ECRS Catapult POS System is SNAP-ready

ECRS' Catapult retail automation system is ahead of the curve when it comes to addressing the new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits regulations, which are part of the Farm Bill signed by President Obama on Feb. 7. The system enables retailers to meet new point-of-sale-related SNAP laws without additional cost or system changes.

"ECRS remains fully committed to helping its retail customers stay compliant with both government-based and industry-centric policies and regulations," said ECRS Director of Software Design Burt Aycock. "Catapult's out-of-the box SNAP compliance is just one testament to our over-arching commitment."

SNAP Obligations

According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, the Farm Bill legislation mandates that SNAP retailers will be required to implement point-of-sale technology systems that won't allow SNAP benefits for the purchase of ineligible items, and will further preclude cashiers from manually overriding this prohibition.

ECRS' Catapult Web Office suite lets the retailer set the SNAP special tender by store in its Inventory Maintenance program, as eligibility is designated by location. Catapult's Security Authorization can be used to prevent cashiers from overriding the SNAP tender requirement during a point-of-sale transaction.

Additionally, Catapult provides "mixed basket split tender" functionality, which automatically detects SNAP-eligible items and allows only these items to be paid for via SNAP tender. Remaining items are split-tendered and an alternate payment type is requested. This removes cashier responsibility for monitoring SNAP purchases and eliminates the need for separate transactions.

ECRS' Catapult software is certified for PCI-DSS compliance, Texas WIC, West Virginia WIC, SNAP/EBT, IIAS, Weights and Measures, and NPLEx pseudoephedrine tracking.