---
title: "Taking an order"
description: "The main POS screen: products, categories, amounts and price changes."
url: "https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/taking-an-order"
---

# Taking an order

![](https://unipage.be/storage/kassa/img_7491.jpg)

On [Unipos PLUS](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus) you enter orders in no time. The main screen has five zones: the navigation bar, the webshop bar, the product overview, the category overview and the sales buffer.

## Signing in

Ordering starts on the start screen, where [the clocked-in staff](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/sales-period-and-shifts#clock-on) are waiting. Tap your name and enter your PIN code. From then on you take over the device and every order goes under your name.

![](https://unipage.be/storage/support/screens/startscherm.png)
*The start screen: clocked-in staff are waiting. Tap your name to sign in.*

- Tap your name and enter your PIN code

By default, the POS returns to the start screen after every payment, so the next staff member can sign in. The open lock at the top left shows this. Are you working alone on the POS for a while? Tap the lock to close it and you stay signed in. You leave the POS function with the arrow at the top left.

![](https://unipage.be/storage/support/screens/pos-slot.png)
*The open lock next to your name in the navigation bar: tap it to close it and stay signed in after every payment.*

- Clicking the lock
will lock the user in

Are you usually alone at the POS? Then you don't need to close the lock every shift. On the POS, go to **Settings** (the cog in the navigation bar), choose **Configuration** and set **Sign-in after each sale** to **Keep operator signed in**. Every sign-in then starts with the lock closed: after a payment you stay signed in instead of returning to the sign-in screen. You can still tap the lock to switch temporarily. If several staff members share the same POS, the default choice **Back to sign-in screen** is the safest: that way every order is under the right name.

## The POS screen at a glance

Every zone of the screen has its own role. Below you see them all in one overview. Later in this article and in the next articles, we go into each one in more detail.

![](https://unipage.be/storage/support/screens/pos-overview-3.png)
*The main screen of Unipos PLUS.*

- 1. Navigation bar
- 2. Webshop bar
- 3. Product overview
- 4. Category overview
- 5. Sales buffer

1. **Navigation bar**: at the top you switch between [**Order**](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/taking-an-order), [**Tables**](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/working-with-tables/tables), [**Orders**](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/orders) and [**Receipts**](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/receipts). On the left you see who is signed in. With the arrow you leave the POS function. On the right you find the search function, the printer status, the synchronisation status with the cloud and the settings, where you also find [Health](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/health-troubleshooting) to track down problems.
2. **Webshop bar**: this is where your online orders come in. When a webshop order arrives, the bar lights up and you handle it straight away, without leaving the POS. You can read everything about statuses, bulk actions and communication with the customer in [Handling online orders](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/orders-and-kitchen/handling-online-orders).
3. **Product overview**: all products of the chosen category, each with its own colour and price. One tap adds the product to the sales buffer. With the button with the three dots you open the options and variations of that product. A **variation symbol** on the button means linked variations: these appear automatically as soon as you choose the product. Variation groups on **Side panel (optional)** don't appear as a popup but in the option column next to the receipt, see [optional variations](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/getting-started/product-management-on-the-pos#optional-variations-on-the-pos). You set up the full layout (size, colours, order) yourself, see [Personalising the screen](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/personalising-the-screen).
4. **Category overview**: at the bottom you switch between your categories, or choose **All products**. You decide yourself which categories and products appear here, in which order and with which colours: see [Personalising the screen](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/personalising-the-screen).
5. **Sales buffer**: on the right you build the order. At the top you see the order type and the sequence number, and below that the receipts with their lines and status. With the buttons at the top you link a [customer](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/customer-loyalty/customers) to the order or give a [discount](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/giving-a-discount). At the bottom you print a receipt, take payment via **Pay** (see [Receiving payments](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/receiving-payments)) or send the new lines to the kitchen (see [Kitchen screen](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/orders-and-kitchen/kitchen-display-kds)) with **Send**. The lightning button at the bottom right opens the quick menu, with Cash IN, Cash OUT and the [drawer declaration](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/sales-period-and-shifts), among other things.

## Adjusting amounts and prices

- Tap a product button several times and the product is added once each time.
- Need a larger amount in one go? Tap the three-dot symbol of the product and choose **Apply amount**: enter the amount on the keypad (red is to correct, green is to confirm). The order then shows one line with the amount, instead of separate lines.
- Does the price need to differ, just this once? Choose **Apply price** via the three-dot symbol: you get default buttons for percentage and absolute discounts, or you can freely enter an amount.

[Video: Apply amount and price via the three-dot symbol of a product.](https://unipage.be/storage/support/videos/aantal_prijs_toepassen.mp4)

## Switching category

Tap a category at the bottom to open it. Do you have a lot of categories? Then tap the **active** category again: a window opens where you quickly choose the right category.

[Video: Switching category, and opening the selection window by tapping the active category again.](https://unipage.be/storage/support/videos/category-selector.mp4)

> **Tip:** Lots of categories on your POS? Tap the active category again and a pop-up appears with all categories, so you don't have to scroll.

## Putting an order on a tab

Does an order need to wait for a moment, such as a phone order or a customer who is coming back later? Put it on a **tab**:

1. Open the action menu of the sales buffer and tap **Tab**.
2. Give the tab a name, for example 'phone order Jan', or tap one of the suggestions: one tap and the order is parked.
3. You find the tab again under [Orders](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/orders), on every device: tabs are shared between all your terminals. Open them there to keep ordering or to take payment.

Does the order not just need to wait, but go out at a fixed time? In the same window you schedule it straight away, with the same name: see [Scheduling orders in advance](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/orders-and-kitchen/scheduling-orders-in-advance).

---
*This is a markdown version of [https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/taking-an-order](https://unipage.be/en/support/unipos-plus/basic-pos-operation/taking-an-order) for AI/LLM use. Every page on https://unipage.be is available as markdown by appending `.md` to the URL; see also [https://unipage.be/llms.txt](https://unipage.be/llms.txt).*