Gryphon™ Desk General Purpose Corded Handheld

With rich feature sets and extensive model options, the Gryphon product series from Datalogic Scanning represents the premium level of data collection equipment for general purpose applications.

The Gryphon series of corded linear imagers offer outstanding reading performance in an ergonomic form factor. Extremely versatile and durable these readers are the ultimate solution for applications in retail and light industrial environments where low resolution and/or damaged codes need to be read with consistent and reliable performance.

The Gryphon Desk products are available in several model options. The Gryphon D1X0 set offers standard support for 1D codes including GS1 DataBar and offers two multi-interface options: D110 for RS-232/IBM 46XX and the D130 for USB/RS-232/Wedge/Wand Emulation. The Gryphon D130 is also available with long range optics (D130 LR) for extended reading distances up to 43.0 cm / 16.9 in (13 mil EAN and 100% UPC codes). The Gryphon D230 standard range model adds additional symbology support for stacked codes including PDF417 and GS1 DataBar/EAN/UPC composite codes.

Featuring Datalogic’s exclusive patented ‘Green Spot’ for good read feedback directly on the code; it helps to improve productivity especially in noisy environments. When the readers are used in Stand Mode, the Green Spot remains on to aid in positioning the code for quick and intuitive reading. Datalogic’s patented PuzzleSolver™ decoding algorithm guarantees outstanding performance on poorly printed or damaged codes and advanced data editing and data formatting modes are available to format the collected data as required by the application software. The Datalogic Aladdin™ configuration program provides user-friendly features that simplify the start-up procedure, even for inexperienced users.

Note: Reprinted from Datalogic Web

IRUG EMV Announcement

Last Month at the IRUG (International Retail Users Group) meeting in Anaheim, CA the IRUG’s

EMV/Mobile Payments Focus Group held their 3rd major event to review and discuss EMV and mobile payments and released an EMV retailer roadmap document located at the link below:

At this meeting there were many discussions regarding to the ROI of implementing EMV in the members’ retail store locations and they all ended up concluding there is no ROI to implement EMV at the current time. Since there are still very few compatible cards that have been issued and implementation of EMV would need at the minimum new pinpad terminals to read these cards, a large expense with a small downside, leads one to not implement EMV. It will be interesting to watch as the responsibility shift date of October 15th nears to see if any of the landscape changes.

http://www.ibmretailug.org/EMV/04-05-2013%20IRUG%20EMV%20Retailer%20Road%20Map.pdf

The Value Of Maintenance On Your POS System

As an Independent Grocer always looking to improve your business and cut costs it can be tempting to see your annual maintenance expense on your POS system as unnecessary. Understanding the

mindset and the temptation to reduce maintenance expenses, there are many third party service organizations trolling the market offering plans with a significant cost reduction.

However, the technicians are not trained by the manufacturers and are not as highly skilled and capable of resolving issues quickly. Also, the quality of replacement parts are not equivalent and there is a reduced service level and dedication to issue resolution.

Choosing a service provider like this can be a costly mistake. The POS system is mission critical and some unfortunately don’t perceive the value of quality support until it is too late. Below is a breakdown of the three types of maintenance offered by STCR:

Hardware maintenance: Consists of Contract Management, Asset Management, Remote Diagnostics, Call Dispatch and Coordination, Call Tracking, Call Resolution, Incident History

Software maintenance: Consists of Access to software developer support and are entitled to upgraded software levels (upgrade implementation services not included)

Remote Help Desk Support: Consists of 24x7x365 access via phone internet and email, Remote diagnostics, Call tracking, Call resolution, Remote program upgrades, Answering 'how to' questions, Software personalization changes, Some setup and configuration changes, Tax table updates, Backup verification, Disaster recovery, Incident reporting, Closed call automatic notification, Satisfaction follow up call backs, Online Help Desk portal access to open new calls and review call history.

As you see the list of valuable benefits is extensive and the costs are fixed. Without this coverage you run the likely risk of costly excessive down times and service bills on an as needed basis, software upgrade license fees, and all the other intangible costs of your system not performing properly and tying up your personnel. Typical to most service organizations, resources are prioritized for maintenance clients. Don't make the mistake of leaving your business exposed to these unavoidable situations, and remember as your equipment ages the likelihood of these failures increases. By using a service oriented company with a customized coverage plan in place that provides peace of mind and allows you to focus on the other important aspects of growing your business. Protect your investment and know you are covered bumper to bumper. If you have any questions or needs regarding STCR maintenance offerings speak to one of our knowledgeable Sale Representatives.

