A plain guide for Guyanese shop, restaurant and business owners: what each one does, what it costs in GYD, and how to pick.
What a cash register does
A cash register is a simple machine for ringing up sales. You key in a price, it adds up the total, opens the cash drawer and prints a basic receipt. At the end of the day you get a total of what was sold.
That is useful, but that is mostly where it stops. A cash register does not know what is on your shelves, which staff member made a sale, or which items make you the most money.
What a POS system adds
A POS (point of sale) system does everything a cash register does, and then keeps going:
- Inventory tracking. Every sale takes the item out of stock, so you can see what is running low before you run out.
- GRA-compliant VAT receipts. Receipts are printed with VAT worked out for you.
- Staff logins. Each person signs in, so you know who rang up each sale.
- Reports. Daily, weekly and monthly sales, best sellers and slow movers, without adding up paper or Excel sheets by hand.
- Works on any device. OnlinePOS runs on any type of device, so you are not locked into one machine.
If you still run your shop from a copybook or spreadsheet, see our guide on moving from copybook and Excel to a POS.
Cash register vs POS system: side by side
| Feature | Cash register | POS system (OnlinePOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Rings up sales and opens the cash drawer | Yes | Yes |
| Prints receipts | Basic receipts | GRA-compliant VAT receipts |
| Tracks stock | No | Yes, updates with every sale |
| Staff logins | Usually no | Yes |
| Sales reports | Daily total only | Daily, weekly, monthly, by item and by staff |
| Runs on | The machine itself | Any type of device |
| Accounting | No | Included on the Enterprise plan |
| Local setup and support | Varies | Yes, on-site install in Guyana |
What a POS system costs in Guyana
With Computing Core, you pay a yearly software plan plus a one-time setup fee. All prices are in GYD.
| Plan | Yearly | Setup (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 36,000 | 40,000 |
| Standard | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| Premium | 103,680 | 90,000 |
| Enterprise (accounting included) | 144,000 | 120,000 |
Restaurants, bars and food places use TouchPOS, our restaurant and food plan, at GYD 103,680 a year plus GYD 90,000 one-time setup.
Hardware. If you need equipment, our hardware package is GYD 285,000 one-time and includes a terminal, monitor, scanner, receipt printer and cash drawer, with on-site install. See the POS hardware and cash register package for details.
When a cash register is enough
A cash register can be the right call if:
- You sell only a few items and do not need to track stock.
- You work alone, so there are no staff sales to keep track of.
- You do not need VAT receipts or detailed reports.
- Your main goal is just to keep cash safe in a drawer and get a daily total.
If that sounds like your business today, there is no rush. Many owners start there.
When to switch to a POS system
It is time to look at a POS system when:
- You keep running out of stock, or you are not sure what is on the shelf.
- You have staff and want to know who sold what.
- You need GRA-compliant VAT receipts.
- You spend hours at night adding up sales by hand.
- You want to see which items actually make you money.
How to choose
- Count your items. A handful of products? A cash register may do. Hundreds? You need stock tracking.
- Count your people. More than one person on the counter points to a POS system with staff logins.
- Check your receipt needs. If you need VAT receipts, go with a POS system.
- Look at your type of business. Restaurants, bars and food places should look at TouchPOS. Shops and other businesses can start on Basic or Standard and move up later.
- Think about accounting. If you want accounting in the same system, the Enterprise plan includes it.
- Ask for help. Tell us how your business runs and we will point you to the right plan.
Learn more about our POS system in Guyana.
Talk to Computing Core
Not sure which one fits your business? Call or WhatsApp us on +592 600-1096 or email service@computingcore.net. We will walk you through the plans and set you up on-site.
Written by Carlos De Cunha
Founder of Computing Core, Guyana's local POS software specialists since 2014. Full profile →