Changes to the card network regulations are coming. All merchants are required to be PCI compliant at all times. Card networks have mandated that all credit card processors report every merchant’s PCI compliance status starting January 31, 2017. Previously this was only required for the larger level 1, 2, & 3 merchants.
Additionally, merchants that qualify for the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) by processing with EMV or a validated point-to-point encryption solution will not be required to validate their compliance.
Obviously this is the big banks method to completely put the burden of charge backs and fraud on the backs of the merchants. Merchants will pay more to accept credit cards at the point-of-sale. While the banks make gazillions of dollars, merchants bear the burden of ever increasing fees and expenses to accommodate credit card processing all while being completely responsible for any losses do to fraud.
PCI compliance is an impossible standard to accomplish. Even the most dedicated merchant cannot meet the the standard as set by the credit card industry. Now PCI compliance and EMV will be required to keep your costs down and liabilities at bay.
So what can you, the merchant do. First and foremost don’t bear the burden of all the endless fees being imposed upon you. Pass those fees thru your POS system to the card holder. Focus POS can easily add the cost of credit card processing to the customers guest check. New Mexico POS has programmed a number of our Focus POS customers to do just this. Reports from the business owners have all been positive reporting very few complaints from customers and no loss of business as a result of having Focus POS add credit card processing fees on each and every guest check used for credit card processing. Customers just pay the fees!
Here are the numbers. $1,000,000 sales, 80% credit card sales and average 20% credit card tip. Credit card fees, compliance costs and added liability insurance costs average 3% of sales plus tips. The math is:
sales x .8 = cc sales, cc sales x .2 = tips, cc sales + tips = cc total, cc total x 3% = cc fees
$1,000,000 x .8 = $800,000, 800,000 x .2 = $160,000, $800k + $160k = $960k, $960k x 3% = $28,800 fees
Think of what it costs you to pay the credit card industry $28,800 in credit card fees. If you are an extremely well run business and gather a 10% gross profit on your bottom line, you require $288,000 in sales just to pay those fees. Wouldn’t you rather put $28,800 to your bottom line than give it to the big banks?
Focus POS and New Mexico POS with this one feature can put profit back in your business again.
Call for a demo (505-293-7551) to see this beautiful feature of Focus POS!
October 28, 2016
Focus POS protects against beverages not being rung up!
One of the most common problems and an area of revenue losses in any restaurant is when staff does not ring beverages into the POS system. It’s an easy thing to forget, especially with a full house, a busy server, and in some instances, with a cashier taking payment. Soft beverages from syrup concentrate can be thought of as a low cost perishable but when ignored, can be a high cost lost of revenue over time. Every restaurateur should have a feature embedded into their business’ POS system to ask, or even better, require a beverage before the check can be tendered.
While the food service industry does not maintain statistics on error or theft, the issue is very real for any restaurant owner. A 2004 Nation Restaurant Association survey stated theft represented on average 4% of a restaurant’s total food costs. And in comparison, a 2010 survey by the University of Florida reported over $36 billion (dollars) are lost due to theft and error. With these alarming numbers, it’s apparent that restaurateurs are battling to keep their assets protected and are in need of tools to control and track to their benefit.
Luckily, Focus POS has an unique stock feature; forcing staff to ring in a beverage for every entree rung in, even if it’s a zero cost item such as water. When programming, New Mexico POS will flag any major entree or dish that the owner thinks would require a beverage to match. Such as, an appetizer would not require a beverage but the major entrees behind it would. This feature can also be matched with any alcoholic beverage that requires a mixer. For example, staff would pick their cocktail, vodka, and then the mixer, ensuring the up-charge is always added.
This feature included with the other great features in Focus POS, New Mexico POS will program a custom database, tailored to fit your business.
DV
September 21, 2016
New Mexico POS is QIR Certified!
A common trend in breach investigations is the installation and/or maintenance of a POS System accepting credit cards, also known as the payment application, being incorrect. This leaves your business and customer’s at risk for credit card information being stolen. New Mexico POS is now QIR Certified by the PCI Security Council and provides merchants with a safe and secure installation, configuration, and/or maintenance of the validated applications in a manner that supports PCI DSS Compliance.
Because of this, we are able to provide merchants a more insightful and resourceful services in effort to achieve and maintain a secure PCI Compliant environment. When a merchant has a PCI Assessment, these steps taken make the process as smooth as possible.
