Re:Buy something off the shelf (Score 0, Redundant)

I agree with this. Unless you have some kind of a trailblazer spirit - there's little advantage in adopting linux for this sort of operation until it displays a known and established competency. One may as well spend what is really a small amount of money for such a long term investment - picking a product that is right for your business. A good selection can be found at http://inventorycontrolsoftware.biz/