How to operate vintage register cash

[Telecolor 3007]

I don't underesteand why old mechanical or electromechanical cash registers had a lot of rows with the same number. How did you operate 'em.
Here is one built in Hungary ("Ratus" A-20): http://images3.okr.ro/serve/auctions...-1000_1000.jpg
http://images4.okr.ro/serve/auctions...88-700_700.jpg
Did they operate like thos very antique mechanical calculators?

[Chip Chester]

Very antique. Ouch, that hurts.

My first job used manual cash registers. You had to know the prices for everything, because they're just totalizers/adding machines that incorporate impact printers and cash drawer control.

So, the one you have a picture of is capable of selling itemss that cost up to 999.99 (whatevers) dollars, rubles, drachma, etc. From left-to-right, key in 7 (hundred), 5 (fifty), 2 (two) on the blue keys, and 7 (seventy) 5 on the white keys, for something that costs $752.75, then press the far-right-hand, largest button to add it to the receipt. There may be an option to assign the sale to a particular department or product category, as well as stating whether the item is taxable or not, etc. prior to mashing the big button (usually with your fist).

Do that for each item being purchased, then hit subtotal to have the machine enter the accumulated pre-tax amount. Then "tax" to add the tax. Then grand total to display the final amount owed. It would always print a receipt, and in fact, couldn't run if the paper was out on either the customer receipt or internal receipt printer.

Some fancy ones would let you enter the amount tendered, and display change due, but we didn't have those.

An evolutionary design allowed you to assign item prices to each button, so that you could have a button for cheeseburger, another for medium drink, and yet another for a "value meal" consisting of sandwich, fries, drink. That meant you didn't have to memorize prices, or consult a price list.

From there, it was a short jump to the all-electronic version, available as either the adding machine input style, or the item input style.

Then, when George Bush the first discovered UPC code scanning, the whole world changed...

NCR, National Cash Register was a big employer for many years in my hometown. Now gone the way of the horse and buggy, and domestic apparel production. Actually, they moved to Atlanta, and I think make point-of-sale systems and ATMs.

Chip

[Olorin67]

with rows of buttons, each row is one digit in the final total, for $2.53, you would push the 2 in the ones column, 5 in the 10cent column, and 3 in the cents column, leaving the others at zero.

[Telecolor 3007]

So it was like at those old mechanical computers...
Those cash registrers wher in use in Romania even in the '90's. I remeber that in 1990, when I was 1st grade (2nd and 3rd trimesters *) I went sometimes with my paternal gradmother I bought 1 leu (lyon) Romaian made chewing gum from an "Alimentara" that was between the school and my home. Don't rember them after... , throu all that I passed near that "Alimentara/Delfi(n)com" ** for many years after (I think there was still there in 1994-1995).
Those machines where made under licence (Swedish I think) in the city of Târgu (Tg) Mureş (or Tîrgu Mureş, acording to the 1953-1992 grammar).

But let's say that you wanted to buy something that worth 1.000 (1,000) (one thoutand) lei. How did you do? You typed 999 and then 1?

* up to the late '90's, one school year (I-XII/XIII grade) was split in 3 trimestrers. Afterwoods, in 2 semesters. Don't know how it was for universities.
** "Alimentara" where shops for food sealing during communism. aliment = food. Some old people are still using that word. There where "Aprozar" (Aprovizionare + zarzavaturi = something like "buying vegetables").
After 1989 the company was privatised. Since in Bucharest the late hadquarters of the "Alimentare" from 2nd (administrative) Sector where at Piaţa Delfinului (Market of the Dolphin), the society becamed "Delfi(n)com" (Delfin + comercial). It was gone around year 1999. In 3rd Sector (and another one) it was "Minerva".

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Chip Chester

Very antique. Ouch, that hurts.

My first job used manual cash registers. You had to know the prices for everything, because they're just totalizers/adding machines that incorporate impact printers and cash drawer control.

So, the one you have a picture of is capable of selling itemss that cost up to 999.99 (whatevers) dollars, rubles, drachma, etc. From left-to-right, key in 7 (hundred), 5 (fifty), 2 (two) on the blue keys, and 7 (seventy) 5 on the white keys, for something that costs $752.75, then press the far-right-hand, largest button to add it to the receipt. There may be an option to assign the sale to a particular department or product category, as well as stating whether the item is taxable or not, etc. prior to mashing the big button (usually with your fist).

Do that for each item being purchased, then hit subtotal to have the machine enter the accumulated pre-tax amount. Then "tax" to add the tax. Then grand total to display the final amount owed. It would always print a receipt, and in fact, couldn't run if the paper was out on either the customer receipt or internal receipt printer.

Some fancy ones would let you enter the amount tendered, and display change due, but we didn't have those.

An evolutionary design allowed you to assign item prices to each button, so that you could have a button for cheeseburger, another for medium drink, and yet another for a "value meal" consisting of sandwich, fries, drink. That meant you didn't have to memorize prices, or consult a price list.

From there, it was a short jump to the all-electronic version, available as either the adding machine input style, or the item input style.

Then, when George Bush the first discovered UPC code scanning, the whole world changed...

NCR, National Cash Register was a big employer for many years in my hometown. Now gone the way of the horse and buggy, and domestic apparel production. Actually, they moved to Atlanta, and I think make point-of-sale systems and ATMs.

Chip

As someone not even a quarter century old I can say there were not many shops (except antique shops) still using them when I was a kid....They did show up for sale in garage sales more back then.

[Jon A.]

I had a fancier one I got for free, a Sweda Dataregister. One ad for them boasted control of up to 32 (I think) departments without computer assistance. The thing was so heavy I could barely move it. I had it for about a month and gave it to a fellow who collects old business equipment. As much as I like older technology, I'm glad we no longer have to use those.

[Olorin67]

I know of at least 3 mechanical cash registers still in service. One at a small diner, one at a barbershop, and one at a used bookstore.

[Telecolor 3007]

Pretty. In Romania you must necesarly have digital cash registers.

[Username1]

I have a few old 4 function adding machines that have giant keypads like that....
Love watching it do division !

.

[Olorin67]

If it does multiplication and division its a 'calculator' and not an 'adding machine' that was the terminology difference back in the day. I have a couple of both, it is fun to watch the motorized ones at work. another interesting calculator is the Facit, it uses a 10 keys for e numbers, instead of rows of buttons. Some years Ive used it to do my taxes.

[Telecolor 3007]

But if I want to type 101 on an old cash register like the one from the 1st post, I do press the 1 from the left colum and the 1 from the right colum?

Most cash registers in Romania today are made (or at least assembled) in... Bulgaria. Since they had a law regarding them before Romania...

[Chip Chester]

If by "type" you mean enter an item price, then yes.

Left column is hundreds, middle is tens, right is units/single dollars.

In $US, $101 would be:

Left: 1 Middle: no selection made Right: 1

Note the keyboard has no zeroes, because no selection = zero.

Chip

[Telecolor 3007]

Yes, entrig the price.

[Geoff Bourquin]

I bet most of us older guys remember the noise of those things clicking and chattering away in the big grocery stores. No barcode scanners back then, a checker had to read the price from every item and key it into those machines. An adding machine tape would come out of it, with the total on it. Then we'd go home, warm up the old Hoffman and Dad would watch the Huntley Brinkley report.

[Olorin67]

Some stores resisted price scanners for a long time, Target didn't get them until the early 90's, they always made their check out people take 10 key training. A friend of mine worked there, and he still works retail , once in a while something doesn't scan, or someones credit card wont read, and he still surprises people by keying in the number super fast while not looking at the keys.