Frequently Asked Questions
How much work do I have to do to get the system up and running in my shop?
We provide a hand held scanner with barcodes and product descriptions of more than 120,000 products, so you can scan in the prices you are selling at today. Then, when the system is installed, ALL your products are already priced, and you can start trading on DAY ONE. We also provide a full set of shelf-edge labels.
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If The Retail Data Partnership is updating prices on my system, does that mean that I can’t control my own prices?
No, we update RRP and cost prices from the wholesalers to your system. You can over-ride any price on your system, quickly and easily. See how easy it is to change a price.
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If The Retail Data Partnership is updating prices on my system, does that mean that the system has to be connected to the phone line all the time?
If you have broadband in the shop, it will be connected all the time (but you can obviously use the line for other things as well) but if you use a dial-up connection, the system connects overnight, normally for around 10 – 15 minutes.
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How does The Retail Data Partnership differ from any other Epos supplier?
We keep your whole price file up to date, not just ambient or news & magazines etc. Some symbol groups provide Epos systems and maintain a price file for the products that they supply, but nobody covers the whole price file as we do. We are an independent supplier, so if you decide to change your main wholesaler, you won’t have to change your Epos system as well.
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How much training will I get on ShopMate?
The system is designed to be so easy to use that you don’t need days and days of training. When the system is installed, the installation engineer installs the system, then spends the rest of the day with you training you on how to use it. This normally takes 2 – 3 hours. During the few weeks following installation, we normally receive some calls from customers asking about various functions which they have forgotten how to use, but our technical support team is available from 0700 hrs to 1900 hrs 365 days a year to help you in this way. We also provide a User Guide and Operating Manual. Click here to see how easy it is to use the system [Demos].
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Do you provide finance for your systems?
We work with lease brokers who can normally arrange finance at very competitive terms. The main advantages of this kind of finance are:
- Tax rebates generally cover the additional cost of finance, so you end up paying about the same amount as if you had paid cash
- Cashflow. You have the cash in your business to finance stock etc. and you spread the cost over three or five years.
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How do I deal with items that do not have barcodes, such as phone top-ups, or fresh fruit and vegetables?
We work with you to lay out the “hotkeys” on your touch screen, so that you can control the prices and manage the stock of these items in the best way for you. The hotkey layouts are very flexible, and designed to your individual requirements..
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Which wholesalers can I send electronic orders to?
Nisa Todays (including Costcutter), Booker, Key Lekkerland members including former Blueheath customers, Pedigree Wholesale.
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How quickly can I have a system installed, following my initial order?
This depends mainly on you. If you do your pre-installation scanning quickly, and return the hand held scanner to us within a couple of days, we could install your system within a week. This does depend to some extent on other installations we may have scheduled, but we want to help you get trading with ShopMate as soon as possible!
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Can I have a system installed for three months on a trial basis, then keep it if I like it?
Unfortunately not. There are several reasons for this. We supply new equipment to our customers. If it has been used for three months, it cannot be re-sold as “new” because it isn’t new. So we would lose money. Some of our largest costs are the costs of staff having to set up and test systems, and then install them. You would have to bear these costs, which are substantial, and which might make it rather an expensive trial! We are always willing to visit you to demonstrate the system in detail (without obligation) so that you are not making a decision in the dark. We want you to be as confident as possible before you make your decision.
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How does PaperRound work?
It is a fully functional Home News Delivery system that links to Smiths News Connect2U website, and Menzies for electronic delivery notes. The data is held on a web server, which allows for up to date functionality which other HND systems do not provide, such as e-mailed billing, customer enquiries, and even allowing customers to update their own orders and holiday dates. Click here for more information from the PaperRound website.
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If I am not always in the shop, can I access the system from home?
If you have broadband at home and in the shop, you can access the system to see / amend / print reports, set up special offers, change prices etc.
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I run wholesaler promotions but I also want to set up my own special offers. How easy is it to do this?
You need to have a back office computer to do this. It is very easy, with the only potential hazard being if you have the same product in more than one promotion at a time!
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What happens if we have a power cut?
The system comes with an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) battery. This will keep the till(s) running for 15 – 20 minutes. If the power has still not come back on by then, you can use the optional hand held scanner to process transaction. When the power returns, you can download all the stock and revenue details from the hand held scanner into the till.
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