Major Retail Point of Sale Initiative in USA

[Bruce Wagner]

Our little "New York City Bitcoin Users Meetup" we created on meetup.com ( http://www.meetup.com/bitcoin/ ) has yielded some major brainstorming, collaboration, and development projects.   For example, there is now a new Bitcoin Users Meetup in the Washington, DC area too. ( http://www.meetup.com/BitcoinDC/ )

Also...  Here in New York City, our little group is already working on quickly developing two FOSS software products:

• Bitcoin POS (& SDK)
• Bitcoin AH

The point of sale software (& SDK) is the component that the retail store merchant runs.
Many Bitcoin POS stations talk to one Bitcoin AH (Account Hub).
The Bitcoin AH processes transactions instantly.

The Bottom Line:

Customer walks into coffee shop.  Orders coffee.  At cash register he says, "I'd like to pay with Bitcoin please".  Merchant touches the "Bitcoin" button on his cash register, the cash register displays, "Code: 736".  Merchant tells customer "Code 736".  The Customer then touches the "Pay" button (on the Bitcoin App on his Android or iPhone), and his app prompts him to touch in the code, "736".  The app displays, "Chelsea Coffee, Mocha Latte large, US$2.57, BTC 8.57".  Customer touches "Yes" button.  Cash register instantly says, "Paid".
Done.

A Bit about How it Works:

On the Bitcoin AH ( account hub ) side, the coffee shop's POS system sends an "invoice" to it.... which the AH matches to the customer's Pay command by cordinating geolocation + time + unique 3 digit code. 

( If the Geolocations do not match, and only the Time and the Code match, an additional confirmation prompt will pop up, so that telephone orders could also be processed with this same system.  For example, it will pop up a message to say, "You are in Toledo, OH and you are about to make a payment to London, England, UK. Is this correct?" )

All of this software will be free open source.

Meanwhile, we are also working with 3 point of sale / cash register vendors.... including 2 of the most used restaurant / coffee shop cash register systems in Manhattan... to get them to include the Bitcoin POS components.

So far, 1 has already agreed to do so.

:-)

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[jimbobway]

This sounds amazing!

[Vinnie]

I am in tight with a community supported cafe/community center here in Portland, OR. I could probably get them on board, even if its only me who uses BTC at first. I help with their accounting, business planning, etc, and spend about $25 a week at the cafe, so I could probably convince them . Keep me posted!

[MoonShadow]

Outstanding, Bruce!

I was wondering where you had disappeared to lately.  I didn't think that someone with so much enthusiasim would simply just drop off the forum.

Is there a website that we could go and look at these projects?

[Mike Hearn]

Sounds good.

I am curious about your Android/iPhone apps though. I take it you're already making them, or ... ?

I ask because I'm also working on an Android app.

[davout]

That's really cool bruce!
Why don't we have an european bruce wagner??

[S3052]

Maybe we should instead fund the real, one-and-only Bruce a flight ticket from NY to London.
Or to Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Athens, etc together with a corresponding language course?

[davout]

Maybe we should instead fund the real, one-and-only Bruce a flight ticket from NY to London.
Or to Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Athens, etc together with a corresponding language course?

Hah, that would be a fun bounty!
I pledge free translation services!

[S3052]

Me too in Lausanne/Geneve (German or French) but anyhow the key people in the target audience speak English here as well.

Maybe this is the start of the Bruce Wagner Europe Tour 2011 (sorry Bruce it's just too funny to creatively brainstorm on this. I'll stop anytime)

[Bruce Wagner]

That's really cool bruce!
Why don't we have an european bruce wagner??

LOL

Hey, I'm GLOBAL, Baby!   

First stop on the "Bruce Wagner Europe Tour 2011" is definite.....

• Barcelona ---> (dates to be announced, some time around... between 13-23 March) 

Can you guys make it there then?

[fabianhjr]

Hey this is really cool! Keep us updated. I believe there is a pledge for an Android app such as this and the POS. Let me check the Project Development section.

[BTCsaavy]

It really sounds like you have got a lot of great ideas and might actually be making progress.  I would like to hear how this develops.  Also the NY meetup is intriguing.  Where do you do this I might not be too far away.

[Anonymous]

NFC seems to be an upcoming technology particularly suited to this type of thing.

[Bruce Wagner]

This is my email... planning our weekly skype conference call.
A few of us hold a weekly skype conference call to brainstorm and discuss our Bitcoin projects....
_________

