A system in which point-of-sale terminals are used as input to a digital computer. A point-of-sale terminal is a specialized cash register, credit-card recording system, or ticket dispenser that causes all information on the transaction to be relayed to a central computer. Some point-of-sale systems include credit validation. Better stock, cash, and credit control are maintained by having the data entered into a computer as soon as it is available at the point of sale. Point-of-sale systems are also useful in monitoring petty theft of cash and merchandise.