Now that Spring is officially here, many of us use this season as an opportunity to clean out that closet at home or finally change out the air filter. With the itch to “Spring Clean” among us, it is the perfect time to take an audit of your grocery retail point of sale equipment and mark off those technology to-dos. By taking a few proactive steps, retailers can stay on top of their POS systems, ensuring that they are ready for the remainder of the busy year ahead while also extending the life of their hardware.
Over the last six months, there have been many reports from large media outlets about how retailers are abandoning self-checkout, implying that the technology has been somewhat of a “failed experiment” due to the shrink that occurs from both intentional stealing and user error. While these articles may infer that retailers are abandoning self-checkout units in droves, the truth is far from it. Yes, some retailers are removing some self-checkout units from their stores, but there are far more who are rapidly implementing self-checkout units and embracing the technology more than ever before.
The Covid-19 pandemic, national labor shortage, and record-high inflation have driven grocery retailers to invest in technology and practices that limit how customers interact with their stores and employees. This includes self-checkout, which limits customer and employee interaction, and online grocery ordering, which limits the customer, employees, and whole store to almost no interaction at all. While these are more than worthwhile investments for grocers and their success, it does not address the customers who prefer to shop in-store, look for the best deals on items, and generally want to interact and engage with your store and brand. A study recently found that 77% of shoppers still prefer to buy perishable food and beverages in-store. Additionally, another study found that due to inflation, 79% of shoppers are actively looking for discounts while shopping, and 68% had consolidated their driving trips.
From large, national events to regional warehouse shows, the opportunity for grocery retailers to network and expand their knowledge on new and upcoming tools and products for their operations is vast. Nothing beats tasting a new food product firsthand before you stock your shelves. New packaging and display trends are always best seen visually in person. And, well, technology is no different. TRUNO is headed back on the road in 2024 to showcase how technologies, such as our business intelligence platform, TruView, self-service solutions, electronic shelf labels, and more, are all impacting customer experience and improving operations for retailers of all sizes.
We also understand that traveling all year to shows isn't feasible. You've got groceries to sell. That's why we've put together our list of the Top 4 Grocery Shows to Attend in 2024.
With the holiday season now finally upon us, there also comes the holiday rush. With a larger volume of customers coming in for their Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas presents for loved ones, and New Year’s Eve Champagne, the holidays can sometimes bring unwanted stress to your store. If times get stressful, the last thing you would want to run into is any POS issues that prevent your lanes from functioning correctly. So, before we enter the week of Thanksgiving, (and more specifically Black Friday) TRUNO has 5 tips from our Director of Service, Kyle Hein, to help retailers get through the holiday rush.
While it may seem hard to believe, the holiday season will be here before you know it. If there is one thing that I have learned in my 25 years in the grocery business, it’s that this season can make or break your store. There’s no getting around it, a larger volume of customers coming in for their Thanksgiving turkeys or quickly stopping in for those last-minute Christmas party pies can sometimes bring tension to your supermarket aisles. However, this added stress isn’t just exclusive to the holiday season. I have seen plenty of cases where the store is packed on a Saturday, a customer is clearly in a hurry, and has their child screaming and fighting that they can’t have any candy in the checkout aisle.
The FBI defines skimming as “when devices illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture data or record cardholders’ PINs.” When criminals use one of these devices, they can then use the collected data to steal from innocent victims’ accounts, draining them of their money. While skimming has primarily been an issue for gas station pumps and ATMs in the past, it has slowly become a much more prevalent issue in the grocery industry as well. Criminals have realized that with fewer workers aware of the skimming threat in grocery stores, combined with more people swiping their cards each day on the device, grocery stores can be a target for a bigger payday.
Over the last few months, we have covered both TRUNO’s warehousing and staging departments and ourinstallation and training departments. These teams are essential in getting your new technology solutions staged, shipped, and installed into your store, but now that they’rein your store and your team has been trained on how to use it, what happens if anything breaks? What if there is a major software upgrade for your POS system? Fortunately, TRUNO’s Service and Support Network is equipped to quickly handle these issues to ensure that your store’s operationscontinue as smoothly as possible.
In last month’s blog post, we covered TRUNO’s warehousing and staging departments. Two departments that work seamlessly in tandem to help bring secure and stable technology solutions to retailers across the country. But once those teams have successfully completed their job and the technology has been staged and shipped to your store, what happens next? This is where TRUNO’s Installation and Training departments come into play.
The POS system is the beating heart of any retailer's business, but getting the system and technologies into your store and maintaining that heartbeat can sometimes be a challenge. For instance, sometimes multiple pieces of hardware being used together can lead to new and complex software integrations. And more often then not, one project rollout can involve multiple partners in addition to tying up an internal team. With so many pieces of the puzzle needing to perfectly come together, this can be a labor-intensive and expensive process for retailers. With TRUNO’s Professional Services teams, all of this can be done under one roof, streamlining the process of implementing new technology for retailers all while ensuring that the team maintaining your POS system truly understands both you and your technology.