Honest Weight Food Co-Op Opens New Facility

The Honest Weight Food Co-Op opened their brand new environmentally sustainable grocery store at 100 Watervliet Ave. in Albany, NY.

The new store offers an improved shopping experience for their member-owners and customers by providing a larger and more expansive store, greatly increased parking and expanded services and amenities.  The Co-Op also increased the number of checkouts to increase throughput and expand on their customer service.

Leadership In The Workplace

There are two types of leaders, those who can motivate people, and those whose motivation comes from within. When we try to motivate people, what we're really doing is encouraging people topresent ideas in a way that furthers the organization's mission. Encourage and applaud great ideas.

Open and maintain dialogue about critical areas. Allow idea sharing, both formal and informal. Conduct meetings in a formal presentation with detailed action plans. In addition, accept pitches via e-mail, and hold gatherings for brainstorming.

Don’t disparage bad ideas. When people are encouraged, great ideas will present themselves. It’s inevitable that there will good and bad ideas too. When starting a new project or assignment, even the most enthusiastic and conscientious employees need to understand your direction. To keep moving forward and keep people engaged, clarify results desired.

When people see clearly how certain actions will take them down their desired paths, they take action and make good decisions without hesitation, on their own, by drawing upon their internal stores of motivation.

Is Your POS System Ready For Summer?

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season.  Before the temperature hits the summer time high, you may want to take a few moments to go over this POS system maintenance checklist to make sure your POS system is ready to handle the summer holiday rushes and the summer heat.

UPS, especially the battery backup side of the UPS, is critical to keep your POS system running smoothly.  During summer seasons, power consumption is at its highest, increasing the chance of power interruption in the form of blackout or brownout.  Blackouts are easier to detect but brownouts may not be easily felt.  Power fluctuation could also cause power surges.  Any one of these power outage scenarios could damage your POS system, or any electronic devices that are not protected by a surge protector or UPS.  If you have a UPS and do not remember when it was installed or replaced, you should replace them.  You don’t want to wait until any part of your POS system sustains damage before you install or replace your UPS.

Your POS system is equipped with backup devices and media.  There may be automatic file backups but there is always a removable backup device and media in the form of external hard drives or DVD discs.  This should be your daily or weekly routine to make sure your system is backed up to the removable media, and the removable media is swapped out regularly.  This will allow for the quickest way to restore your system after a hard drive replacement.  Don’t learn the hard way, make having a removable backup part of your operational routine, just like counting cashiers and running reports.

All electronic equipment will have vents for cooling; make sure your POS equipment has room for cooling.  Look at the vents and make sure the vents are clear of dust and are not blocked.  Although your IBM POS systems are designed to withstand the toughest conditions in the retail environment, it is still a good practice to help keep your system running at peak performance.

These are just some of the regular maintenance practices that you should do to better prevent any system down time.  Your POS system is the mission critical part of your operation.  It pays to follow simple maintenance practices to ensure you and your POS systems have a great summer.  Contact an STCR Representative to discuss how the latest in retail hardened technology is achieving extended system life.

Is Your POS System Secure?

Security – it’s the buzz word these days and everyone wants to feel secure.  How secure is your grocery store?  Obviously 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 virtual security is? 

You should know that as a store operator, you are required to follow the PCI guidelines 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 and hardware is updated to the level that is compliant.  This is probably the most obvious step; however there are several other areas that you need to address.

If you have Internet connection, you are vulnerable to Internet intrusions such as virus, spyware, etc.  There are also more active ways that a hacker could gain access to your computer.  The challenge is to stay ahead of these intrusions.  For example, to secure your network a Firewall segregates your internal network from the public Internet.  It has an array of functions and features that protects your internal network as well as providing backup connections to the Internet.  Another option is to have a subscribed comprehensive network security service that bundles hardware, software, and monitoring service to actively protect your network.  Even with all the technology to protect your system, the best practice is to limit the Web access to business related traffic only. 

As your POS systems provider, we at STCR are 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 don’t hesitate to contact us.