will ake sale next pare Bal eon i Ines nd ne VIL apie on v1 aucl nes ed. sa ‘ade cach) in Sono] Portal needy "he tiTiny .‘ns anducted aL an i beats Cone, amen Mba wae ‘dei ded on WL bak “hte nt ‘Mo appede Beal ace on 0 Wedbesd hilise ag? ine onff “Wom race tame sad. eoule tresJAGa Tes, w'inl RRs nei sale an rol G ‘wah! EWI ve the ‘the euctit AY apy elon Phcae laliphieg.! OF SMALL UT Ss Main Street USA Fights Back (NAPSA)—From hardware to automotive repair, from clothing to cofe, many of America’s socalled “mom and pop” outfits are being squeezed out by chain and “super” stores. There are more than 1.4 million small businessretailers in the United States according to Kath- erine Morris, a retail expert for Intuit Inc., makers of small busi- ness financial solutions like QuickBooks. However, many fail due in part to the encroachmentof bigger competitors. Today, small businessretailers have to fight harder than ever to stay in business. Susan B. Davis, a CPA who specializes in small businesses retail, explains, “The key is to recognize the competitive advantages the little guys have over the big guys—familiarity with local customers and personal service.” Yet w retailers leverage this advantage, because they are busy managing the administrative chores of running a business. Eighty percent of today’s small retailers depend on inefficient approachesto inventory, sales and customer tracking, including pen and paper and simple cash registers. These approaches don’t give them the information they would need to compete or managetheir businessefctively. But new, affordable technolo- gies designed for small business are making their way to market. For example, Intuit Inc., has introduced QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) for small retailers. Unlike a calculator or simple cash register, a PC-based POS system lets retailers track sales, inventory and customer data, and pass information directly to their accounting system. “Large retailers, such as department stores, have used this kind of technology for years,” says Davis. “Finally, QuickBooks Point Point-of-sale solutions help small businesses remain competitive in today’s marketplace. of Sale is allowing my small business retail clients to have accurate and up-to-date accounting, sales, inventory and customer information, helping them to better compete with their ‘big boy’ counterparts because they can now focus on giving the personal service their local customers appreciate, rather than spending so much time agonizing over spreadsheets and accounting details.” Until recently, POS systems cost thousands of dollars and often required specialized training, making them too expensive for small retailers. The Quick- BooksPoint of Sale software costs $799 for POS or businesses can buy a complete POSsolution that is sophisticated, yet easy to install and use, and costs only $1,499. The solution includes QuickBooks Point of Sale software, a bar code scanner, cash drawer, receipt printer and card swipe. “Using a PC-based point of sale system says you’re progressive, and for me, QuickBooks Point of Sale levels the playing field between us andthebig guys,” said Ed Neal, owner of Computer Emporium in Florida. To learn more about QuickBooks Point of Sale, visit the Web site at www.quickbooks.com.