With the current labor shortagebeing attributed to a number of factors, many grocers have started to accept that there are just fewer workers in the workforce than before the Covid-19 pandemic. With fewer workers, you might think that grocery stores have been taking a hit by increasing wages, having lower quality customer service, and generally having staffing issues. However, we have started to see many savvy grocers turn their acceptance of fewer workers into increased margins in their stores. How? By implementing just a few keytechnologies. Here are 3 technologies to optimize labor spending in your grocery store:
Historically many grocers have not placed a huge emphasis on return management as part of their operations strategy. It is true that businesses such as clothing stores do see a higher percentage of returns in comparison to grocery retailers. However,having a fast, robust, and most importantly, configurable returns system has become an increasingly valuable tool in grocery retail. Here are three reasons why now is the time to invest in a reliable returns system for your grocery store:
Nearly half of consumers polled stated they still prefer grocery shopping in-store. The reality is shoppers like having control over the selection of produce they eat and enjoy the experience of hand-selecting the food they feed their families. Grocery shopping and cooking at home is both an essential activity, and a source of entertainment, comfort and luxury. Couple this omnipresent human nature with rising inflation, labor shortage, and supply chain issues, and the online grocery shopping spotlight is beginning to dim.
We know Grocery is the most complex sector of retail. Weighing produce and meats, managing out of stocks, and reacting to price changes across an inventory that often includes well over 30,000 items is challenging. Layer in an unprecedented year like 2020 – and retailers are juggling the same operational challenges but with an overnight increase in sales and complete paradigm shift in consumer behaviors. To meet these consumer behaviors retailers are implementing new technology.
Unprecedented. Paradigm shift. Novel. All words used to describe 2020.
You would be hard-pressed to find an industry that made it through 2020 unchanged. At TRUNO, we marched right alongside as the grocery retail industry was catapulted into the spotlight overnight. Pushed to its limits and forced to rapidly innovate, grocers weathered every storm the pandemic threw its way. Now, as the skies begin to clear, and we optimistically look to brighter days – what are key technology takeaways to carry into 2021?
Your point-of-sale (POS) hardware may be the hub of activity in your grocery store, but it’s also essentially a collection of PC-based processors. That means sooner or later, you’ll need to upgrade the hardware. Maybe you have to replace a broken part, or you have to upgrade for compliance purposes, or the unit has simply worn out. Whatever the reason, eventually you’ll have to replace some equipment.
Self-checkout has become a standard fixture in grocery stores; it's hard to remember when it wasn't there. The technology has been around for the last two decades, and while self-checkout lanes are standard in large grocery chains, their adoption still lags behind in smaller chains.
Frictionless shopping. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot these days and connotes an evolved customer experience where shoppers reach a state of shopping nirvana. It also takes on new meaning in the midst of a pandemic requiring social distancing and other measures to limit close personal contact. But to Paul Lysko, Global Product Line Director, Self-Service Solutions at Toshiba, frictionless shopping is more than a self-service e-commerce experience where customers simply click and pay. It is the collection of all elements of an in-store experience that provide value over and above the technology involved. Beyond just achieving their shopping goal, it’s that feeling a shopper gets that the experience of visiting the store was efficient, positive, and even one of beneficial discovery.
This article was originally published by The Shelby Report and can be viewed here.
In an industry with such tight margins, grocery store managers seeking a competitive advantage are looking to Point of Sale (POS) data analytics to make better decisions. However, if you’re only looking at what’s happened in your store in the past, you’re missing a big part of the picture. There’s a lot more you can do when you have data available in real time to help you make decisions on the fly.
Even the most “bare bones” point of sale (POS) system can tell you a lot about your grocery business. The POS captures checkout activity, like which lanes are the busiest and how many transactions are going through your self-checkout lanes versus non-self-checkout lanes. It can also capture which cashiers are ringing up the most transactions, the most per department, or the highest dollar amount per ring. And, of course, there is product information, departmental and total sales figures, your top 100 items, and so forth. That’s a lot of data.
Since nearly every major retail grocery store has self-checkouts today, nine out of 10 customers who walk into any store have used a self-checkout. These self-service alternatives to traditional checkouts have become quite popular with shoppers. They all work the same in every location and seek to control their retail experience; customers actively seek them out when they're ready to pay for their purchases.
As a grocery retailer who’s always taken the steps to stay PCI compliant, you may think you’ve done everything you need. But that might not be enough to protect you and your customers. Did you know that even if you’ve taken every precaution, you could still be at risk? That’s because anyone who touches the environment where customer payments are handled must also be PCI compliant—including your resellers and technology providers.
