Posted: 17 August 2006 at 9:02am | IP Logged

Hi Tom,

I'll try to point you in the right direction but first, I need to understand your situation...

Do you currently own either software program?  Do you have the software installed?

If so, what problems are you having?  Do you need training?  Configuration?

Let me know and I'll try to help.

Jeff Haefner

Posted: 19 August 2006 at 10:19pm | IP Logged

Tom -

I sell a competing product to RMS, but I can tell you that regardless of the product your best source for support should be the reseller you purchased it from.  If they can't help you get it working the way you want, find another RMS dealer, there are many of them out there.

Posted: 01 September 2006 at 1:56pm | IP Logged

We operate a children's boutique and have been using QuickSell 2000 (RMS) for over 5 years.  I have been disappointed since day 1 but cash flow did not allow us to spend more.  I thought when M$ bought Quicksell a few years ago that they would take it to a new level, NOT!  RMS has so many limitations that would require a page of typing.  I EMPHATICALLY DO NOT RECOMMEND MICROSOFT RMS. M$ thinks they have something when they absolutely do not.  We are opening a second, and larger store this November and I will not open the door to that store w/ RMS.  RMS is just as bad as The Retail Solution www.nwns.com. 

You should consider CAM Commerce's Retail Ice.  It's FREE.  I am leaning toward their Retail Star Solution.

If you can wait until November and still want RMS I will sell you my license.

Posted: 06 September 2006 at 8:23pm | IP Logged

This is a response to the M$ reply posted September 2006. 

I am running RMS and have been for over a year.  The product is lacking most every user friendly feature.  BTW the upgrade from QS 2000 to RMS IS NOT FREE! The upgrade cost  from QS to RMS was $424.  M$ has not improved much, what they really took from the purchase of QS 2000 was a database of customers who they hoped would upgrade and continue to work with RMS.

I only mentioned Retail ICE because it is FREE and would be better that a plain cash register.  There are SOOOOO many more options than RMS Tom.  Consider QuickBooks POS for crying-out-loud, but DO NOT BUY MICROSOFT RMS.

Posted: 09 September 2006 at 8:12pm | IP Logged

This is a very interesting controversy and topic…

As an unbiased third party consultant, I would like to debunk a few myths regarding the controversy of Microsoft RMS:

Fact 1:  Microsoft RMS has been used successfully by many, many retailers.  And these retailers have boosted profits nicely and received large return on their investments.   This is a proven fact.

Fact 2:  A large number of retailers are rightfully very unhappy with their purchase of Microsoft RMS.  They have had horrible experiences and most likely lost significant time and money as a result.  You just read a perfect example above.

So how can both of these statements be true?  Why are some people very happy and why do some people hate RMS?

The vastly different results with the same product might sound strange and be surprising to many.  But it’s actually very common and I run into this type of thing all the time.

The different results happen for several very important reasons, which can be important lessons for other retailers…

Here are just a couple very common reasons that Microsoft RMS can turn into a huge mistake:

Reason 1 – Microsoft RMS has some really great benefits and features.  But at the same time, it has some serious limitations for certain types of retailers.  All POS systems have pros and cons.  And all POS systems work good for certain retailers and work not-so-good for others.  Bottom line, Microsoft RMS is NOT a good fit for everyone.  It depends on the size of business, merchandise sold, business needs, etc, etc…

Reason 2 – Microsoft RMS can be ruined by bad VARs (value added resellers)!!!

Microsoft has a large number of VARs spread all over the country that distribute and support their POS software.  Some VARs are horrible!  And some VARs are great!  The VAR you choose can dramatically effect how much you like the product.  If the VAR sets up the software wrong, or doesn’t understand your business well, or doesn’t give you good training, or doesn’t give you professional support when you need help…  then there’s a good chance you’ll hate the software.

The POS software VAR can be the difference between a very profitable success and a very expensive mistake!

Reason 3 – Hardware.  I’ve seen many cases when strange hardware glitches cause POS software to run erratically.  For example, I’ve seen flaky network cards in workstations cause errors and data corruptions.  Often times the POS software is blamed when, in fact, the hardware is causing problems.  The actual problem can be configuration issues, server issues, and a variety of things.  This goes back to the importance of having a good VAR that can logically diagnose and solve these problems for you.

