Grocery stores rely on one system to manage their massive inventory, track purchases of products by barcode, quantity, and weight, speed up checkout, and manage vendors: their POS system.
Grocery store POS systems carry a heavy load. From high volume supermarkets to specialty grocers and more, grocery store owners and staff require various features and functionality from their POS solutions. This makes your POS system even more essential to your store's success, but it makes it more challenging to find the right solution for your store.
Let's examine our seven top POS systems for grocery stores and markets. We'll review pricing, features, reviews, and more for each solution, giving you all the information you need to make the best possible decision for your growing grocery business.
7 of the Top POS Systems for Grocery Stores and Markets
Every retail industry segment has specific needs from its POS systems, but grocery stores and markets have perhaps the most unique needs of any store type. To successfully operate a grocery store, you'll need to be able to manage a massive amount of inventory — much of it perishable.
Additionally, you’ll need to be able to ring items up using multiple methods. Produce may have PLUs, pre-packaged items will have scannable barcodes, and bulk purchase items may need to be priced by weight.
These unique needs may pose a challenge for your POS software solution, but your hardware will need to be just as advanced. You will need scales, barcode scanners, card readers, cash registers, receipt and label printers, and more.
This post will cover the following seven POS systems. The numbers assigned to each vendor are not a ranking but simply a numbered list.
- IT Retail
- Revel Systems
- Clover
- Square for Retail
- Epos Now
- Comcash
- POS Nation
IT Retail
IT Retail is a POS provider geared specifically toward grocery stores. They only offer solutions for markets, superstores, or enterprise customers. They pride themselves on their durable yet elegant POS hardware, designed to handle large transaction volumes.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Shrinkage Management: Expose employee theft and reduce pricing errors with IT Retail’s shrinkage management features.
- Remote Back Office: Manage your store, sales analytics, and employees from anywhere as long as you have internet access.
- Payment Freedom: IT Retail offers solutions for debit cards, EBT food, EBT cash, and more, enabling you to accept any payment method.
Pricing and Reviews
Solutions for markets and local grocery stores start at $99 per month. If your store is a larger chain or supermarket, pricing is only available upon request.
IT Retail does not have a profile on G2.com, but they average over four stars on Capterra. Here are some things Capterra reviewers enjoy about IT Retail:
“IT Retail POS accompanies a smooth, natural interface that makes it simple to set up and learn. The POS programming has a few inherent applications that are explicit for taking care of specific requirements.” -Capterra Reviewer
“I love using the software once all the bugs were/are worked out. It's very easy to use. I like the IT Retail site and all the features it offers, like entering the end of day totals, reporting, and the ability to edit the register buttons.” -Capterra Reviewer
Revel Systems
Revel Systems is a cloud-based POS solution designed for small businesses. An iPad POS solution, Revel Systems offers solutions for coffee shops, restaurants, and pizza shops in addition to retail. As one of the bigger names in POS solutions, Revel Systems has experience with many retail industries, including grocery.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Multiple Payment Methods: Revel Systems’ POS solution allows you to accept not only cash and credit cards, but also Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and more.
- iPad Point of Sale: Keep your point of sale terminals low-profile and provide customer-facing displays using iPad point of sale stations.
- Quick Set-Up: Revel Systems’ POS software is hosted by an iPad interface, making training and implementation simple and quick.
Pricing and Reviews
Revel System’s POS software starts at $99 per month per terminal. The cost of a full implementation starts at $674.
Revel System’s overall rating on G2.com is 4.2 out of 5 stars. Here is what some customers are saying about Revel Systems:
“The system was very easy to integrate into our POS system. In the main dashboard we see all open invoices and the corresponding payments. The adaptation for tablets works perfectly and the connection to the payment service provider always works without problems.” -G2 Reviewer
“We customized everything and Revel makes it work for us! From specialized pop-up menus, to catering and our regular menu changing frequently, it's easy to use.” -G2 Reviewer
Clover
Clover POS is specifically designed to be simple to implement and use. This POS solution boasts the ability to customize your solution to your business’ specific needs. In addition to retail, Clover POS offers solutions for restaurants, quick-service dining, and professional services.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- SKU Combinations: Manage a large inventory with multiple variations easily by keeping track of products and tagging them with unique combinations of descriptors (e.g., bell pepper, red).
- Offline Payments: Clover’s system lets you process payments without skipping a beat even if your wi-fi is down.
- Quick Returns: Refunds can process quickly and painlessly through Clover. Additionally, you can offer store credit for returned items, enabling you to keep those profits in-store.
Pricing and Reviews
Clover’s solution begins with a start-up fee of $749 and a $14.95 monthly fee.
On G2.com, Clover has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars. Here’s what a few customers have to say about Clover POS:
“I like that it walks you through each step and will let you know if you filled out a part incorrectly. I also like that it will show you what card you are using (Visa, Amex, etc.). I like all the options for how you can send a receipt. I usually email it to myself and will forward it to the homeowner. It makes it easier to accept payments over the phone if you are not currently set up to take online payments.” -G2 Reviewer
“Clover is one of the best platforms available to manage cash and take payments without any hustle and writing every time. Using this in my business company actually helps me to work fast and don’t hustle in receiving and transferring payments.” -G2 Reviewer
Square for Retail
Square offers simple, pay-per-charge POS software solutions. Though Square is commonly known for its portable card readers (used by individuals and small start-up stores), this company also offers solutions for larger-scale stores and chains. Square's flexible solution is popular with farmers' market vendors and grocery store owners.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Item Search: Square allows your associates to pull up products at checkout with this item search tool, removing the inconvenience of trying to ring up an item missing its barcode.
