EPOS and EFTPOS

EPOS- electronic point of sale
It is a computerised stock control system used by shops and supermarkets

• a bar code of the product is scanned
• the store database then matches the product barcode to the correct item.
• the stock level for this item then decreases by one
• when the stock level reaches a reorder value a message is sent to the supplier asking for them to send more

Barcodes-These look like a series of thick and thin black lines with a series of numbers below. 

Nearly all products have one.

Once the barcode is scanned using a barcode reader, the database can find the product details that the barcode relates to. Each type of product will have its own barcode.

A barcode holds the data about the type of product, size, manufacturer and the country of
origin. 

It also contains a check digit, so that the computer can validate that the data has been read in correctly.

The barcode does not contain price. The price is held in the database instead. This makes it easy to change if there are special offers or prices go up or down.


EFTPOS- Electronic fund transfer point of sale

This allows customers of a shop to pay for products using a debit or credit card.
The money has to be taken electronically from the customer's bank account and paid to the supermarket's account. The card is swiped through the magnetic reader on the till, which allows it to pick up the information. At that point, an automated request for approval is sent to the bank computer via the telephone network.