In today’s competitive retail grocery environment, razor-thin margins mean most grocery managers are looking for any advantage they can get. Installing electronic shelf labels (ESL) can offer retailers a significant technological advantage, yet relatively few grocery stores are using them.
As a grocery retailer whose point-of-sale system depends on either Microsoft Windows or Windows Server, the recently announced cumulative update for Windows 10 will impact your operations. Will it affect your NCR ENCOR POS system? Do you need to worry about hardware or software issues? Will you have to invest any time or money in this upgrade?
Does the rise of eCommerce mean the end of brick-and-mortar retail? With household names such as Sears, Payless, and Toys “R” Us shuttering stores across the country, it’s tempting to assume that all shopping—including grocery shopping—will eventually take place in virtual spaces. Even major grocery chains such as Kroger and Safeway are rolling out their versions of the digital disruptions pioneered by Amazon, such as recommendation engines, subscription models and curbside (or same-day home) delivery.
Grocery shoppers want convenience, and they want choices. These facts aren’t new. But buyer expectations—and how they define both convenience and choice—aren’t the same as they used to be.
Walmart recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Supercenter store format launch. That’s how long shoppers have been able to one-stop-shop for sneakers for the kids, replacement wiper blades on their minivan, a weeks’ worth of food for their refrigerator—and a lot more. This particular retail customer experience has proven to be enduringly popular, so much so that Walmart now operates more than 3,500 Supercenters across 49 states.
As any astronomer knows, time and space respect certain laws, and that those laws cannot be broken. Retailers and grocers are also well-acquainted with those same laws. But they feel the penalties of breaking them not so much theoretically as practically—along their bottom line. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in inventory management.
In an era characterized by constant technological change and frequent disruption, it can be difficult to take a moment, step back from daily grind, and reflect on where you've been and how far you've come. But doing so is essential to charting a path to your future success.
Over the past 10 years, grocery retail back-office solutions have experienced unprecedented digital transformation. Let's take a look at what's changed, the effect it’s had on operations, why it represents progress, and how it has created new business opportunities.
No grocer takes the decision to replace their point of sale system lightly. As we’ve discussed before (See 4 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your POS Hardware), all equipment eventually reaches the end of its duty cycle. But, when it comes to POS hardware, “replacing” is not necessarily the same as “upgrading.” Whether it’s time to replace the entire system, or upgrade the components which are no longer viable, your upgraded POS system should deliver innovation and establish a foundation for your store’s future success.
How long has it been since you installed that once-new retail point of sale system in your grocery store? As sophisticated as it has become, all hardware has a duty cycle, a time past which it’s better to replace it. At four or five or six years, you expect to replace a few parts here and there. But at some point, it’s just time to upgrade that hardware or replace the whole system.
You’re a grocery chain, not a technology integrator, right? But this isn’t the 1980s, back when a POS system rarely needed to communicate to any other retail system at all. Two decades into a new century, retail technologies are evolving faster than ever, and they’re involved in most every aspect of running a modern grocery store from front to back.
Retail risk management is identifying areas of risk in your grocery operations, then mitigating or eliminating those risks to protect your customers, business, and bottom line. The risks that face grocers run the gamut from data security, to the health and safety of customers and employees, to inventory loss prevention.
A National Retail Federation study shows retailers lose about $50 billion in inventory theft every year. And while you might assume the bulk of this is from external customer shoplifting, at least 30 percent—roughly $15 billion—is actually from employee theft. And that doesn’t even include outright cash theft.
We’ve focused our recent posts on the topic of margin management — ways to help you minimize costs and maximize profits. We’ve provided tips, tricks and technologies retail grocers can use to insulate profit margins in the age of the dollar store and protect against the damage of product recalls, and even delved into the benefits of moving into the digital future with electronic shelf labels.
Lately, we’ve focused our posts on tips, processes and techniques your retail grocery business can use to minimize cost and maximize profits, what’s known as margin management. We’ve looked at how you can optimize the types and quantities of prepared foods in your store, examined ways you can avoid unnecessary waste caused by product recalls, and dug into how electronic shelf labels can help improve your margins and what they’re going to cost.
The theme of our blog the past few weeks has been grocery margin management. While a number of these articles focused on addressing specific situations, last week we started a list of some potentially overlooked techniques and technologies to help you improve or, at least protect, your bottom line.
Simply put, margin management is the practice of minimizing costs to maximize profit. And if you can’t make a profit, why stay in business? That’s why we’ve focused our recent posts on this topic. We’ve provided tips, techniques, and technologies retail grocers can use as part of their strategy to protect and improve their margins. For example, how to minimize waste due to product recalls, to optimize the types and quantities of prepared foods, how to save on labor costs with electronic shelf labels, and much more.