- Sales Reports: Keep your finger on the pulse of your grocery store operations by accessing inventory and sales reports directly from your POS.
- Unlimited Employee Passcodes: Grocery stores often require a large number of employees. Square offers unlimited employee passcodes, allowing you to keep your data secure and successfully staff your store.
Pricing and Reviews
Square for Retail does not charge monthly fees for its service. Instead, you will pay a processing fee per transaction. These fees start at 2.6% + 10 cents per payment.
The overall G2.com rating for Square is 4.4 out of 5 stars. Some of the things customers like about Square for Retail are:
“We have been using Square for a very long time. I have always found it to be very user-friendly. I really like the reports and the daily email of what we collected. If you use the entire system you will find that you can run a lot of your business with square products.” -G2 Reviewer
“Square is a leader when it comes to quick, affordable set up and ease of use. I like that its features have grown over the years and that the system has continued to be user friendly.” -G2 Reviewer
Epos Now
Epos Now is based in the UK. This POS provider offers solutions for both retail and hospitality. Some specific solutions listed on their website include restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. Epos Now claims to be an all-in-one POS solution for small businesses and offers features that may appeal to grocery store owners.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Multi-Location Inventory Management: If your grocery store is actually a grocery chain, Epos Now’s multi-location inventory management feature will help you keep tabs on all the stores in your chain at once.
- Omnichannel Selling: Offer the ability to buy online and pick up in-store, sell and ship using your web store, and more.
- Built-in Age Verification: If your grocery store or market sells alcohol or tobacco products, you may enjoy Epos Now’s built-in age verification tool.
Pricing and Reviews
Epos Now’s pricing begins at $449, and you can request further details regarding your costs by scheduling a call.
Epos Now’s overall rating on G2.com is 3.9 out of 5 stars. Here’s what some customers are saying about Epos Now:
“I like the interface of Epos which makes it easy to navigate. I also like how it gives me a report of the information I want to get from it. it is a very reliable retail tool.” -G2 Reviewer
“I adore that I can follow what clients request and have the option to send messages when clients make installments on their credit accounts is extraordinary. Our clients love this element.” -G2 Reviewer
Comcash
Comcash is another cloud-based POS solution specifically geared towards grocery stores and markets. Comcash offers an intelligent customer display, enabling customers to see the charges as your associate rings up their purchases.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Optimized Home Page: Comcash’s home page is designed to help associates check customers out as quickly as possible.
- Comcash Counts: Comcash Counts is a mobile inventory scanner. You can download the app onto your smartphone or tablet and use it to scan and process inventory.
- E-Receipts: Gain customer email contact information by offering paperless receipts.
Pricing and Reviews
Comcash does not list pricing publicly on its website.
Comcash averages 4 out of 5 stars on G2.com. Here is what customers are saying about Comcash POS:
“I like the simplicity of COMCASH. Once setup properly the system is very easy to use.” -G2 Reviewer
“The new version of comcash gave a better insight as to what was on the shelf, how long it was there, and how quickly we moved product. This eliminated the need for excess physical inventory.” -G2 Reviewer
POS Nation
POS Nation offers a complete and robust point of sale solution for your grocery store or market. We pride ourselves on providing incredible customer support without hidden fees or long-term contracts. POS Nation offers an incredibly simple yet feature-packed retail POS software solution that is a great fit for any grocery store.
Key Features
A few features that appeal to grocery store owners include:
- Mix and Match Pricing: Increase sales and move inventory by easily grouping products into enticing deals.
- Scale Integration: With integrated scanner scales, standalone scales, and deli scales, you can accelerate checkout by automatically ringing up weighed items.
- Coupon Processing: POS Nation allows you to create your own coupons or use manufacturer coupons to attract new customers with exciting offers.
- Hotkeys with Photos: Don't waste time memorizing PLUs for produce. Quickly navigate through photos to find the appropriate product using hotkeys.
- Unlimited Database of Items: Never worry about how many products our database can hold. Easily find items from the main POS screen so customers don't have to wait on the cashier during a transaction.
Pricing and Reviews
Pricing begins at $99 per month or a one-time fee of $999. You can build and price out the specifics of your solution using our Build and Price tool.
POS Nation averages 4.7 out of 5 stars on G2.com. Here’s what some of our customers have to say about their experience with our solution:
“I like the POS system because it is touchscreen and fairly easy to navigate. Everything is sectioned off into categories and pages and you are able to scroll through and find what you need to find.” -G2 Reviewer
“Easier access to our work pulls up past transactions, refunds and exchanges. It is very easy to ring up someone without messing up… Try it, you won’t be dissatisfied.” -G2 Reviewer
Your Next Step: Find the Grocery Store POS System that Checks All the Boxes
With this post at your fingertips, you have access to a quick and easy reference of all the top players in the grocery store POS game. Next, you need to create a shortlist of possible solutions for your specific needs, then dive into the details. You’ll want to examine features, pricing, and more for each potential solution. If that sounds overwhelming, have no fear, we can help simplify the research process.
Your first step is to check out our Retail POS System Buyers’ Guide. This free resource contains all the information you need to determine your specific needs in terms of features, software, and more.
Next, you’ll want to schedule a demo with our team. This demo will allow you to see POS Nation’s grocery store solution in action. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and explore specifics, enabling you to determine whether or not our solution will work for your store.
Lastly, you can use our Build and Price tool to build out your perfect solution, hardware, and software. With this tool, you’ll be able to see the dollar amount — before you commit to anything. Get started with the Retail POS System Buyers’ Guide today to find the perfect solution for your grocery store.
