Perhaps the Greates Business Invention of All Time: The Cash Register

James Ritty might not have guessed that thespecially ordered models have the capacity to be
cash register, which he invented in 1879, wouldattached to credit card terminals and software
change completely into some thing, which even hesuch as EFTPOS. EFTPOS stands for Electronic
would fail to identify. He just wanted to devise aFund Transfer and Point of Sale, which handle
fool proof cash handling system, which effectivelytransactions with customers. It handles electronic
prevented his dishonest staff steal and pocketdebiting of customers' accounts and crediting the
the money at his tavern in his Dayton, Ohio.amount to the merchants' account.
Early cash registers were mechanical machines,Pilferages with modern cash registers are not
which did not issue receipts. The cashier wouldeasy. These are highly protected. One example is
crank up the machine and press the total key toalphanumeric passwords.
register transaction and that is when the cashAccounting and Taxation Angle to Cash Registers
drawer would open and a bell ring at theIt is mandatory for customers and merchants to
managers/owner's office to alert him of amaintain the receipts for some time while
completed transaction.merchants compile tax returns. The point is, it is
But would it not be possible to open the registereasy taking stock at the cash registers by the
when there is no sale at all? These are day tovolume of sales rather than inventory. Bar code
day necessities and the manager or the ownerscanners such as EAN and UPC maintain logs for
would want to check or take away cash fromeach item sold and totaled at the end of the day.
the register even when there is no sale and theTop Manufacturers and Salient Features
drawer can be opened by hitting the NS (no sale)Japanese have pulled it off in this regard. Toshiba,
key which opens the drawer after logging thatCasio, Sharp and American companies like IBM,
the drawer was opened. Some models haveWincor-Nixdorf and TEC are top selling models.
special keys and latches for such instances.Features keep changing but, Clerk ID System,
Modern Cash RegistersSelf Tax Computation, Memory Protection,
Whether you have a small business or aLocking Cash Drawer Locking coin tray, multiple
restaurant, modern line of cash registers will fittax rates; thermal printers and pop-up rear display
the bills for you. These computerized cashare only the most common features.
registers of the day can be attached to scales,Have you seen a self checkout cash register yet?
check stands and bar code readers. Some