Over the past few weeks, we have focused our articles on various tips, processes, and technologies which, when used as part of a retailer’s margin management strategy, can help you protect your bottom line. We’ve described ways to use data to optimize a prepared food strategy, trim unnecessary waste due to product recalls, even protect profit margins against the invasion of the dollar stores.
With so much focus on the fresh food movement, we shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of a grocer’s prepared food items. There are still plenty of customers that don’t cook on a regular basis, or simply don’t have time in their busy schedule to devote to preparing food at home. And don’t forget that prepared foods—meats, salads, cold cuts, sliced cheeses, cakes, pies, and so on—are wildly popular for holidays and convenient for impromptu gatherings of family and friends.
Over the past 12 months, three major E. coli outbreaks decimated sales of Romaine lettuce, rearranging and upsetting the salad bowls of America. Numerous salmonella scares caused recalls of eggs, chicken, and turkey—not to mention nearly 20 million pounds of ground beef—from many different suppliers. And that’s just a fraction of fresh food recalls that made the news in 2018, and it doesn’t touch on recalls of packaged, frozen, or prepared foods.
Ask any retailer, and you’ll be hard pressed to find one that isn’t worried about rising competition from online shopping. eCommerce technology solutions can help retailers fight back on that front. However, according to Forbes, the true disruptors aren’t online giants like Amazon or Walmart. Instead, there’s a quieter and stealthier threat to the strained margins of traditional grocers: the “dollar stores.”
We are pretty proud of TeamTRUNO. From software programmers to administrators, support engineers to service technicians, TRUNO is comprised of a lot of talented folks working hard every day to bring leading innovation and reliable services to the retail marketplace.
At TRUNO headquarters in Lubbock, Texas, we may not have snow for the holidays—it’s not even dipped to freezing this week—but we can’t help inserting the holiday spirit into everything we do this time of year. Lately we’ve written about what we’re so thankful for in 2018, as well as this year’s perfect Christmas gift for retailers. We even talked about how to stay jolly while protecting yourselves from holiday shoplifters.
Each time I talk to a retailer about solutions that truly meet their unique needs, I’m reminded why I chose to come to TRUNO in the first place. I’ve experienced first-hand the challenges today’s retailers face every day, and I’m proud to be part of a team dedicated to helping them find their True North when it comes to retail technology.
According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, more than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting over the last five years. And with the holiday season in full swing, increased store traffic means a greater risk of retail theft than at other times of year.
With the shift in consumer demands, staying relevant and ahead of the competition is becoming an increasing challenge for grocery retailers. Legacy POS systems and outdated technology put you at risk for being left behind. NCR ENCOR provides more than a modern point of sale. It is a complete platform of service, creating a friction-less shopping experience designed to keep your customers coming back.
At TRUNO, we have a lot to be thankful for: our customers, our partners and all the great folks who make up the TRUNO team. But we’re also thankful for data, because it drives so much of what we do as a company and how we’re able to help retailers thrive.
In today’s world, the power of information is right at our fingertips. Anything you want to learn, buy, or watch can be accessed via smart phone, tablet, or computer. This has made processes easier, more organized, and efficient. Technology has changed how we communicate, pay bills, and even how we date. We’ve eliminated the necessity of shopping in retail stores, renting VHS, buying vinyl records, and now – going to the grocery store.
TRUNO has its roots in point of sale solutions, which means we understand both the complexity and the importance of those systems. We also know it’s vital your POS integrates seamlessly with your back office software. Together, these solutions create the lifeblood of your store. But as customer preferences and needs change, you’ll need new and different technology in order to keep up.
We are pretty proud of TeamTRUNO. From software programmers to administrators, support engineers to service technicians, TRUNO is comprised of a lot of talented folks working hard every day to bring leading innovation and reliable services to the retail marketplace.
TRUNO’s steadfast promise to navigate our partners through the ever-changing world of retail technology drives us to continually grow our offerings. Our current product portfolio provides capabilities in point of sale, margin management, productivity, digital commerce and risk management. Paired with complete integrations into our customers’ data and operations, we offer a comprehensive end-to-end solution that can be tailored to each retailer. Now, we are expanding point of sale in a truly impactful way.
As vice president of sales for TRUNO, I’m constantly thinking about how we can improve the lives of store operators. My passion for helping retailers solve challenges is a direct result of my own career in the industry. I know first-hand the thoughts that keep a store operator up at night, but I also know how the proper retail technology can help them sleep easier.
In April of this year, all of the major credit providers—Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover—did away with requiring signatures at the point of sale. Why did they require signatures in the first place, why don’t we need them now, and what does this change mean for retailers?
