Taking online and food orders at the till

Why orders belong on the till

A separate tablet or email inbox is easy to miss when there's a queue. Orders that arrive on the till, with a sound that keeps going until someone accepts, don't get missed, and staff can check an order in the middle of a sale without losing it.

How an order flows

Here's what happens in Better Retailer:

• The customer orders on your online shop for pick up (or delivery by your own driver)
• The order appears on every till: the Orders tab for shop items, the Food tab for made-to-order food, with a red count
• The till rings until someone presses Accept
• Accept prints a pick slip in aisle order, or a big-print kitchen ticket with every option
• Staff press Packed or Food ready, and the customer's order page updates by itself
• When the customer arrives, staff press Customer here and take payment, or hand over an order already paid

Choosing the sounds

Each till picks its own sounds for shop orders and food (chime, bell, beep, ding dong or alarm), the volume, and how often it rings again until accepted. A loud alarm suits a busy front counter; a soft chime suits the kitchen.

Made-to-order food and coffee

Stores that sell hot food or coffee can switch on food ordering for their online shop (it's off until you turn it on). Customers choose options like size, milk or no onion, each with its price, and see "Usually ready in about N minutes" based on the preparation time you set. While food ordering is off, food items don't show on your website at all.