ZIMSEC O Level Computer Science Notes: Hardware: POS 

  •  A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is a hardware system for processing payments at retail locations. 
  • Software to read magnetic strips of credit and debit cards is embedded in the hardware.
  •  It usually consists of the following units for displaying the order total, product weight, etc. and other hardware units for scanning product barcodes, a printer for receipts and a cash register.
  • Here’s what a POS system typically contains:
    • A display unit to show the billing
    • A keyboard/touchscreen device to select products and enter data
    • Barcode scanner to scan billed objects
    • A fiscal Printer to print the receipt
    • Cash register – for storage of cash obtained during sales
    • A software interface to complete the process, POS terminal software may also include features for additional functionality, such as inventory management, financials, or warehousing.

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