When TRUNO started serving the retail industry 40 years ago, our focus was on providing point-of-sale systems to grocers. Since then, we’ve expanded our service offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers—and their customers. In addition to POS hardware and software, we provide integrated retail technology solutions that support the front of the store, the back office and everything in between. Today, we’re putting our attention back on the point of sale, but not in the way you might think.
Having spent my entire career in the grocery industry, I’ve had first-hand experience with the challenges our customers face. I spent more than a decade as an IT director for a 14-store grocery chain. While that role presented plenty of challenges, it gave me insight into one of the most difficult roles in the grocery store—back office management.
Not so many years ago, grocery shopping used to be a more personal experience. Families shopped at the same store every time, usually on Sundays, to buy food and supplies for the week. It was quite common—and even expected—for shoppers to build relationships with store employees. The butcher knew customers’ names and what cuts their families preferred. And the cashier greeted them with a smile and asked them how their day was going.
As both an innovator and integrator of retail technology solutions, we work with partners to deliver top-of-the-line solutions for our customers, most of whom are seeking ways to gather and act on data-driven insights. To help inform grocers about their customers, we have partnered with Como to integrate its Como Sense platform into the point of sale ecosystem.
These days everything is going digital. More and more shoppers are going online, even when making everyday purchases like groceries for the week. With this in mind, retailers are looking for ways to enhance the in-store experience by adding digital elements. Converting to electronic shelf labels is a seemingly small change grocers can make, but one that has a surprisingly big impact on the bottom line, customer experience and employee morale.
We are pretty proud of TeamTRUNO. From software programmers to administrators, support engineers to service technicians, TRUNO is comprised of a lot of talented folks working hard every day to bring leading innovation and reliable services to the retail marketplace.
According to a report published in Food Dive earlier this year, 95 percent of shoppers just want to be left alone in stores. What does that mean for customer service-oriented grocers? Turns out self checkout meets the needs of customers—in more ways than one.
Earlier this year, enforcement of the latest version of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS 3.2) went into effect. The new payment security regulation, originally introduced in 2016, is aimed at better preventing, detecting and responding to cyberattacks that can lead to payment data breaches.
Using data to drive operational decisions in the grocery store was a hot topic at the 2018 TRUNO Client Conference. (If you haven’t already, check out our previous post on key takeaways from the event!) This is a trend we’ve been following for a while.
Last month we held our fifth annual TRUNO Client Conference in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas. With record turnout from partners and customers alike, the event was our best yet! The conference is always a great time to build relationships, share and receive insight from others in the industry and discuss key trends in retail technology solutions.
Today's "on-demand" culture of convenience and instant gratification continues to drive the growing eCommerce trend. In 2017, more than half of Americans cited online shopping as their preferred shopping method. While this doesn't mean the death of brick-and-mortar retail, it does reflect a definite shift in consumer expectations.
Great things are happening at TRUNO, and our fifth-annual client conference should be the best one yet! The conference is an excellent opportunity to get to know the TRUNO brand family we introduced in November 2017. With the addition of DMA back office software and TimeForge human capital management, TRUNO is now even better poised to help our partners navigate the ever-changing world of retail technology.
In November 2017, we introduced our new brand family, which underscored just how far grocery retailers—and the technology they rely on—have advanced over the last 40 years. In that time, the TRUNO solutions have also evolved, extending beyond traditional point of sale into the back office, human capital management, data analytics and more.
Nothing says the Holidays like a last minute rush to the grocery store for that pumpkin spice you swore you had on hand! With the hustle and bustle of the season, secure and stable technology is a must to keep those busy shoppers moving through the line and happy. Your customers depend on you, and you depend on TRUNO to keep your operations running smoothly.
With four strategic acquisitions under our belt, TRUNO announces the 2018 launch of an updated brand family. The new brand architecture reflects the integration of the company's two recently acquired products in back office and human capital management software.
The TRUNO family is comprised of a number of employees working hard on Solutions that benefit our customers. TeamTRUNO is brilliant - we have engineers, technicians, administrators, support staff, and more who work every day to bring the best innovations and support to the retail marketplace.
It’s easy to get comfortable with something we’ve had for a long time. A favorite chair. A car. A shirt.
But if the chair is sprouting springs, the car is in the shop every month for repairs, and the shirt has become more than a little threadbare, then it’s time to consider something new.
Imagine a help desk system that works while you sleep and monitors your store’s systems even when you can’t monitor them yourself.
While it may sound too good to be true, TRUNO’s 24/7 Support Center makes it happen with an active help desk that keeps your system healthy and running smoothly – even when you’ve left work behind and are unwinding after a busy day (or in the middle of a dead sleep).
The 2017 NGA Show had its largest turnout ever with the focus to bring industry representatives from the independent supermarkets, wholesale, manufacturing, and food service together to learn about the newest products & trends and connect with fellow professionals.
