• 2005 Distiriibutor Conference
• Big Daddy’s Wine & Liquor (“I Know Nothing About Computers”)
• Become A pcAmerica Reference
• Should You Turn Your Computer Off Every Night?
• Next week, we will show you how to increase your retail store or restaurant sales by 50%, Guaranteed?

pcAmerica Distributor Conference

pcAmerica held its 2nd Annual Distributor/Dealer Conference on July 25, 2005.
50 of our largest and most knowledgeable distributors attended the pcAmerica Distributor Conference at the Pearl River Hilton (across the street from our new headquarters). Our Cash Register Express distributors come from all over the United Stated and World. Representatives from Epson (receipt printers), Metrologic (Barcode Scanners), CoCard (credit, debit, and check merchant services), Touch Dynamic (one piece Point of Sale Terminals), Elo (Touch Screens) and PlastiCard+Plus (Loyalty Cards) showed off their latest point of sale innovations. We will be discussing each of these companies in future issues.

Richard Rotbard, President of pcAmerica, announced and trained attendees on our new SQL Version of Cash Register Express. Version 11 of Cash Register Express (and Restaurant Express) is due to be released soon (perhaps within the next 60 days). Both editions are currently being used at many beta sites. The new versions represent the biggest advances to CRE since it was first released.

Cash Register Express (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express ((RPE) have been translated to the latest Microsoft Programming Language, Visual Studio .NET.
So who cares? Visual Studio .NET is the future and most modern development and programming tool available from Microsoft. It means that the next version of Cash Register Express is compatible with the latest versions of SQL and future versions of Cash Register Express will be more internet directed.

Our distributors walked home with the latest version of Cash Register Express containing hundreds of new features. The new SQL version will greatly increase database reliability for larger retail stores with 4 or more stations, 3 or more stores tied into each other, and stores with massive amounts of transactions. SQL will also increase the reliability of wireless transactions (not currently supported).

Detailed information about Version 11.0 will be coming very soon.

Henry Kosiner, owner of Big Daddy’s Wine & Liquor in New City, New York, is just not comfortable with computers. He is actually one of our most computer adverse customers and also a typical business owner.

In our 29 years of computerizing small businesses, Henry Kosiner typified one class of customer that is quite typical. He is a brilliant business owner who doesn’t particularly believe in the benefit of computers. Big Daddy’s Wine & Liquor has over 2,500 SKU’s. Henry took over the business from his father and he has successfully run the oldest and most successful liquor business in the area since 1962.

Henry, like other business owners in his class is not a big fan of computers. However, with over 2,500 items and tens of thousands of total items in the store, Henry can pick out a single bottle of liquor that has been touched, moved, or sold without a computer. He also personally knows just about every single customer that walks into his store. He also can give you a fairly accurate picture of sales and profits, without looking at his computer.

Big Daddy’s Wine & Liquor computerized with The General Store back in 1985 and recently switched to a more modern Cash Register Express. He loves the product and says that he is just amazed at the speed. He can check out a customer using a credit card in seconds. Like most business owners, Henry was reluctant to spend extra money on a faster receipt printer or touch screen. His son Jeffrey, who will one day take over the business, understood the value of the best and went with a new Epson Thermal Printer, online credit card processing and touch screens. Now, Henry is just amazed. “Cash Register Express is just amazingly fast. Even credit card transactions only take a few seconds. Lines move faster, people don’t have to wait.”

So, why use computers? Henry wants to spend more time away from the store and his son Jeffrey is doing a great job. Computerizing allows a store owner to quantify profits and losses, see the fastest selling items, order more efficiently, and reduce theft when you are not around to “eyeball” those missing or stolen bottles. It is a great way of monitoring especially your employees. Are they watching the store like you would watch the store?

Become a pcAmerica Reference

If you would like your business highlighted in our newsletter, please email to

or call 845-634-4708. We just need a couple of photos and some information about your business. Your business will also be listed on our web site.

More information related to being a pcAmerica Reference is available in Newsletter #136 at http://www.pcamerica.com/newsletters/newsletters.htm

Comments or Ideas

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#8 of 10 Essential Things You Must Know About Your Computer

Should I Turn Off My Computer Every Night?
The short answer...No.

• Computers are built much better now than four or more years ago and keep getting better every year.
• Older disk drives would just stop. Newer disk drives just about repair themselves.
• You’re most likely to have a problem upon turning on or off a computer. Therefore, the fewer times you turn a computer on and off, the better.
• Newer computers use far less power than computers that you may have purchased three or more years ago.
• If you leave a computer on all the time, you may have a problem if the power fails.
• Our recommendation (which is subject to lots of debate) is to leave your computer on all of the time.
• It costs approximately $10 per month to leave both your computer and monitor on 24 hours per day for an entire month. Turn off your monitor when not in use, and the cost may be about $5 per month.

If you don't agree, please read the article from PC Magazine at http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7298_16-5131343.html.

However!!!...if you leave your computer on all the time, make sure you have a U.P.S. that can automatically shut down your computer in the event of a power failure (see #7 of 10 in the previous issue). It is also important that you have a full backup (see #1 of 10 in one of our previous issues).

If you have any opposing opinions or comments, we would love to hear from you at .

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