If you're on the hunt for the perfect cash register for your convenience store, there's a lot to consider. How will your employees use the cash register POS system? What do your customers expect in terms of the transaction process? What do you need the register to do for you?
The truth is, a modern point of sale system is a lot more than a cash drawer and a credit card reader. To live up to the "convenience" part of your "convenience store" name, your cash register should be able to accept all payment types — including EBT and mobile payments — and help with inventory management, age verification for alcohol and tobacco sales, and more.
It can all feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you're investing in a cash register for the very first time. The good news is that we've built a single resource to help you narrow your focus. Here is a definitive list of the top cash register options for convenience stores. Use the expert insights found in this article to make an informed purchase for you and your business.
Cash Register for Convenience Store: 5 Top Vendors
If you want your convenience store to run efficiently and effectively, your cash register has to be more than just an afterthought. Gone are the days when a store's cash register was simply a vessel to store payments and change for customer transactions. Now, you should consider your cash register as a part of the fabric of your store. In other words, you should be considering a holistic point of sale solution.
Related Read: How to Open a Retail Store: 5-Step Checklist
The best point of sale solution for small businesses can link your cash register hardware with software that handles everything from inventory management to customer loyalty. Exploring a solution like this can ensure that you move customers through checkout quickly and easily — and that you'll always have your best-selling items in stock.
For some additional guidance regarding the hardware and software you might need for your convenience store cash register system, check out our Convenience Store POS System Buyers' Guide. Now, let's examine our top five vendor picks for cash registers for convenience stores.
1. LightSpeed Retail
LightSpeed Retail offers solutions for retailers, restaurants, and golf courses. Their website does not explicitly list a convenience store-specific solution, but their retail point of sale systems provide features that may benefit convenience stores, such as:
- Age verification
- Special order tracking
- Case break inventory
- Automated reordering
- Customer loyalty
LightSpeed Retail is on the pricier side, with software solutions ranging from $79 to $239 per month for one cash register. Hardware pricing is available only upon request.
Many of the features offered by LightSpeed Retail are related to e-commerce, including online appointment booking and tools that help boost traffic to online stores. These features are not relevant for many convenience store operators, so this may not be the best solution for you if your shop doesn't have an attached webstore.
2. POS Nation
Though all of the solutions on this list offer features convenience store operators will find useful, POS Nation is the only vendor on this list that specializes in small businesses like convenience stores. We have a lengthy offering of features that convenience store owners will love, including:
- Lottery ticket sales
- Age verification
- Payment options including mobile payments and EBT
- Dual Pricing, also knows as Cash Discounting
- Case break inventory
- Unlimited database of items for a diverse inventory
- Scan data reporting for rebates
- Employee management
POS Nation offers flexible pricing. If you're looking for options, you can pay $99 monthly for your software and hardware, or a one-time fee of $999 to purchase your POS hardware and receive the software for free. Both options come with 24/7 support and training for your staff. For more details, check out our Build and Price tool.
3. Clover
Clover boasts a sleek, simple, all-in-one POS and cash register solution. Clover offers solutions for retail, service, restaurant, and quick service. Like LightSpeed, Clover doesn't specialize in convenience stores, but their retail solution includes features like:
- Sales and promotions
- Variant SKUs for similar products
- Low-stock alerts for reordering
- WiFi-less payments
- Strategic shift staffing based on store traffic
Clover's Station Duo cash register is available for $1,649. Monthly software fees are not listed online and would only be available via custom quote. Clover offers less robust payment systems as inexpensive as $499, but these may not be appropriate for your store, depending on traffic.
4. National Retail Solutions
National Retail Solutions (NRS) is different from many other solutions on this list. With this solution, you pay an annual fee to rent your cash register hardware rather than purchase it upfront. A few features offered by NRS's solution include:
- Customized promotions
- Quick buttons for fast checkout
- Vendor management
- Custom label printing
NRS may be an excellent option to consider if you're running on a tight budget. At the time of writing, NRS's hardware rental is available for $699 annually, with an additional fee of $29.95 for the associated software.
5. IT Retail
IT Retail is generally considered a grocery store-specific POS and cash register provider. Still, if your convenience store offers products priced by weight, you could consider this option for your store. Some more features IT Retail offers that may interest you include:
- Payment options including gift cards and EBT
- Customer display for customer view during checkout
- Rapid checkout
- Customer loyalty programs
- Self-checkout
Hardware pricing is available only upon request, and IT Retail also offers installation services if requested. The monthly point of sale software fee for smaller operations starts at $79, but if you're looking for more robust offerings, that too is offered only upon request.
Choosing the Best Cash Register for Your Convenience Store
Your choice of cash register for your convenience store can spell the difference between struggling operations and efficient transactions. Consider your customer base and store traffic, as well as specific needs like case break inventory or lottery ticket sales. The right cash register solution will consist of hardware and software that meets all your current needs and gives you room to grow in the future.
Are you still struggling to make a decision? We understand! That's why we built our Convenience Store Point of Sale System Buyers' Guide! This guide will give you all the information you need to pick the best cash register and point of sale solution for your convenience store.