Reason 4 – Different personalities.  It’s odd, but some people think Microsoft RMS is really easy to use.  And some think it’s cumbersome and very difficult to use.  Not to mention, people have different expectations depending on what they’ve used in the past.  For example, some people are comfortable with POS software they used for 5 years at a department store.  And once they use something different, they become frustrated because it doesn’t work the way they would expect it to work.  Human beings have different experiences, preferences, and personalities.  They are simply different. 

These are just a couple reasons.  There are more things to consider and mistakes to avoid, but this is a good story for everyone to learn from. 

I'm glad both parties shared their comments and in all reality, both conflicting views are mostly right!  J

By the way, if you have any comments, experiences, or opinions about this topic, please post your thoughts on this thread.

To your success!

Jeff Haefner

Posted: 12 September 2006 at 6:43am | IP Logged

Hello Gentelemen,

I have been following this discussion and i have to add some things that I think are pertinent. About 2 years ago I was looking for a POS for my C-store. i have to say that i looked at RMS.

When people think of Microsoft, what they have done in software over the years with Office or XP they think of the big name and how easy they made things over the years you then expect the product to be up to par, well it is still far from it.

When I started this painful research, I discovered it because of Savers. We all know savers (value village) and their 200 + stores accross north America. they do simple business, nothing complicated, basic discounts, no scale, no scanner etc.. so nothing really complicated, they I hear that then million dollars contract, Savers pulled out of it. Microsoft was not able to offer Savers what they were looking for.

Now this is Microsoft direct, not a reseller. So I have learned over the years about a a good and a bad VAR beleive me but when the microsoft head office also in Washington was not able to pull that off with basic operation, i really doubt the effectiveness of the software...

I decided to go using Symphony, a product distributed by Toshiba TEC. for about 1200$ for the back office, the POS software is bundled in the POS hardware, I did not go wrong.

Jeff, i really beleive you should investigate this software more, it is not on your list but i really beleive it should.

I did many mistakes in my decisions about POS software but this one is not the simplist but the most comprehensive and flexible software i saw.

And here are my two cents on this topic.

Good reading.

Posted: 12 September 2006 at 9:16am | IP Logged

Ron

Posted: 12 September 2006 at 10:17am | IP Logged

We are resellers of RMS and Retail Pro -- just to make things clear and above board!

1) Not all software is good for all situations. The person selling you the software should not try and put a square peg in a round hole. RMS, as supplied by Microsoft, in a situation where sizes and colors are required, is NOT a good solution. Adding a new size or color to a size matrix is very clumsy. We will not recommend RMS in that situation. Retail Pro, on the other hand, was designed from the beginning for apparel -- single or multiple stores.

2) Your reseller can be your best friend, if you pick a good one -- or your worst enemy. The reseller's responsibility is to help you make your system work. Your responsibility is to communicate desires and questions to the reseller BEFORE you make the purchase -- and also to keep the lines of communication open after the purchase. We spend a lot of time before the purchase working with the prospective client to find out what the needs are and to set realistic expectations.  Part of every purchase is an adequate amount of training. Installing a system to manage your business is not a trivial task -- and when you embark on that project, you need a counselor and friend to help you.

Part of your purchase budget should be adequate hours to help you define your business, and set up the system so that it meets your requirements, and train you and your personnel to effectively use the software.

Posted: 12 September 2006 at 11:17am | IP Logged

I just want to throw my two cents in. I bought Quicksell 2000 four years ago and upgraded to RMS one year ago.  Someone stated in an earlier post that the upgrade is free. This is 100% not true. I called Microsoft Biz Solutions directly about getting an upgrade and was directed to a licensed reseller, Advanced Retail Mgmt. I was quoted (and ended up purchasing) the upgrade for $436. I called three other online retailers of RMS and was quoted the same price. Support was available from the reseller at $95 per incident. The most difficult part of the upgrade which consumed about 2 full days of troubleshooting was getting PC Charge to work properly with RMS. At the end of three full days of installation it was explained to me that my version of PC Charge was not compatible with RMS. This took an upgrade to PC Charge Payment Server which was another $300. After that more than several days were spent getting the templates for receipts, etc. in the correct form. Microsoft tells you that all of these templates are available for easy download. They are not. You have to purchase a years subscription to Customer Source from Microsoft. My advice to anyone considering making the move to RMS: make sure you have someone who is very technically advanced helping you through the process. Make sure they have plenty of time. Make sure they have plenty of patience. Make sure you have plenty of money to pay for all of the support and upgrades. Make sure you both have plenty of Valium.

