ICE Demo

• Product Features
• Inventory Control
• Purchasing/Receiving
• Stock Status
• Reporting
• Point of Sale
• Customer Management
• Accounting
• Common Questions

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"Keep COOL...Put Your Business Problems on ICE"

CAM Data Allows For Images Of Products
By Michael Roselius, CPA

Retail ICE (Inventory Control Expert) version 4.3 from CAM Data Systems, Inc. (714-241-9241) is specifically targeted for a single-store, single-user environment. CAM also offers a multi-user, multi-store version called Retail STAR. Retail ICE is a true 32-bit Windows GUI product, using SQLbase for the database. The system is designed to allow any PC to operate as the cash register, assuming it is a Pentium with 32MB of RAM and 2GB of disk space. Operating systems include Windows 95/98 or NT, and a recent version browser is needed to access the online manuals. Installation of the programs from the CD will go quickly and smoothly, requiring no decisions other than the installation directory.

After installing, rebooting and logging in, you'll find a two-panel menu screen with main options on the left and related submenus on the right. Navigation by keyboard or mouse is easy and intuitive and will be no challenge to anyone familiar with Windows applications.

The product really consists of two modules. Point-of-sale functions generate the sales transactions, and the 'Office' module provides support for purchasing, inventory control, reporting and utility functions. Some important features include layaways, special orders, commission tracking, gift certificates, returns/exchanges and credit memos.

An important requirement in apparel merchandising is support for a matrix to correctly describe sized merchandise, and Retail ICE comes through in this area. In addition, extensive user-defined codes throughout the system enable consistent descriptions for product colors, categories, locations and the myriad of other variables that may need to be tracked. These codes are used in the product master records, which also allow for images of products. Pricing codes and quantity price breaks are also available in the inventory record.

Even though this is a single-user system, user logins and passwords are provided both for security and for sales tracking by employee. As always, with POS applications, a carefully planned setup is crucial for operating success. The printed 'Getting Started' manual provided with Retail ICE is sufficient for stepping a new user through an initial configuration. CAM Data also offers reasonably priced training classes at its facility in Nevada.