TECHNOLOGY outages can cause carnage for retailers, so getting point-of-sale infrastructure right is critical.
When payment systems breakdown in community pharmacies, the flow-on can impact access to medicines, or patients can leave with an IOU.
The nightmare scenario hit food and drink vendors at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, when a card-reading system from the Bain Capital-backed SumUp fintech firm failed, as the ground hosted a US college football game between Northwestern University and the University of Nebraska on Sat.
Faced with close to 35,000 hungry and thirsty fans, the stadium's caterer, Levy UK Ireland, opted to dole out free food and drinks while SumUp's technology was failing to deliver, as the venue operates a cashless policy.
Over the course of the two-hour payment system outage, Levy dispensed close to $750,000-worth of booze and burgers.
SumUp has announced it is conducting an investigation into the incident, which could see it stump up for the large drinks bill, while also copping significant reputational damage.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 31 Aug 22
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