Today, employees in receiving compare the shipment being delivered with the purchase order stored on the PDA's database. When they finish comparing shipments and purchase orders, the receiving clerks dock their PDAs in their cradles and automatically upload the information to the main database, thereby synchronizing information in the mobile and central inventory databases. T-shirts, hats, and other items are sold at one large central store and more than a dozen smaller kiosks throughout the building and in two parking lot locations. Previously, only the main store had cash registers, and all the vendors worked out of aprons. Vendors can use the bar-code scanner attached to their Symbol PDA and accurately keep track of each item sold.
Cash registers are more expensive than the PDAs.
In the old system, there was a need to manually check cash register tapes and then enter the data from them. Credit card sales in the two parking lot locations required the use of a cell phone. With the new wireless solution planned, PDAs with optional card readers will be able to scan cards and get authorization over the wireless network. For management, the differences are even more pronounced. With a much better handle on inventory, they can keep much less inventory on hand.