Many things affect the bottom line of grocery and retail stores, not the least of which is inadequate loss prevention systems. According to a National Retail Federation study, American retailers lose billions of dollars in potential sales each year due to “shrinkage” – which is the loss of inventory because of actions such as shoplifting, employee theft, administrative error, and cashier error.
Another Super Bowl has come and gone and with it so has all the hype, fun, and crazy emotions that are a part of it – especially if your favorite team was lucky enough to compete for the championship.
As a grocer or owner of another retail-based business, you undoubtedly enjoyed the sudden spike in sales that comes with Super Bowl Sunday. The National Retail Federation estimates that the average viewer annually spends around $80 (and more) on the Super Bowl, which includes game-day food, athletic wear, and more.
TRUNO is a family, and our employees are the core of that family. Our team spans from coast to coast, and each team member brings honesty, integrity, and amazing talent to work with them each day. Together, we’re glad to be the trusted technology provider our customers can rely on!
Our next TeamTRUNO highlight is all about Kerry Hines.
Kerry Hines is a Sales Executive for our Oregon, Washington, and Alaska territories where she’s focused on developing new business in the Northwest. As an Ishida Product Specialist, she assists her team with installation, implementation, and support. She’s been on the team since December 2015.
Where’s the beef? On many consumers’ plates, it turns out.
According to the Food Market Institute, beef remains the top-selling meat in food service, and it’s a trend that’s expected to continue in 2017. For retailers, it’s a trend that means expanding beef selections to meet consumer demand. But along with this demand comes an increasing expectation of transparency, particularly when it comes to information about beef.
It’s a New Year and, hopefully for your retail business, one filled with new goals and excitement for the year ahead.
It may also be time for a new Point-of-Sale terminal.
While implementing new technology can be a bit daunting at times – the alternative of running an outdated POS system that’s slowing down your operation and missing key data about your customers is far from ideal. So, why not ring in the New Year with a new system that will pay long-term dividends?
While self checkout systems are nothing new, they’ve experienced a tremendous surge recently and use will likely double in the next couple of years, experts at Kiosk Marketplace say. And they’re not just popping up in supermarkets but other retail markets such as convenience stores and department stores.
One of the most important things you can do for your business in the New Year is to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your POS system. POS technology is ever-evolving, and if your system is outdated it probably costs you time and money – while also having a negative effect on your customer’s experience.
At TRUNO Retail Technology Solutions, we like to think of problems as being neither too big nor too small. It’s all about partnership, and as your partner, we stand ready to help you resolve any technology issue that comes your way.
At TRUNO, we simply think we have the best employees around. Our nationwide team is comprised of industry experts in a variety of positions. Each individual, and their unique skill set, make a valuable impact in delivering retailers the most trusted technology solution.
Each month, we'd like to introduce a member of TeamTRUNO to you. Grab your cup of coffee and let's start with Miguel Domingues out of Northern California.
Video surveillance is a key part of a loss prevention strategy for your supermarket, convenience store, or any other type of small retail business. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) has long been the foundation of store security efforts in preventing internal or external (shoplifter) theft.
But there’s more to it than just retail monitoring, as you can also gather information that helps optimize your store’s performance, improve customer service, marketing, and promotions. Here’s how you can leverage your investment in CCTV systems to get the highest – and best – returns possible.
The holidays bring lots of laughter, love, and.... meals around the dinner table! Which means we know you are busy. You can rest assured no matter how crazy the season gets, TRUNO has your POS systems covered.
Taking a look at recent history, there is no doubt that technology has fundamentally changed the business landscape. The steam engine in the 18th century fueled the Industrial Revolution. The introduction of the train in the 19th century brought rapid transportation to the world. That was followed in the 20th century with breakthroughs such as the airplane, the transistor, the microchip, and the internet. And in the 21st century, the big trend is digitization.
With big changes just implemented by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), meat counters around the country are scrambling. The FSIS is requiring all establishments that grind raw beef products for sale to maintain detailed records to the traceability of the source of foodborne illness outbreaks involving ground beef.
Big changes have taken place at the meat counter. It’s all come down to the fact that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA has amended regulations affecting all establishments that grind raw beef products for sale. These stores are now required to maintain detailed records in an effort to improve the traceability of the source of foodborne illness outbreaks involving ground beef.
August 2nd, 2016 - Lubbock, Texas: TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions (TRUNO), the retail industry leader in integrated technology solutions, today announced they have reached a definitive acquisition agreement with TimeForge, the retail industry leader in labor management software. The acquisition, expected to close August 15th, 2016, strategically aligns resources and infrastructure between the two companies, affording retailers the industry’s most comprehensive labor analytics solution.
