tekREVIEW Newsletter

Updates and Analysis for Retail IT Teams

#13 Friday 30 October 2009

In the October issue:

Expansion Of Mobile Devices On Sales Floor Underscores Security, Service Needs

Going Wireless While Staying PCI Compliant

NRF Survey: Two-Thirds of Families will spend less this Holiday Season; Retailers respond with the lowest inventories since 2003

With Retail Store Closing at 8,300, Retail Vacancies Hit All-Time Highs

Bob’s Technical Insights: Eliminating a Power Problem

NRF's Top ten holiday trends for 2009

Kohl's Creates 5,200 Jobs, Opens 37 New Stores

From the president's MacBook

Cash Drawers

Did you know that cleaning and re-greasing the cash drawer rails could help in the operation of the cash drawers?

A basic de-greaser and a clean cloth will work wonders to clean the rails. Once clean, use a “petroleum” based grease to apply on the ball-bearings in the rails. Stay away from WD-40 as this hardens over time and hinders the operation of the cash drawer.

Please note: Not all cash drawers are the same and cleaning does not guarantee improved operation.

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Bob’s Technical Insights: Eliminating a Power Problem

October 25, 2009

When things are hectic at a store and equipment is not working its sometimes easy to overlook the obvious issues like power. Here are some quick tips to help you eliminate simple power issues on your own.

Scenario A: A "replacement" unit just arrived at my store and it's "DEAD”

Whenever a piece of equipment doesn’t turn on, the first thing one should do is make sure that the power cord / supply / battery is not lose. Shipping can sometimes cause the power cord / supply / battery to come loose with the power contacts. Disconnect and reconnect the power cord / supply / battery.
Check the wall outlet to verify the power source is good. Sometimes when a "replacement" unit is introduced into your system the cords come loose from the wall outlet or power source.
If that does not work, test that power cord by turning off a good working unit. Disconnect the power cord from the working unit and plug that power cord into the newly "replaced" unit. Press the power button on your unit.
If this does not correct your problem, please call your help desk for further instruction.

Scenario B. My system is not operating. Everything is off.
Sometimes a power outage or surge can cause issues with your POS system. Here are a few questions to ask to help to get to the root of the problem:

Do you have power in the store? Yes
Did you have a storm that knocked out power to your area? Yes
Do you have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) box? Yes
Is the UPS box disconnected from the wall outlet? No
Is the UPS box constantly beeping? Yes

Many stores use a UPS box to help with power surges in a store. Most UPS boxes beep constantly when they have lost power. To see if the UPS is causing the issue

Disconnect and Turn off the UPS box.
Locate a wall outlet and a power strip.
Disconnect all power cords from the UPS box.
Plug the power strip into the wall for power.
Turn on the power strip.
Plug all the power cords from the UPS box to the power strip.
Press the power buttons on your equipment.
If this does not correct your problem, please call your help desk for further instruction.

(Note: There are several types of UPS boxes, please refer to the manufacturer's instruction manual for specifics.)

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From the president's MacBook

tekservePOS News

Guest appearances bigger than Oprah - Thu, 29 October

tekSESSIONS, the most anticipated event since Oprah's recent appearance in Copenhagen, promises to be bigger and better than ever with special appearances by Bob, the POS Guru, as well as a host of renowned speakers. Click here for a current agenda.

Partner News: JCPenny saves over $20M with Helius Digital Signage Solution - Wed, 27 May

Excerpt: Delivering training to over 1,000 locations with more than 150,000 associates across the United States andin Puerto Rico can be a daunting challenge. Traditional methods oftraining required bringing associates to a single location for in-person training, costing the company thousands of dollars per associate for time lost, travel and training delivery.