Barcodes and POS in Park City
This week I had the pleasure of being in Park City Utah, for some interaction with what Utah natives claim is the greatest snow on earth. (Something about it being only 4% water content).
Well, the conditions were very good, including a nice load of fresh powder in the middle of the week. On a break from the slopes, I had a chance to patronize some Park City businesses and see their Point of Sale systems (that's my idea of fun on a vacation).
I came across two businesses using their POS systems very effectively: Chimayo, a Southwestern restaurant, and part of the Bill White Restaurant group and BootWorks, a local ski boot fitter.
Chimayo, a restaurant I frequent when I visit PC, is just one of many top quality restaurants operated by the White Group— and they serve elk. It’s my favorite dish so I make it a point to get to Chimayo on each ski trip. Sometimes twice in a week. As usual, the elk did not disappoint. I’d go on about it, but the focus here is really their POS system and superior level of service. What strikes me as so unique about Chimayo’s POS system is how they use it to truly know their customers. A few years ago when I had a minor issue,
I contacted the management directly and was totally surprised (and pleased) that they could look up my visits at not just one, but all of their unique and special venues. Since I dine at their restaurants regularly, I was pleased that they knew who I was and could see every visit and food ever ordered by me or someone in my party. I’ve never had an experience like that. I cannot tell you how valued it made me feel. Not only did they resolve the problem, but they made me a customer for life.
Another interesting POS application in Park City was at the ski boot fitters – Bootworks! My ski boots were bothering me a bit so I stopped in to see if Bootworks could do anything about it. After taking some measurements they recommended a new insole, one that included an arch. As I was sitting in the chair getting fixed up, I noticed their Point of Sale system – it was a MicroBiz system, now owned by Cam Commerce Solutions. Since I had originally developed the software myself back in the 1980s, I was pretty excited to see it used here. It turns out that boot store owner, Jeff “Ernie” Ernst , was one of MicroBiz’ original customers. It’s always a treat for me when I get to meet former clients and spend time talking about POS. The Windows based MicroBiz version 11 is about 8 years old and Jeff has been considering upgrading, but the system is working fine as it is. Jeff uses the system extensively for inventory control and ordering. On the counter was a Voyager laser scanner and underneath the counter was a Zebra barcode printer. Jeff prints a lot of his own barcodes and virtually every item in the store had one. This makes checkout easier and faster. Since every item is tracked coming in and going out of the store, it also means he keeps the right level of inventory on-hand and has everything in stock so that customers are taken care of quickly and effectively.
The insole that they set up for me did the trick. No pain, no chafing even after a week of skiing. Bootworks is in the Park City Mountain Resort complex pretty close to the lifts.
Both Chimayo and Bookworks are very successful businesses and they utilitze their point of sale systems to bring a higher level of service to the customer - and great customer service is what keeps us coming back for more!
If you liked this article, also try:
The Point of Sale News, an online magazine dedicated to the retail industry.
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