Point of sale
Overview
 
Point of sale (also sometimes referred to as Point of purchase (POP) ) or checkout is the location where a transaction
Financial transaction
A financial transaction is an event or condition under the contract between a buyer and a seller to exchange an asset for payment. It involves a change in the status of the finances of two or more businesses or individuals.-History:...

 occurs. A "checkout" refers to a POS terminal or more generally to the hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....

 and software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....

 used for checkouts, the equivalent of an electronic cash register
Cash register
A cash register or till is a mechanical or electronic device for calculating and recording sales transactions, and an attached cash drawer for storing cash...

.

A POS terminal manages the selling process by a salesperson accessible interface. The same system allows the creation and printing of the receipt
Receipt
A receipt is a written acknowledgment that a specified article or sum of money has been received as an exchange for goods or services. The receipt is evidence of purchase of the property or service obtained in the exchange.-Printed:...

.
Early electronic cash registers (ECR) were controlled with proprietary software and were very limited in function and communications capability.
 
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