Cougar Mountain Software — Cougar Mountain Point Of Sale

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From the Nov. 2006 Review of Point-of-Sale Systems

Cougar Mountain Software, in addition to its accounting software, also offers a comprehensive point-of-sale product. Available as a standalone product or fully integrated with Cougar Mountain’s Accounting software, Cougar Mountain Point of Sale is ideal for retailers of all sizes.

EASE OF USE -- 5 Stars
The main menu contains a drop-down menu at the top of the screen offering access to functions such as File, Company, Security, Options, Window and Help. Beneath the main menu is a series of icons that represent all installed program modules, along with a setup wizard and a user setup option. After choosing a module, the menu bar will update to reflect the new options available. The Enter Sales screen allows for the input of a customer number or for tendering a sale as a cash transaction. Customers can be added on the fly, and a lookup option is available for quickly locating customers. Sales entry screens are also highly customizable.

The bottom of the sales entry screen details various options available using function keys, and a shortcut reference card is also available for quick access to all shortcut keys. These options include customer, item, description lookup, tender, on accounts, and drawer options. A scanner mode is also available to streamline entry with a scanner. A receipt will print automatically once the sales are processed. The options function allows for holding a sale, retrieving the held sale or clearing the sale. The other integrated modules all contain easily navigated data-entry screens, and lookup options are available throughout.

MODULES/SCALABILITY -- 5 Stars
Along with the point-of-sale module, the back office version of Cougar Mountain POS also comes with GL, AR, AP, Inventory, and Purchase Order modules. Bank Reconciliation and Payroll are also available at an additional cost.
A variety of add-on options are available, including GL Report Generator, e-Commerce, Credit Card Authorization, e-mail bursting, and Job Cost modules, along with Tax Updates and the BarTender Label Generator. Cougar Mountain Point of Sale can be purchased as a stand-alone product or with the Back Office option. Denali Premium Point of Sale is available for larger companies with higher volumes and provides more options for multiple locations or for remote sites, including the ability to do gift cards and layaway. Denali also accepts multiple currency at the point of sale and allows users to process debit cards.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY -- 5 Stars
A setup wizard is available to assist with complete setup, including GL definition. Customers, inventory and vendors can be added on the fly for quicker transaction processing. Inventory levels are updated with every transaction, providing accurate inventory levels at all times. Cougar Mountain Point of Sale easily supports multiple locations and stores an unlimited amount of historical information. Registers can have multiple levels of security, with complete access only provided to designated individuals. Customer credit limits can be entered in their record, and the system automatically adheres to those limits. Screens can be easily customized to reflect a user’s needs.

Along with customer and cash sales, special orders, refunds, ticket voids and overrides can be processed. Items can have varying pricing levels, and special pricing for sales and promotions can be set and automatically applied, as well as the ability to offer special pricing for large quantity sales or discount at the time of sale. Cougar Mountain will accept a variety of payment methods, including standard cash, check and credit card payment, along with gift certificates, store coupons, gift cards and food stamps.