On June 20th, 2016 federal regulations went into effect that could impact your meat grinding and fresh prepared foods operations. Regulation 9 CFR Part 320 requires retailers to maintain grinding logs for all ground beef production.
Simply put, Porter’s Thriftway was out of room. Business was growing and long lines were beginning to form during peak times. Porter’s began to realize the throughput their current footprint was providing was not going to cut it. Three additional checkout lanes were needed to accommodate their increase in sales, but Porter’s lacked the square footage to add the lanes. The disruption of demo and new construction was too costly to be an option. Porter’s was in search of a creative solution to maximize their current space.
90% of consumers polled identify themselves as users of self checkout.
Source: 2014 Global Customer Study conducted by NPD Group for NCR
Are you prepared to meet the self-service expectations of consumers today?
In today’s competitive market, self–service is redefining the customer experience. Tech savvy consumers have been serving themselves at banks, airports, gas stations, and other establishments for years, making self-service necessary to remain competitive and stay relevant in today's market. Many would argue it is an expected option of the customer experience today.
The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) recently released version 3.2 of their payment card requirements. As a PCI SSC certified partner, TRUNO can help guide you down the path to confidence in your security operations.
According to the U.S. Census, there are 123 million households in America today. The Food Marketing Institute's (FMI) U.S Grocery Shopper Trends Report found that 203 million people claim to have at least fifty percent of their household responsible for grocery shopping. The research reveals some unexpected changes in consumer trends. FMI is calling it a "grocery revolution". Here is a peek at some of their stats:
C&S Wholesale Grocers’ 9th Annual Spring Technology Expo kicks off April 20th at the Thunder Valley Resort in Lincoln, CA. This educational event, open to all retailers, gathers thought leaders on today’s technology available to the Independent Grocer.
Via Supermarket News – According to an updated Technomic study consumers, especially those aged 18-34, are purchasing retailservice prepared meal solutions more often.
California state legislature’s March 31st approval to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2022, means retailers must evaluate their labor management strategy to protect their margins. The state of New York recently reached a similar deal establishing higher minimum wage requirements and experts say other states are sure to follow.
On December 1st, 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized the requirements for the Menu Labeling Rule which will go into effect December of 2016. This new rule will require establishments who serve food, including supermarkets, to post calorie information for foods on display, self-service items and items that appear on menus or menu boards. According to the FDA, some 300,000 establishments including “non-restaurants” will be covered under the new rule, are you?
TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions (TRUNO) today announced recognition from the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) as a Qualified Integrator Reseller (QIR)™ on March 14th, 2016.
As a QIR provider, TRUNO is authorized to implement, configure, and support validated PA-DSS Payment Applications on behalf of merchants or service providers for purposes of performing Qualified Installations as part of the QIR Program.
QIR providers serve an important role in the payments and information technology value chain by supporting their client’s ability to achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance. TRUNO’s customers are able to obtain a higher level of assurance that their payment application is installed, configured and supported by knowledgeable professionals that are well-versed in both vendor installation guidance and are PCI SSC certified.
Lubbock, Texas, March 17, 2016 - Unified Grocers, in conjunction with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc.(Toshiba),has selected TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions (TRUNO) as a preferred Toshiba SurePOSTM ACE partner. This announcement comes after Unified Grocers’ recent addition of Toshiba as a preferred retail technology POS provider.
We take pride in providing technology solutions to enable grocers to feed America. Take a step inside the Truno 2015 year to see how it all went down.
November 6th, 2015 - LUBBOCK, TEXAS: TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions (“TRUNO”) announced today that the Board of Directors has appointed David L. Miller as Chief Executive Officer effective November 1st, 2015.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 4th, 2015
Author Profile: TRUNO Corporate Trainer, Mark Ashley, has been in Point of Sale for thirty-seven years and with TRUNO for twenty-seven. Mark is an expert in ISS45 and manages all internal trainings out of the Truno Training Office in Lubbock, Texas.
A status update on EMV as it applies to different processors and pin pads.
August 1st, 2015 marked one year since the launch of the TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions brand. The strategic brand was developed to meet the challenges of the shifting value proposition in retail technology, and help our customers navigate towards high end, robust technology solutions.
We've gathered together photos and videos from the past year to celebrate Truno's birthday with a trip down memory lane! Employees were asked what it means to them to be a part of TeamTRUNO - Here's what they had to say...
Truno would like to take the time to recognize our traveling warriors, the on-site trainers. On average, Truno trainers spend twenty weeks out of the year traveling to different locations around the country. When a trainer arrives on site they immediately
TRUNO leaders gathered at Walt Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort on June 22nd – 25th to attend NCR’s 2015 Synergy Conference: Inspired Commerce. Focused on NCR’s retail industry solutions, the event featured technology of today and tomorrow to inspire ideas, innovation, and best practices.