Tuesday's good for me too.
Wow.  Tuesday's a big Bitcoin day for me.
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Ed & I will be meeting Jed of MtGox (again) at Andrew's office.
We'll be introducing those two guys for the first time, and talking all about the POS / AH / Mobile Apps.... and how they will tie in to MtGox for instant US$ or Euro conversion, and daily merchant bank deposits. 
Also, late Tuesday evening I'll be doing another "radio interview" about Bitcoin for that Libertarian podcast. (They contacted me a few weeks ago.)
And... last night (about 12 hours ago), we had our monthly Bitcoin Users Meetup.  ( By the way, I highly recommend starting one on Meetup.com !  It's been a gold mine for building a network of awesome local Bitcoin contacts! )
We met two new people - Ravi and Ivy - both brand new to Bitcoin.  It was sort of a "Bitcoin 101" beginners class....  But the brainstorming ended with some new serious commitments to work together on a grassroots promotion campaign.  The idea is:   We'll target a group of merchants, and use social engineering to convince them that they really want to accept Bitcoin.
Ivy is really enthusiastic about leading the charge on this project to market Bitcoin acceptance to local brick & mortar merchants, and she & I totally see eye to eye on the most effective ways to sell them on it. Ed wants to help with the calls too. ( Random customers call and ask if they accept Bitcoin yet. Sometimes asking for the manager, or owner. Other times not. Sometimes male. Sometimes female. Consistently, every few days. Also, we call or stop in person with a complete Bitcoin Merchant package - almost like an informational Press Kit - a Bitcoin Merchant Kit.  This gives them something physical to hold on to, and a business card, and the basic information about the advantages of Bitcoin and links to BitcoinMe.com ... so, as they keep getting a continuous stream of emails and phone calls from customers asking if they accept Bitcoin, they know who to call... for more information and to pursue it.
We figure we'll start by targeting Only independent coffee shops, Only in one neighborhood.  Hell's Kitchen (which is our own neighborhood).
As soon as we get the first business to accept Bitcoin, we'll begin holding weekly meetups THERE.... to support their business by spending Bitcoins there.
Also, by sticking to one type of business, in one area, it'll be an easier sell.  "But why doesn't Cuppa Joe accept Bitcoin? All the other coffee shops here in the neighborhood do. Wisdom Coffee does. The Normal Grind does. Why don't you?"
After penetration of one neighborhood, we expand to coffee shops in other neighborhoods...
Eventually, we expand to restaurants...    Then to independent grocery stores, etc.
A grass roots movement.... a new local economy.
It won't be long before the media gets wind of it, and decides to do a story about it for the newspaper or local tv...  spreading the word and spawning more growth even faster.
The idea is:   We want to get every merchant in the country to accept Bitcoin as fast as possible -- before The Fed even notices.  It'll happen so fast, they won't know what hit them!
Of course, it's crucial that our FOSS software systems -- the point of sale system sdk, account hub, and smartphone apps, must be ready to implement FAST... in order for this plan to work.   That's why Andrew's development work is so essential. 
And my own project of working with the major cash register/point of sale vendors to incorporate Bitcoin POS into their systems.... is also crucial.  We've already established a working relationship with one such POS vendor, and they've agreed to include our Bitcoin POS software into their system!  It's called ShopKeep.com
Soon.... Every merchant in the world who uses ShopKeep.com will automatically be set up to accept Bitcoin if they choose to.  Their entire cash register software will be going open source soon.
The other two major POS vendor companies I plan to reach out to... are Micros and Aloha.
If all of us work hard on this.... we really WILL change the world.  ....very quickly.
As Andrew gets his software to an alpha state, I'm sure he'll publish it on his githib, so all the developers out there all over the world can begin scouring it, reviewing it, suggesting improvements, studying it for security bugs, etc.
What we do here in New York City -- the plan is -- should be a cookie-cutter prototype for exactly what YOU will do in your own town...  Petaluma California, Bern Switzerland, Taipei Taiwan, London England, Hamburg Germany, ...and the main street merchants and shopkeepers of YOUR town.
Exciting stuff.
PS - Ed and I are happy to see our investment in buying Bitcoins going up in value.  It's growing much faster than numismatic gold and silver coins are!
PPS - Ed and I are planning to launch a new Bitcoin "tv talk show" --- a weely video netcast that's a talk show all about Bitcoin.  We'll have guests -- both locally here in New York, and globally via skype video.   Cool eh!?!

[Anonymous]

Bruce you are awesome. Your energy is unbounded.

Cant wait to see the new show.

[Bruce Wagner]

It really sounds like you have got a lot of great ideas and might actually be making progress.  I would like to hear how this develops.  Also the NY meetup is intriguing.  Where do you do this I might not be too far away.

I encourage EVERYONE to go to http://bitcoin.meetup.com and sign up as "I am interested in a Bitcoin Meet-up in my area...

Our NYC Bitcoin Meet-up is held here at Ed & I's apartment,  here in Midtown Manhattan... for now.  As we outgrow our apartment, we'll most likely begin meeting at a local restaurant or coffee shop that accepts Bitcoin ( to support them ).  Last night was only our 2nd monthly Meet-up.

[Bruce Wagner]

I am in tight with a community supported cafe/community center here in Portland, OR. I could probably get them on board, even if its only me who uses BTC at first. I help with their accounting, business planning, etc, and spend about $25 a week at the cafe, so I could probably convince them . Keep me posted!

Absolutely!   You're in charge of the Portland initiative.
Keep in touch with me....  and I'll keep you abreast of the status of the POS system, and its readiness.
I HIGHLY recommend creating a Portland Bitcoin Meet-up on Meetup.com and schedule a regular monthly Meetup to be held at that same cafe you mentioned!

[Bruce Wagner]

This reply just came in from Andrew...

Exciting!

I'll try to get part of AH posted today.

And regarding...

Outstanding, Bruce!

I was wondering where you had disappeared to lately.  I didn't think that someone with so much enthusiasim would simply just drop off the forum.

Is there a website that we could go and look at these projects?

Thanks, creighto.

As for a place to see the progress of the project's code development.  See Andrew's github page: 

Some rough notes I wrote up a couple days ago: https://gist.github.com/767423

[Bruce Wagner]

Sounds good.

I am curious about your Android/iPhone apps though. I take it you're already making them, or ... ?

I ask because I'm also working on an Android app.

That's Great, mh !    I encourage you to work together with Andrew and see how your work can benefit each other's work.   Everything he does, he has committed, will definitely be FOSS.   See his github page:  https://gist.github.com/767423

[fabianhjr]

Hey, is the app 2-way transaction enabled? Ex, could I pay|lend|gift bitcoins to a friend?