Enabling the point of sale and its settings
The point of sale is a subscription feature. This article explains how to tell it is enabled, what shows in its menu, and what the two settings on the "POS settings" screen mean.
On this page
The point of sale in Sahl is a feature enabled at account level according to your subscription, and it runs in the cashier app on Android, iOS and Windows. The web panel is where you set up and monitor; the app is where you sell. This article covers the first part.
How to tell the point of sale is enabled
If the Point of sale group appears in the top menu bar, the feature is on. If it does not, the feature is off in your subscription or your account has no permission on any of its items. Review enabled features under Settings, Features, and the subscription under Settings, Billing and subscription, as in Creating the account and subscription.
The Active POS terminals screen shows a "Point of sale not enabled" badge when the allowed device count is zero, a sure sign the subscription includes no cashier seats.
What the "Point of sale" menu contains
| Item | What it does | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Shifts | All open and closed shifts; open and close a shift from the web | Closing the shift |
| Promotions | Discounts and bundles applied automatically on the sale screen | Quick items and promotions |
| Quick items | The quick buttons on each cashier's screen | Same article |
| Active POS terminals | Who is working now on which device, and seats in use | Devices |
| POS settings | Device count, lock grace and print templates | This article |
When the Restaurant module is enabled its items appear below a divider in the same group: Live, Reservations, Setup, Item options, Reports. See Enabling and setting up the restaurant.
The "POS settings" screen
The screen shows two settings and the list of print templates:
Maximum number of devices
This is the number of cashiers working at the same moment, not the number of registered devices. Reinstalling the app or replacing a device does not consume a seat. Zero means the point of sale is not enabled. When all seats are taken no new cashier can open until someone signs out or their seat is released from the Active POS terminals screen.
User lock grace
The idle window during which a user who stopped working still counts against the subscription's concurrent seats. After it, their seat is considered released. An open shift keeps the seat however long the connection is lost; signing out of the app or the manager releases it.
These two settings belong to the provider
The manager sees the values read-only with the note "These settings are managed by the service provider". They change with the plan or the number of seats in the subscription, not from this screen.
Print templates
The table at the bottom lists the defined print templates: name, document, paper, language and which one is default. Edit them under Settings, Printing, as in Numbering and print templates.
Company settings that affect the register
Under Settings, Company, section Point of sale, two settings the app reads at every start:
- Register price list: the list any cashier sells with when no specific list is set on them.
- Cash rounding at the register: rounding of the cash total to the nearest fraction (zero means none); the difference is posted to rounding differences.
And from the Finance section: Prices include VAT decides how the register interprets the displayed price. See Company details and tax.
Checklist before the first shift
- The "Point of sale" group is visible and Active POS terminals shows "0 of N in use".
- A cashbox and a card settlement account in the base currency exist in Cashboxes and banks.
- An active sales price list and an active warehouse.
- A cashier user prepared as in Setting up a cashier user.
- Items with their barcodes ready, as in Barcodes and units.
Simple mode does not hide the point of sale
Point of sale items are shown by feature and permission only; "Simple mode" under Settings, Features has no effect on them.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I not see the Point of sale menu?
Either the feature is off in your subscription, or your role holds none of the point of sale and cashier permissions. Check Settings, Features and the user role.
Does every device with the app installed consume a seat?
No. A seat counts a cashier working now: a device bound to a cashier with an open shift or recent activity. Idle devices do not count.
How do I increase the number of devices?
From Settings, Billing and subscription by adding POS seats, or by contacting the provider. The value on the settings screen updates automatically.