Microsoft Point of Sale
Bella Rose: Microsoft Point of Sale Helps Organize Histories, Inventory and Purchases for Fine Gifts Shop
Bella Rose Fine Gifts & Furnishings sells tableware, art, jewelry, accessories, and even baby goods, all very carefully chosen to enrich the clientele's homes and personal images. But after a year in business, the manifold details of following up on special orders and incomplete shipments, as well as the task of managing a constant stream of new suppliers was inundating owner Tracie Rose Hiemstra and her staff. After watching QuickBooks Point of Sale slow down her purchases in a neighboring shop, Hiemstra agreed to install Microsoft® Point of Sale. Today, she and her staff have easy access to complete records, and have thrown out the clipboard and electronic cash register that never managed all the details. "This system helps us accommodate every customer's shopping preference, leisurely or in and out in two seconds. This is what we always needed," says Hiemstra.
Dragonfly Collections
Dragonfly Collections, a charming, high-end shop in Chicago's Lakeview area, sells exotic furnishings and decorative accessories from more than 40 countries to designers, decorators, and walk-in clientele.
Jasmine
Jasmine's in Wilmington, Illinois, sells one-of-a-kind gifts and popular salsas. Eight developmentally disabled adults, learning personal and financial self-sufficiency, make many of the store's gifts.
Landing Music: Comprehensive Retail System Puts New Spin on Store Records for Classic Vinyl/CD Retailer
One of Seattle, Washington's foremost retailers of rare, classic, and contemporary niche albums in original, new vinyl, and CD formats, The Landing Music, Ltd. has served walk-in and mail-order customers since 1995. Last year's growth was 10 percent, but time spent in the store needled owners Rick and Beth Geist. "Our ECR [electronic cash register] was a collectible," says Beth, "so it only gave us categories, no specifics. And no retailer can prosper without exact knowledge of what has sold." After months of system previews, Rick found QuickBooks Point of Sale illogical and many others too expensive. The Landing installed Microsoft® Point of Sale in early 2005. "Literally every business process moves faster," says Beth. "Lines are quicker, we know what to order without paper notes, customer discounts are clear, and we're building a database of customers."
