>Hello everyone,
>
>I was recently asked if I could a develop point of sale system for a small retail store. The system would be comprised of only one register that would need to do the following: Scan the bar coded products being purchased, output the correct prices for the products, process credit card information, total the sale, automatically open the register draw, and delete the products from inventory. Keep in mind that this is a highly simplified description.
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>My problem is that I don't know where to begin or what tools to use. I've developed Visual FoxPro database applications, but I have never worked with bar coding, POS, credit card processing, or the hardware used for POS. I know that there are POS software packages available, but this particular client has pretty simple needs and wants to keep the price down. The client is hoping that I can develop the POS software cheaper than he can purchase the available software for.
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>Ok, here are my questions. What third party tools would I need to develop a POS system within Visual FoxPro? Also, any advice on how to go about this would be much appreciated. I have no clue how to integrate bar coding with VFP, get it to trigger cash draws to open, and prompt it to process credit card numbers.
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>Thanks for any help..:)
>
>Dave

None of that is difficult to do, in fact it has been done many times... and there's the rub. You nailed it when you said there already are packages available.

If your client wants to keep costs down, he should buy an off-the-shelf system. With all due respect, developing a custom system will cost *much* more. A good package will be well-proven, and have the support of an organization well-versed in the POS/inventory business.

If your client truly has *unique* needs that can't be met by any available system, then custom software is a legitimate option. However, it definitely won't fit in with his "low-cost" requirement.