The Bucks cafeteria is now
accepting debit and credit
cards at the new cash registers,
providing more accommodation
for students.
“It was time to update,” said
Erin Maher, director of food
services.
The decision to upgrade to
the new registers was the
result of continued interest by
the student population in
alternative and more convenient
payment methods.
The old registers were cashonly
machines, which meant
that students either had to
have cash with them, or had
to withdraw money from the
Wachovia ATM machine outside
the cafeteria. These registers
were more traditional
and conventional, very limited
in scope as to the functions
that they could perform. A
specific price was assigned to
a handful of buttons, and
there was limited room for
the keyboard. This functioned
much more slowly
than the new equipment.
The new system is designed
to allow more flexibility with
payment. This is helpful if the
ATM is offline, which is the
only means of withdrawing
money on campus.
The registers, provided by
Ross Data System, include a
reorganized menu layout that
allows for more efficiency in
ringing up items. The menu is
divided into easier categories,
such as hot or cold breakfast,
lunch and drinks.
Because of the user-friendly
nature of the new system,
training new cashiers will be
easier, and
there will be
more consistency
when
checking out.
One of the
major complaints
from
students had
been that they
were being
charged differently
from one
cashier to the
next. This was
a driving force
behind the
implementation
of the new
registers.
A new display
allows the
student to see
the charges
clearly so that they can make
sure that they are being
charged correctly. This will
address the concerns about
students being charged
inconsistently.
In addition, the registers
keep a record of all of the
day’s transactions in case
there is a problem that needs
to be cleared up later. The
receipt database will allow
for quick reference so that
any issues can be resolved
quickly, unlike the old registers.
With a ticker-tape
receipt system, once a transaction
was finished on the old
registers, the sale was finished
for good.
The new system has the
capability to print reports,
showing volume of sales and
the items that sold, and which
ones sold better than others.
The old registers could only
make limited reports in contrast
to what the new
machines can accomplish.
Maher said this will allow
the cafeteria management to
identify patterns in sales, and
get an idea of exactly what
items are popular with students.
The idea is for the cafeteria
to be better prepared for
what students want, so that
they can accommodate
accordingly.
With the installation of the
registers, students seem to
find them helpful, and seem
to like the ability to use their
cards. “We seem to use debit
cards a lot more. This makes
it easier on the student
because we carry less cash,”
said Matt Rumpf, 20.
With all this new technology
in the cafeteria, it will be
easier for students to buy
food, even if they don’t have
cash