Do not hesitate to contact New Mexico POS if you have any questions!
Click HERE for a database search of QIR Certified Companies
September 6, 2016
Everyone is making money on credit cards; why not the merchant?
It is no secret the banking industry in America has been full press for two decades to put a credit or debit card in every man’s, woman’s, and child’s pocket. Why not? They are making trillions of dollars all on the backs of restaurateurs and retailers. Isn’t it time for you to make money too? Focus POS has helped bar owners and restaurateurs overcome the high risk of charge backs by passing credit card fees through to the card holders. Focus POS simply adds the credit card processing fee to the transaction adding significant savings for the owners. What a terrific feature.
Looking at the numbers, if your overall rate from the processor is 2.5% (fees / volume) and you process $1,000,000 in credit cards a year, the fees are $25,000 per year, coming right out of your pocket. That is a large chunk of cash anyone would want to hold onto for the health of their business. Why shouldn’t you take a piece of the pie? Adding one percent on top of the processor’s fee and your Focus POS will remove the burden of credit card processing from your business and cover any possible charge backs the banks disavowed through the EMV mandates.
Business owners who have had New Mexico POS program their systems for this feature have reported virtually no complaints from customers for the added fee on their checks. All customers paid their check without comment. Electronic funding fees being passed through to the card users are becoming more and more common in establishments. See how Focus POS can increase the health of your restaurant’s bottom line with this wonderful feature.
DK
August 29, 2016
Consumer vs. Commercial Products in POS
In the world of Point of Sale, products are often misrepresented and the end user experiences difficulties in everyday operation. Defined by whether the purchaser is buying for a business or for individual use; many variables in quality, durability, and performance is effected. Although some companies present their products as a cheap alternative to a fully loaded Point of Sale system, in time the initial investment will deteriorate rapidly; causing grief, aggravation, and high maintenance expense compared to a system engineered to have a full life span, commercial grade software and hardware, and retail hardened durability.
A mid-range tablet with an enticing price tag may be perfectly suitable for home and personal use but will probably fail eventually if not immediately as a Point of Sale terminal replacement or restaurant line buster. Because of the constant demand of resources, the tablet’s enticing price comes with the set back of low-tier consumer grade hardware and/or software. While being compared to a tablet designed for a commercial setting, you will see a higher price tag but for a very good reason. A commercial grade tablet will have upgrades, not found in a consumer based world, specifically built for keeping up and not letting down a busy store.
Another con of buying consumer grade products in an commercial environment is the risk of the product being damaged or broken. Though manufactures have made progress towards having devices not break, bend, or shatter, this does not apply in a commercial setting. A small purchase towards a consumer grade product may end up being a much larger investment due to the product being bought several times over. Once again, a commercial grade product has been designed specifically to not be damaged when used by an entire staff. Most products come with features such as anti-shock mounted hard drives, protective cases or bezels to withstand even the most extreme conditions, and commercial grade hardware to keep up with even the most demanding stores.
When purchasing a device for your business, one of the most important aspects to remember is the hardware. Consumer grade computers for example may look tiny compared to a computer engineered for a business. This is mostly because of the individual parts that are different between the two devices. If we look at a processor for example, the processor found in a Wal-Mart bought computer will never be enough to power several point of sale work stations in a restaurant compared to a specific designed processor to serve as a central hub in a business.
If there are any questions or concerns whether you’re making a good purchase for your business, contact New Mexico POS! We will be more than happy to help you engineer a system with a long and high performance life span for your business!
DV
August 22, 2016
Amazing Uniwell HX-1500 ePOS Tablet Buster!
Ninety percent of the people that invest in iPad tablet POS systems, could easily benefit more from the affordability and power of the Uniwell HX-1500 ePOS system. No internet required and no hideous monthly usage fees. The HX-1500 provides durability and reliability owners of iPad tablet systems can only dream of. Uniwell’s HX-1500 stand-a-lone ePOS is retail hardened to last and provide service without drama year after year after year. Indeed Uniwell cash registers NM-POS put in service fifteen years ago are still providing service for their owners to this day. That is return-on-investment! Don’t be fooled by the HX-1500’s low investment it has all the power you need: 50,000 items, scanning, kitchen printers/video systems, 10,000 loyalty customers, inventory powerful enough for liquor, employee time & attendance and the ability to run up to ten Uniwell Phoenix handhelds for server table-side ordering and line busting. All this and more for less than you would pay for a cloud tablet system. Couple this with the incredible Uniwell Linx back-office software and you have a system that can’t be touched. Call 505-293-7551 or visit Uniwell at www.uniwell.com to see the Uniwell HX-1500.
