for use with POSitive to save you time and hassle.  Ask POSitive Support or your POSitive Authorized Dealer for more information. 

Importing ZIP Codes

1) Make a full backup of POSitive

2) Click the Maintenance tab and then choose the Import button and select ZIP Codes

3) Find the comma delimited file containing ZIP codes

4) Assign fields for import. Highlight a field on the left and a corresponding field on the right, then click on the Assign button in the center

5) Choose Strip Header Record (field names) to ignore the first entry in the import file

*Compatible with most international postal codes

Return Reason Definitions

In order to process customer returns quickly and efficiently, POSitive features a list of return definitions.  Store management may customize the return definitions to meet store policy and to ensure that returned merchandise is properly identified for disposition.

While processing a return transaction, POSitive will prompt the cashier to select a reason for the return.

Customizing Return Reason Definitions

When adding or editing a customer return definition, you type a reason and determine if the item should be immediately returned to stock.

1) Navigate to Customer Returns by pressing the Definitions Lists button on the Maintenance tab

2) From here, you may Add, Edit or Delete return reason definitions

3) While adding or editing a return reason definition, you may toggle the return to stock option. If activated, the item will be returned immediately to stock. Do not activate this option if you want store management to review all return items before returning them to stock

Tip: Use the repositioning buttons  to arrange the return reason definitions with the most common reason at the top of the list

POSitive makes selling products and services a simple process, but some advanced planning will give you greater functionality. 

From the Transactions tab, choose the Quick Sale or Customer Sale button.  Choosing Quick Sale creates an invoice without any customer name.  Choosing Customer Sale opens a list of customers from which you select (or first add) a customer.

• Quick Sale Invoice
  • Extremely simple to create and process
  • List the item(s) to be purchased, take payment, print a receipt, and make change in a fluid, easy to undestand process.

•  Customer Sale Invoice
  •  Just as easy to perform as it's counterpart, but first you select a unique customer by name, phone number, or account number. By associating the transaction with a unique customer, advanced options become available.
  • Options like layaways, special orders, service orders and quotes, purchase histories, preferential pricing, rewards programs, contract pricing, store accounts and credit options, specialized mailings, e-mail marketing, tax exemptions and much more!


Quick RMA

As damaged, spoiled, or evidence of stolen stock is discovered you may want to write it off from your stock inventory. 

POSitive's Quick RMA* feature is a convnient way to handle vendor and distributor credits on the fly!

•  Quick RMA - a return to vendor by using a negative quantity value on a purchase order.

When a vendor delivers and removes products for which you will be credited (for example, expired food stuffs), you can add the SKU of the item being removed and enter a negative quantity. When you process the purchase order, the stock count of your inventory will be reduced by that quantity.

The transaction log of the inventory item (Inventory Center: Stock Manager view: Transaction Log tab) will show history of the Quick RMA transaction.

*Available in all editions

Open Drawer - No Sale

POSitive enhances the handling of cash drawer monies with the Open Drawer feature. 

With Open Drawer, managers can add money for making change, remove money for paying vendors and can even cash customer checks with ease!

To Remove Cash

• Press Open Drawer on the Transactions tab
• Select Cash Out
• Enter a Purpose
• Enter the amount in the Cash Out field and press OK

To Add Cash

• Press Open Drawer on the Transactions tab
• Select Cash In
• Enter a Purpose
• Enter the amount in the Cash In field and press OK

To Cash a Check

• Press Open Drawer on the Transactions tab
• Select Cash A Check
• Enter a Purpose
• Enter the amount of the check in Check In and the Cash Out fields
• Press OK

Inventory Find

With POSitive's Inventory Find feature, you can search through any of five commonly used fields: SKU, Description, Long Description , Department, and Manufacturer Part Number as well as find items assigned to given Sub-Categories with ease! 

In addition, you can quickly combine searches. For example, if you are looking for all SKUs with a 123 sequence, but only in a specific department then enter 123 in the SKU field and select the desired department.

