Point of Sale vs. Order Entry

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Although the Point of Sale and Order Entry windows are similar, the Point of Sale window provides access to Point of Sale equipment such as the receipt printer and cash drawer. The biggest difference between Point of Sale and Order Entry is that the delivery zone defaults to N/A when you use Point of Sale to allow quicker processing of cash and carry sales. Order Entry uses the default delivery zone depending on your configuration in Mercury Administration.

Using both Point of Sale and Order Entry, if you leave the customer blank, the default customer used is cash sales. The cash customer can be changed at any time to a customer account. The Point of Sale calculates change due on cash, check, debit, gift card, and gift certificate transactions. Customers cannot get change back on credit card or house charge transactions.

Because you manage the cash drawer through the Point of Sale window, you may process transactions from this window that are not sale related. For example, you can remove cash from or add cash to the drawer by using a paid in or paid out, or you can perform a Z-out, which helps you count the drawer and close out the current session.

The Point of Sale module also allows you to reprint receipts for any Point of Sale transaction. Receipts include the date and time that the receipt was printed, as well as the transaction date and time.

The most noticeable difference between the Order Entry and Point of Sale windows are different field colors to help you distinguish whether you are currently in Order Entry or Point of Sale. The Order Entry window’s fields (when not active) are blue; the Point of Sale window’s fields are green.

Additionally, the Receive Payment on Customer Account window also displays the Order Entry and Point of Sale colors depending on where you accessed it.

Another noticeable difference between Point of Sale and Order Entry is that when you access Point of Sale, you begin in the product grid (allowing for quick entry for cash and carry sales where no customer is required), whereas Order Entry begins in the Customer or Employee field (depending on your settings). This allows you to begin the sale immediately by entering the product information.

When to Use Order Entry vs. Point of Sale

If you have both Order Entry and Point of Sale, generally, you want to use Point of Sale if the customer is present to provide payment. If you are creating an order for later pickup, you should also use Point of Sale. This allows you access to the cash drawer. If the customer is not present, such as with phoned-in orders and wire orders, you should use Order Entry.