Reason #1: Community
I’m familiar with the “Shop Local” movement. They’re always talking about how buying local is good for the community and supports local merchants. I always liked that idea but didn’t find it compelling enough to persuade me to heed their advice. That was until I learned a few more ways that buying locally benefits me, as a part of a local community like Southend, NoDa, University, Northlake, Ballantyne, Matthews, Uptown Charlotte.
Now I know that for every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $73 of it remains in the community. This has a direct impact on everyone in that area. Community wealth is increased, tax revenues go up, and the standard of living increases. This can mean more or better schools, libraries, and other services for the community. Jobs are created locally and more families thrive.
Reason #2: Expertise
Local merchants are passionate about the products and services they offer. Like all small business owners, they started out because they wanted to offer something to the community that they felt strongly about. Their enthusiasm about their products makes them more likely to keep up with the latest industry trends and to learn new ways to implement strategies that will help other small business owners. These owners take a consultative approach and act as trusted advisors to the communities in which they serve. They are interested in service and repeat customers so they take the time to listen to your hopes, dreams, challenges, and needs. This enables them to use their expertise to create workable solutions that can be modified over time as your business grows.
Below are some features this software provides:
- A large matrix for storing and tracking your data and detailed. You can track your items by size, color, style, or department. This makes for great reports and lets you know what the hottest sales for that week or month.
- Accurate reports that help you make important decisions about your business.
- We have reports that will help you understand what is selling. You can see sales, sales by tenders or departments. You can see all the products you sold by the day, week, or month. You can also see your customers and what they buying. Plus we have employee reports for you to use to manage and track your staff.
- Our “Add New Product Wizard” – Automatically fills in the product name and barcode information for most products with a simple barcode scan.
- Easy to build custom screens to fit your business
- Use our custom label printing to get your products on the shelves asap.
- Out software automatically updates every time you boot up your system. No time-consuming updates.
Our Retail POS software gives you the tools to track sales by:
- Item
- cashier
- time
Use it to manage:
- staff schedules
- create new POs
- manage business hours
One of the best features of this software is that it’s Cloud-Based, which gives you 100% uptime. You can keep ringing up sales even during an internet outage. All your transactions will automatically sync to the cloud once your internet is restored. Our Cloud-Based software lets you check sales in real time anywhere you have an internet connection. Another great feature with Merchant Advantage POS is that there is no huge upfront cost on software licenses, with it being Cloud-Based it is a low monthly fee. Our software is supported on Windows Operating System.
Reason #3: Service
A local business owner is the most likely person to value exceptional customer service. That’s their ace in the hole when it comes to competing with big box stores. These guys (and girls) know their stuff and make it a priority to educate and take care of their customers. Not only do they want you to be happy and successful, but they will also actually partner with you to assess your needs and come up with the best possible solutions. This kind of service doesn’t stop after the sale. Having a local team at your disposal comes in very handy when something goes wrong.
Supporting Local Small Businesses
Total Merchant Supply
Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill
Reason #4: Brick & Mortar
As I’ve said before, online shopping is tempting, because the price might be cheaper but you have to wait to get the product you are wanting. But there’s a lot to be said about being able to go into a local establishment and actually see and put your hands on something that you are considering buying. Local merchants are happy to give you free demonstrations and tutorials on how to use their products, plus if you want it you can walk out of the store with it in your hands. Just by having a building, they establish themselves as more dependable and less likely to go out of business anytime soon.
Whether you’re brand new to an industry or have been at it for a while, locally stocked showrooms are great for learning and for seeing what’s going on with the current technology. Maybe you didn’t even know you needed something until you saw and heard about it in a local store.
Supporting Local Small Businesses
Toosties Too Children Shoes
Ahoy Thai
Respect is a two-way street. Small business owners are happy to help other business owners grow because they can relate to the dedication and passion that goes into running a small operation. They also want to see their community prosper. When you deal with a local merchant, you can rely on the fact that they are going to take the time to listen to you. Instead of trying to sell you something you don’t need, they are going to respect you enough to only offer what they think you actually need to make your business thrive.
Once you’ve dealt with someone like this, who treats you with respect and care, you’ll never want to go back. Chances are that you’ll end up having a great deal of respect for them as well. Not only for their knowledge of your industry and their products, but for going the extra mile to see you succeed.
As always, we are here to help. Let us know if you have any questions.
Total Merchant Supply is a POS Dealer based in NC & SC.