 Find POSitive Inventory Items:

1.  Open the "Find Inventory" search window by selecting the Find icon at the top of the Inventory Center

2.  Enter a phrase, word, or letter combination in either the SKU, Description, or Department field

3.  The search is not case sensitive. Typing CAPS is not necessary.  If desired, enter another string of characters in another field - then click on OK

All inventory which meet the search criteria will be displayed.

Reset -   After conducting a search use the Reset button to display all inventory items.

New Online Software Manual

The new POSitive Retail Manager interactive manual is now available online to anyone with a web browser, free of charge!

This convenient, easy to access software manual is a great way to train new employees, get informed of software features or just to learn something new.  Consider saving a bookmark to the online manual and come back often. 

The online manual is available anytime - 24 hours a day!  Click here to begin.

Prefer to download a copy for offline viewing?  Please click here.

Prefer to purchase a hard copy?  Please click here.

Customer Alert Messages

POSitive's Customer Alert messages enable cashiers to be aware of special needs when creating transactions for a particular customer. For example, when creating an invoice an alert message may be presented to the cashier:

 "This account is past due, please remind him" or "Special Customer - Please See Supervisor"

 How To Create Alert Messages

• Launch POSitive's Customer Center
• Highlight any customer and choose Summary view
• Click on the Msg (F12) button
• You will see the Customer Message List, use the Add, Edit and Delete buttons to make desired changes
• An unlimited number of alert messages can be created and assigned to any customer as needed

POSitive makes it easy to temporarily remove holiday items and other seasonal products from the active inventory list!

Active inventory are items which you are currently selling, regardless of whether or not there is current stock on hand.

Inactive inventory are items which you do not want to be visible in POSitive's Inventory Center. This function is useful for seasonal inventory items.  If an item is not visible, then staff will not have to sort through it and cannot sell the product because it cannot be selected. For example, holiday and seasonal inventory can be made inactive until it is time to order products from a vendor and then begin to sell products to the public.

How to Make Inventory Inactive

• Highlight the item in the inventory list and press Edit
• Uncheck Item is Active on the Options tab
• Click the Save button to finalize the change

How To Make An Inactive Item Active Again

• Launch the Inventory Center and choose Summary view
• Place a checkmark in the Show Inactive Only option near the bottom
• Highligh the inactive item and press Edit
• Checkmark Item is Active on the Options tab
• Click the Save button to reactivate this item

Increase login speed and productivity by allowing your employees to enter POSitive by swiping a card!  By default, employees enter POSitive with a sales ID and password.  If the employee carries a badge, the barcode or magnetic strip on the badge could be used in lieu of manually entering the sales ID and password.  This is especially useful in busy retail environments or when many employees log in and out of POSitive frequently.

Assigning each employee a unique login will provide you with detailed information about employee activity and can even limit employee access to selected areas of POSitive. 

Adding an employee to POSitive's Employee list entails filling in details, assignment to Mail Groups, assignment to a Security Group, and optionally adding notes, enabling e-mail settings or activating card swipe to login. 

Activate Card Swipe Login

• Navigate to the Maintenance tab and click on the Station Manager button
• Click the Transactions link on the left
  
• Place a check-mark in Use Card Swipe To Login and press OK to save

Define Card Swipe Login

• Now, navigate to the Management tab and then click the Employees button 
• Click the Add button to add a new employee or Edit for existing employees
• Once the employee details are entered place the cursor in the Card Swipe field and swipe/scan the employee card 
  
• The swiped data will appear, press Save to finalize the activation of employee card swipe

Try Click-To-Call today!

You'll be connected to a POSitive Support Technician quickly and easily.

Our office hours are: Monday through Friday, 7AM - 4PM PST

This POSitive station feature is used to help you in balancing your cash drawer(s).  Bookkeepers, accountants, managers and others who handle monies without a cash drawer will enjoy the convenience of this feature.

If a POSitive station will be making sales transactions and will be balancing its own cash drawer, the Collect Tender At Station number should match the current station number.

If POSitive is running on a network, this option allows you to process invoices at a station, but assign a different station or cash drawer for keeping the money, checks and credit card slips. Specify the station number where the money will be kept. When the cash drawer of the selected station is balanced, the transactions made at both stations will be included.