Hi
First of all, welcome to the Grumble!
There are a lot of alternatives out there, and most of them have a downloadable demo so you can "try before you buy". If you don't have high speed internet (dsl, cable, satellite), most will mail a demo CD to you at no charge. Most companies offer a "competitive upgrade price", if you switch to their product. This isn't usually advertised, so you have to ask about it.
I recently compiled a list of the alternatives (there may be more!) and came up with 21 packages. A comparison guide with contact information for each is up at
THIS LINK
There are some really innovative packages out there, and some great features. One important consideration is if you plan to grow in the future and may need more than one terminal. If so, you'll want to consider a package that has an option for this growth. Some just do pricing, while others can handle inventory, visualization, barcodes, cash drawer, touch screens, time clock for staff, multi locations, gift certificates and FF cards, automatic vendor pricing updates through the internet, etc
From what i've read, most North American Grumblers seem to use Frameready, Fullcalc, Lifesaver, or Specialtysoft. (listed in alphabetical order to be fair) You'll also find some great discussions about this in the computer forum, if you use the SEARCH function above.
I hope this info is helpful. My advice is to take your time and check all 21 of them out. Let us know how you make out.
Mike
Resident computer geek
[ 11-17-2003, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]