DK
August 18, 2016
Introducing the New “Focus-Byte” Small System Workstation!
New Mexico POS is super excited to tell you about our newest product offering for customers that want all the bells and whistles of Focus POS at a lower price point for greater value! Introducing Focus-Byte. Focus-Byte is designed specifically for the majority of all independent restaurant operators that use four terminals or less. Bar, nightclub, coffee, smoothie, quick service, family dining and fine dining restaurants can all benefit from the best POS system in the industry. The incredible Focus-Byte bundle is valued at half what you would pay for our competitors POS and Focus-Byte has no never-ending monthly usage fees. You own your Focus-Byte system. Focus-Byte is the best Value in the point-of-sale industry.
Focus-Byte has a full sized 15″ color touch monitor married to a powerful Intel Atom Quadcore processor with 2gb ram and 32gb eMMC Storage memory. This baby cooks! The Focus-Byte combo also includes the Focus POS Standard software suite and heavy duty thermal receipt/report printer. Options include: cash drawers, kitchen printers, kitchen video systems, mag card readers, integrated credit card processing, integrated gift card processing, table-side iPad tablet order entry, lifetime Focus POS software upgrades and an incredible list of add-on products to customize your point-of-sale system specifically for your business needs.
Call 505-293-7551 or email dk@www.new.nm-pos.com for a presentation.
DK
August 16, 2016
Focus POS & iPad Tablets
How about an iPad order entry system with 50 tablets! Focus POS does it at the world famous Second City Comedy Club in Chicago, Illinois. What is really exceptional about Focus POS tablet systems is; there are no expensive monthly usage fees. When you invest in a Focus iPad tablet Point-of-sale system you own it. You own the data and you are not dependent upon system failure do to internet interruptions. Focus POS also is the most efficient tablet system in the industry. Access up to 3,000 items in two touches just like the full size terminal. This feature insures your staff is fast and accurate at the table side. Focus POS menu application is second to none providing ease of use and accuracy for the most complex menu. No compromise and no complexity. Schedule a presentation of the advanced Focus POS iPad tablet system and see how your restaurant can benefit from Focus POS.
DK
August 12, 2016
Focus POS – Brilliant Software – Most Reliable POS
Since it’s beginning the engineers of Focus POS were obsessed with reliability. Focus POS requires no windows installation routines. Simply drop the Focus folder into the root directory and run one executable. Wah-la your selling. Focus POS never touches the Microsoft Windows operating system. No DLL’s, VXD’s or registry entrys. Brilliant! Add a second POS workstation on the network and you have instant redundancy. Focus POS backs itself up every five minutes in the background transparently. Your data is always safe, secure and yours.
New Mexico POS is expert at installing and supporting Focus POS. No tablet system could ever provide the reliability and security New Mexican restaurateurs experience with Focus POS. We engineer, program, install, train and support your new Focus POS system. You will enjoy more income from your properly programmed and installed system. Less stress and more income, BRILLIANT!
DK
Mastercard and Visa Anti-Trust Lawsuit decided for 7.25 billion dollars
As a merchant, if you’ve taken MasterCard or Visa as payment, you may be able to submit a claim for your share on a settled lawsuit. An ongoing anti-trust lawsuit has been settled June 30th, 2016 between MasterCard and Visa and around 12 million merchants. Visit https://www.paymentcardsettlement.com/ to keep updated and file your claim. Alternatively, third parties will file the claim for you, usually with a fee or your current Processor may file the claim for you as well.
Also, the lawsuit addressed the “Durbin Amendment” to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. This protects you, as a merchant, to pass surcharges of processing fees onto customers. This trend is increasingly becoming popular, either charging a flat dollar amount for running a card or using a percentage of the final bill. This can be incorporated into your Focus Point of Sale System, as well as other systems. Contact New Mexico POS for any questions or if you would like this feature added.
Click here to view the official court document.