For years, pizzeria owner Wayne = Rempel=20 didn't believe he needed a point-of sale system in his=20 restaurant.

Rempel the owner of Just Pizza = in Lacombe,=20 Alberta, Canada, used paper slips to track orders until about a = year ago,=20 when he installed a POS system from Lynden, Wash.-based Speedline=20 Solutions Inc. Once he began exploring the intricacies of the = system he=20 noticed a disturbing trend.

"After about 3 months of me = figuring out=20 exactly how it worked and how to read everything, I started = noticing that=20 I was having a lot of credits on my monthly report," Rempel=20 said.

"If someone ordered a = pizza and there=20 was a mistake, we would put it through as a credit for the next = time they=20 ordered," he said. "I noticed there was one particular person who = had a=20 lot of them."

The person in question normally = worked the=20 register, though, so it made sense he would have the most credits, = Rempel=20 said. As he looked deeper, though, Rempel noticed that many of the = credits=20 were going to the same people.

Rempel questioned the employee, = and while=20 he was still suspicious, he gave him the benefit of the doubt. As = a=20 safeguard, Rempel took away the employee's privileges for issuing = credits,=20 and the number of credits fell dramatically.

A month later, however, Rempel = began seeing=20 an increasing problem with cash shortages. He noticed that cash = always=20 came up short in an even amount, such as $40 or $80, even coming = in at=20 $180 once.

Using his POS system's = scheduling program,=20 Rempel was able to compare a schedule spreadsheet with the days = when cash=20 came up short. He realized that the shortages compared with the = days when=20 the employee who had problems with excessive credit has=20 worked.

Rempel had a camera installed = near the POS=20 system and was eventually able to catch the employee stealing from = the=20 cash drawer. Rempel estimates the employee took in excess of = $1,500 before=20 he was caught.

It could have been more, he = said.=20

"I never would have known any = of this if I=20 didn't have the POS," Rempel said. "That definitely was what = alerted me to=20 it."

Catching the = mistakes

Jeff Finkhousen, owner of Brick = Oven Pizza=20 Co. in Auburn, Ala., not only credits his POS system with making = such=20 thefts tough for employees, but for giving him the ability to = track all=20 questionable transactions, inventory variances and labor schedule = changes.=20

Even when employees might make = a mistake,=20 Finkhousen's POS system ensures he doesn't lose out, such as when=20 customers request mixed toppings combos.

"I've had other businesses for = the last 11=20 years, and I've always had a point-of-sale system in those and in = my pizza=20 business," said Finkhousen, whose system now requires fingerprint = I.D. "I=20 don't see how people can use just a cash register and really track = what's=20 going on."

Speedline Systems marketing = manager=20 Jennifer Wiebe pointed to a POS system's ability to watch other = costs such=20 as labor and food. Employees can't clock in before their scheduled = time,=20 and with fingerprint I.D. systems, other employees can't swipe = I.D. cards=20 for coworkers.

POS systems also help operators = track what=20 Wiebe called "bad apple customers" who regularly try to scam = operators for=20 free meals.

"You may be too busy to notice = you have a=20 problem with a customer who's always calling in wanting a freebie, = but the=20 POS identifies that easily," she said.

Wiebe also said the system can, = at the time=20 an order is placed, red flag customers who've paid with bad checks = in the=20 past, and allow the owner to choose whether to serve that=20 customer.

Rempel said since the initial = cash shortage=20 incident, he's managed to solve a variety of theft problems using = POS=20 reports, including an employee who was using his staff discount to = feed=20 his friends.

"I'm the one guy that for seven = years said=20 I didn't need a POS system," Rempel said. "Now, I'm the guy that = says if=20 you don't have one you are = crazy."

POS systems can help point out theft