Point Of Sale

The term is often used in connection with hardware and software for checkouts, and in the case of variable locations, with wireless systems. Point of Sale systems evolved from the mechanical cash registers of the first half of the 20th century. Examples of this type of register were the NCR registers, operated by a crank, and the lever-operated Burroughs registers. These registers recorded data on journal tapes or paper tape and required an extra step to transcribe the information into the retailer's accounting system. The next step in evolution was to move to operation by electricity. An example of this type of register was the NCR Class 5 cash register. In 1973 new registers that were driven by computers were introduced, such as the IBM 3653 Store System and the NCR 2150. Other computer based manufacurers were Regitel, TRW, and Datachecker. 1973 also brought about the introduction of the UPC/EAN barcode readers on the POS systems. In 1986, the POS systems became based on PC technology with the introduction of the IBM 4683. In 2005, the retail POS systems are among the most sophisticated and powerful computer networks in commercial use...