12-19-2001 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Lincoln Pawn & Jewelry 2750 Rice St. Little Canada, MN 55113 November 5, 2001 Dear Mayor and Council Members, Our project to become a digital contributor to the Automated Pawn System in Minnesota is nearing completion. Our current point -of -sale software while great for our use is in no way compliant with the APS system. We have worked hard to find the best software to make the transition run smoothly and still get the best value. On the recommendations of Lt. Phil Hafverstein and Brad Schrunk, both of APS, and one on sight visit to a store currently using the new program we have chosen XPawn. XPawn will provide both the smoothest transition and the best value for the project. Currently XPawn is the only point -of -sale software to be certified as APS compliant and is nearly 25% less expensive then its nearest competitor. Making this change, aside from the substantial amount of work, will involve considerable monetary expenses. Involvement in the APS system requires us to pay a $1.50 fee for each transaction to the city of Minneapolis. This work has been done by the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department since we purchased the business in 1997. We currently do approximately 2,500 transactions per year, presenting us with a cost of $3,750.00. This fee has been collected when our customers reclaim their merchandise, which leaves about 30% of the transactions without paying the fee. This process can be changed and collected up front with each transaction. At the present time our license fee is partially funded by collection of this fee. The cost of our license is $ 8,200.00, part of which covers Ramsey County's current APS expenses. The City of Minneapolis will now bill us directly, and we hope the fee for our license will be adjusted accordingly. Respectfully Randy Smothers Page 7