Boarman's Meat Market

Recently change has come to what is affectionately known by locals as the “Heart of the Heartland”.  Boarman’s Meat Market, a fixture in Maryland, has meshed old fashioned, neighborly business ethic with cutting edge POS technology.

Three generations of Boarman’s -- Larry, George II, his wife Terri, their son Georgie III and valued employees continue in the tradition of down home service initiated by family patriarch George L. Boarman I. Since 1955 the Boarman’s have been rendering service with that special touch continuing the tradition from the Mt. Rainier, Maryland, store which opened in 1933, things such as home delivery. Back in the days of the 30's and 40's, the drivers had access to customers' home keys and no one gave it a second thought to finding groceries neatly put away and the house locked backup tight. Today grateful seniors enjoy much the same service. It's not unusual to be greeted with a hug when entering the store or answering your door during a snow storm only to find George II with kerosene in hand and his horse in tow when no one else could get to the house.

It is with such values in mind that the family searched for a new POS system. When it came time, they decided on a vendor who is patient with the process of acclimatizing to new technology. Someone who is available at odd hours when the need arises. Most importantly someone who shares their understanding of how important loyal customers are to the grocery business.
"After researching various POS systems, we were sold on STCR because of their promise of support and service. STCR has lived up to that promise above and beyond. You would think they are your next door neighbor, always available and willing to help. The program was easy to learn and the Help Desk is FANTASTIC. It was reassuring to know that one company handles the entire bundle, not two or three different manufacturers' programs that have been integrated. The equipment is top notch too. We are very pleased with the system and already feel like we have a better handle of our business."
Issues such as GS1 Data Bar, PCI compliance and Triple Des Encryption were left to STCR while the important things like the best Sausage in the area, commitment to old fashioned community values and hugs were left to the experts at Boarman's Meat Market.

Keeping up with PCI

For the last couple of years there has been a lot of buzz about PCI. PCI stands for the Payment Card Industry. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a worldwide information security standard defined by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. The standard was created to help organizations that process card payments minimize credit card fraud. The standard applies to all organizations which process or exchange cardholder information.
PCI is an on going process. The PCI Security Standards Council continues to develop the PCI DSS as needed to ensure that the standard includes any new or modified requirements necessary to remove all security risks. Changes to the standard follow a defined 24-month lifecycle with five stages, described below.

Stage 1: Market Implementation
Stage 2: Feedback Begins
Stage 3: Feedback Review and Decision
Stage 4: New Version / Revision and Final Review
Stage 5: Discuss New Version / Revision

Each of the stages varies in length with a total of 24 Months. The next update takes effect on 9/30/2010. Retailers need to be proactive when it comes to PCI and credit card security risks. You can find the most up-to-date PCI information at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

Is Your Store Secure?

Security, it’s the buzz word these days and everyone wants to feel secure. Everyone wants security but what does it mean to be secure? For starters, it’s important to make your store secure from intruders. You probably have security systems to prevent intrusion and theft. Beyond the physical security, do you know how secure your POS system and your computer networks are?


You are probably aware that as a store operator who processes credit cards you are required to follow the PCI guideline to protect the personal data of your customers. One of the many things that you have to do is to make sure that your POS software is updated to the level that is compliant. This is probably the most obvious step toward compliancy. However, there are several other areas where you need to pay attention.

If you have Internet connection at your store, you are vulnerable to Internet intrusions. The intrusion could come in many forms such as virus, spyware, etc. There are also more active ways that a hacker could gain access to your computer. The task is to stay ahead of these intrusions and it’s a never ending process.

To secure your network you need to have hardware and software that is designed to limit access to and from your store. A firewall is a solution to protect your system. Firewalls can be hardware solution or software solutions. For example, SonicWall Firewall is a solution that provides a physical connection of your internal network. It segregates your internal network from the public Internet. It has an array of functions and features that protects your internal network. For example, you can limit the Web sites that someone could access; thus, limit the chance of virus or spyware from getting into your computers. It also has the ability to centrally deploy antivirus software to all the Windows PC on the network.
Even with all the technology to protect your system, the best practice is to limit web access to business related traffic only. Just because you use Windows PCs, doesn’t mean you should use them like the Windows PCs you have at home. A good rule of thumb is to “Let your POS system function as they are designed – to run your POS system.” This way you will further limit any chance of intrusion.

As the technology advances, so do the ways that hackers will come up with to try to steal valuable information. This is a never ending battle and you need to keep up with hardware and software technologies that are designed to stay ahead of the crooks. As a POS systems provider, STCR is here to provide the ever changing solution to help you stay up to date. If you have question on whether your network is secure or if your POS software is up to date, please contact us at (607) 757-0181.

Nutritional Value

The nutritional value of food is a concern for most consumers and they are always looking for ways to decrease spending in food stores while being conscious of what they are feeding their families. In a study done by the NGA (National Grocer Association) the simple ‘desire to be healthy/eat what’s good for us’ came in #1. Some other nutritional concerns that ranked in this survey are:

• Fat content/low fat 13%
• Chemical additives 12%
• Salt/sodium content, less salt 10%
• Freshness, purity and no spoilage 6%

Of the consumers surveyed by the NGA 84% are leaning toward eating more fruits and vegetables and 64% of consumers are trying to consume ‘less junk food/snack food’. A surprising statistic is 33% of consumers in this survey look to their grocery stores to learn about nutritional issues on a regular basis where as 23% look to their doctor. This not only helps grocery stores keep their customers coming back but also gives them the opportunity to increase their customer base.

Loyalty programs can give your customers an incentive to be more nutritionally conscious. The more you know about your customers, the better you can meet their needs and gain their confidence.