Posted: 13 September 2006 at 10:04pm | IP Logged

There are some important criteria to consider, some of them already mentioned.

Ones mentioned were:

1. Good VAR partner

2. Solid understanding of business needs and making decision based on operations requirements.

You have to get as specific in your needs as possible, and the honest and competent VAR will let you know if there are shortfalls with respect to your requirements.  I have actually advised people against

I don't agree that Retail Pro is better for the garment industry.  It has no built in maintenance of inventory, and it's matrix builder is not as intuitive as its exhorbitant license fees suggest.  It is also too expensive for its capabilities.

RMS does have add-ons, particularly by DRS, that address the Matrix needs.  RMS does have add-ons to facilitate the Purchasing process.  RMS out of the box is not a fit for many retailers, but RMS CAN be made a good fit by a good VAR who knows how to package the product properly.

CAM is the easiest to operate for apparel vendors, but there are limitations there as well.

There are many other considerations, and one that comes up often is accounting integration.  To what level do you want integration.  We sell a package that sits on top of the accounting software and uses that as its inventory and purchasing backend: e.g. It hooks into QB better than QBPOS iteslf (which does not hok into QB, ironically, which is something to consider).  It provides a robust front end.   Not all retailers want this, however, due to limitations put on the front end Retail software by the accounting packages DB restrictions.   Also, some retailers like the idea of limiting access to information and using a more granular security policy, and RMS does give you that out of the box. 

This topic can go on, but my best advice for retailers would be to 1) know what you want very well, and 2) seek out good resellers and trust your instincts in measuring their honesty and competence. 

Respectfully,

J

Posted: 15 September 2006 at 8:52pm | IP Logged

Mich408, I have a maintenance plan with RMS and access to Customer Source.  Send me a PM with what you would like and I will it to you FREE. 

Posted: 16 September 2006 at 10:32am | IP Logged

We have been using RMS for about 2 years now.  When we originally researched the RMS software, we were quite pleased with its features and capabilities as explained by the only VAR we were able to find in our area.

We moved forward with the VAR and RMS.  We quickly found that it did not have many of the features that the VAR had claimed RMS was capable of.  We also quickly realized that RMS is greatly lacking and not very intuitive or user friendly.  Processes which should be built into any retail software are missing or 'in development'.  And worse, the data provided in reports by RMS is often incorrect, as has also been verified by others I have spoken with.

We have found that many other retail applications are also greatly lacking in usable and user friendly features that assist in efficiently operating a retail business.  There does not seem to be any application out there that is truly up to the task, without tremendous modification, of handling large single point or multiple point retail stores.

So, in the end, we wish that we had gone with something other than RMS.  Anyone looking at the any software available today should realize that they all have tremendous limitations, no matter what any VAR tells you.  And we do agree that the right VAR will certainly make a tremendous difference in your satisfaction with the software.  Maybe a change of one or the other is in order...........

Posted: 17 September 2006 at 5:28am | IP Logged

We had been working to select best POS solution for our company, we are into retail pharmacy business with our pharmacies and warehouses spread through out the kingdom. our project approach was to get top three evaluated solutions for a five days pilot exercise where in the vendors are given the closed pharmacy with inventory data on a PDT. From here on they are advised to import data on to the POS back Office and Start Pilot phase. business reports and functionalities desired at pilot phase are key elements of our expectations from system.

After 4 months long exercise of POS vendor selection, three vendors have qualified for Pilot Phase and they are ActiveRetail (UCS- South Africa), MS-RMS, Retek (Oracle). Both MS-RMS and ActiveRetail have performed very well in pilot phase and delivered the desired output. As Oracle was unable to find a suitable implementor they declined to participate in pilot phase.

From my experience of POS solution selection i can summarize that any POS solution will not deliver 100%, at the end of day selection must take into consideration.

1. Business requirements fulfillment.
2. Implementation Expertise with VAR.
3. Implementation Methodology and Approach.
4. Phased Solution RollOut.
5. Training.
6. Superior Quality Hardware.
7. Expertise to Monitor Project deliverables.

Making a implementation sucess is a team work and never a solution has drawback its whether fulfills existing and future business requirements or not is to be scoped and addressed with right technical expertise because this is the point from where project leads to sucess or Failure.