Team TRUNO had the opportunity to take a break from work and attend a CASA 101 session hosted at the headquarters office on June 10th, 2015.
Effective April 8th, David Price was appointed TRUNO’s newest National Service Manager. The decision to place David in charge of the direction of TRUNO’s national service team was a no-brainer. David has been with TRUNO since 2006, excelling in various positions such as Senior Field Service Technician and Lubbock Service Manager. David has served as one of TRUNO’s most valuable teachers – training new technicians directly in the field. Prior to joining Team TRUNO, David gained field experience as a POS and Payment Systems technician with Furr’s Supermarkets and Malloy’s Cash Registers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 6th, 2015
Today, TRUNO wishes a happy retirement to Sandra Fuller, co-founder of TRUNO. Sandra and her husband, Curtis, started Cash Register Services back in 1978.
The 2015 NGA Show proved to target not just the independent grocery industry, but grocery as a whole. With an expansion in the volume of the attendee base, “The networking between clients and partner vendors was better than ever and my favorite part of the show”, said Truno General Manager, Uwe von Sehrwald.
Outdated technology is a recipe for expense, inefficiency, customer dissatisfaction...and not to mention potential security threats. Don't get left behind, update your ISS45 to Version 8. Here's our Top 14 Reasons Why Upgrading to Version 8 should be on your to-do list.
At TRUNO, we believe in the continuously investing in solutions to meet our customers needs. We also understand your back office pains. Our recent talent acquisition positions TRUNO to provide a stronger suite of back office solutions and support.
With industry hot topics such as mobile applications, EMV, and Big Data on the schedule, there is sure to be a lot of buzz about technology and it’s applications for the future. The Truno booth will house conversations for both ACE and ISS45 users alike with both systems set up for demo.
Carts raced wildly through the aisles of Porter's Thriftway at the first ever TRUNO Supermarket Sweep on September 30, in Andrews, TX. Team TRUNO faced two Porter's teams in an intense question round and battled for the win during the Big Sweep. Julie Thompson, part of Team TRUNO, described the atmosphere at Porter's during the event. "The participants from Porter's had such a fun, positive attitude. They made the event a really special thing to be a part of," Thompson said. Team '2' from Porter's dominated the competition with a grand total of $550 in the Big Sweep. TRUNO donated the winning number to Lubbock Meals on Wheels, while Porter's Thriftway donated the same amount to Coats for Kids in Andrews. Thank you so much Porter's Thriftway for your welcoming and fun attitude throughout the event.
Golfing isn’t a bad way to spend your afternoon, especially when it’s for a good cause. TRUNO proudly supported United Way at the 23rd Annual Jacky Pierce Charity Classic, hosted by United Supermarkets and its partners, on Monday, September 8, 2014. The two TRUNO teams took everyone by surprise when President Steven Watters hit a hole in one!
Continuing to educate ourselves on the latest technology and how it can improve the operations of grocery retailers is a part of our conviction to remain trusted technology experts. As such, we recently attended Datalogic’s educational webinar discussing ways to Leverage Imaging to Harness the Power of the Mobile Consumer. Our takeaways from the session challenge grocers to take a look at the mobile consumer in a different light and act on connecting with them at the point of sale.
Watch as the the Truno partners gathered together to participate in the ALS Association's Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge has raised $41.8 million dollars in donations while spreading awareness about the disease world-wide. In addition to accepting the challenge, Truno made a $500 donation to the ALS Association.
TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions would like to thank the Junior League of Lubbock for allowing us to be a part of their largest fundraiser, the 2014 Holiday Happening event. Since 2011, TRUNO, partnering with TimeForge, has been honored to contribute to the efforts of the annual fundraiser with a donation of hand scanners and labor management software.
We take pride in being in business to enable grocers to feed America. Take a step inside our 2013 using our TRUNO infographic to see how it all went down.
American flags waved and island music played at the TRUNO Red, White and Purple snow cone event July 3, 2014 in Lubbock, Texas.
AUGUST 1ST, 2014 - LUBBOCK, TEXAS: Cash Register Services, Inc. (CRS) officially launches their new brand, TRUNO, Retail Technology Solutions today. The company has been preparing to rebrand over the course of 2013 and 2014 through phases of brand research, development, and design.
AUGUST 1st, 2014 - LUBBOCK, TEXAS: Truno continues to invest in new technology to provide better, faster and more secure ways to service our retail partners. As you are already aware, we’ve made a change in how we access your stores today. Due to the ever changing PCI landscape, we selected a new method of remote access to your environment. This new product not only gives us true dual factor access to your system, but we are also recording and saving each session. This allows us to go back and review any activity performed by a Truno technician while working in your system.