WHY YOUR CASH REGISTER IS IN THE WRONG PLACE

Where you place your cash register in the bar can make a difference to both customer service and profitability. Most owners will place the cash register on the back work space of the bar with the buttons/screen facing the customer. In fact so rare is it to see the cash register anywhere else that when I saw it over the weekend in a different position, it made quite an impression and got me thinking….. 

Your cash register should be under the main bar counter and not on the back bar counter. Here’s why:

1. With the screen facing you as you face the customer; you don’t have to put your back to the customer to take payment.

You’ll not only save time during busy periods by not having to turn around to the till each transaction reducing the time taken to complete each transaction by up to 50% but you will show you care about customer service by facing the customer as you process their transaction. It also allows you to keep on eye on other customers waiting to order.

2. The space left empty on the back bar counter can be used for effective Point of Sale material.

Consider putting your soft drinks on this shelf instead of hidden on the lower shelves. These are your high profit items and you should use the space to influence your customer’s decisions. Add a bright back light for an impressive soft drink bottle display. Publicans worried that they are not then chilling soft drinks should take comfort from the study that has shown that it takes longer to drink a chilled drink than a warm drink and so by not chilling soft drinks, you are increasing the chances your customers will drink more quickly.

3. All customers will see the amounts entered into the cash register.

Your cash register is a vital tool in the overall control of your bar. By placing the cash register closer to the customer and a small screen for them to see the amounts, you are increasing the chances that any errors made by staff are spotted by your customers as they occur. Clever staff have been known to hide the screen from view of the customers when it is placed on the back bar counter by positioning themselves between the customer and the cash register cloaking any fraudulent activities.

4. Keep the theme of your Bar consistent.

How often have you seen a beautifully designed bar where millions have been spent on recreating authentic Victorian effects or a traditional Irish Pub atmosphere only to see a big off-cream plastic hunk of a cash register plonked in the middle of the bar ruining an otherwise picture perfect scene? Tills are getting more and more compact and effective use of your space will allow you to position your tills out of customer sight while maintaining functionality.

Anyone who has been to an English Pub will have noticed that the cash registers are placed under the main bar counter as standard. I reckon that the only reason we in Ireland haven’t copied them sooner is that “We’ve always it done it that way……….”.  

So, take a step back from your bar today and challenge your own preconceived ideas about where everything should be and more importantly where it might work better. Change for change’s sake is never productive but you may find yourself with a more efficient working space with a simple tweak or adjustment.