The Best POS Systems for Grocery Stores

Maybe your grocery store’s excellent produce powers your top-notch reputation or maybe your friendly sales associates draw people to your storefront. In either case, you need to streamline the customer experience as much as possible to retain shoppers and attract new ones. You also need to manage your inventory so that customers can always get what they need from your business.

With the best point-of-sale (POS) systems for grocery stores, your business can accept numerous types of payments, including electronic benefit transfer (EBT), and never run out of stock again. Many top-notch grocery POS systems also include key hardware, such as bar code scanners, and offer free monthly software subscriptions.

To help you find the right POS system for your grocery store, we looked back over our years of POS reviews. Below, we’ve detailed the five platforms that best meet grocers’ key needs.

Three of our five top picks for grocery store POS systems charge monthly subscription fees. The starting prices for these services range from $14.95 to $69 per month, although some POS vendors only offer pricing via customized quotes. These prices don’t account for any additional POS hardware your operations will require, although many pricing packages include the most important devices. Additionally, as your grocery store grows to require more POS features such as customer loyalty programs, you may need to upgrade to higher-priced plans.

Two of our top grocery POS vendors don’t charge monthly fees, instead earning their revenue from transaction fees. All payment processing services charge these fees and POS systems often double as payment processors. These fees typically comprise two parts: a percentage of the transaction’s dollar value and a flat additional fee. The percentage typically ranges from 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent, with the additional fee rarely exceeding 30 cents. It’s somewhat common for small groceries, especially convenience stores, to offload these costs to customers.

Unlike many other types of business tools, such as the best accounting software, implementing a POS system also requires the use of hardware. Some POS software platforms are entirely operable from your existing devices while others require standalone POS terminals or bar code scanners. You may need to pay extra for these hardware tools, although some POS providers will include them with your subscription.

A full POS hardware setup may cost you between $200 and $1,600. That said, most grocery store POS systems don’t require setup or user license fees. This ultimately lowers POS systems’ implementation costs compared to other business systems.

The more features that come with your grocery store POS system, the better you can serve your customers. Feature-rich platforms also maximize your back-office efficiency, making operations easier for your whole team. Here are the key POS grocery features to look for as you compare options.

Customer loyalty programs

Though not strictly necessary to run a grocery store, customer loyalty programs can keep your shoppers coming back for more. Some grocery store POS systems include technology for running these programs.

If you’re drawn to customer loyalty programs, look for POS features through which you can customize rewards to your shoppers’ buying patterns and preferences. This bespoke reward structure is especially powerful for customer retention.

Customer support

When your POS system fails to work properly, your grocery store might become unable to accept payments other than cash. With robust, highly accessible customer support from your POS vendor, you can connect with an expert to solve any problems quickly. Look for extensive support hours and communication channels as you pursue POS systems so that you’re always equipped to tackle challenges head-on.

Employee management

As with any retail business, your grocery store hires retail associates who need to clock in and out daily. Some POS systems include employee management tools for overseeing this need. The result is better employee oversight alongside improved sales operations.

Hardware devices

Most of the best POS systems for grocery stores include some amount of hardware. Depending on your vendor and pricing package, your POS system might include a touchscreen checkout terminal, bar code scanner and card reader. Other top-notch grocery POS systems require no hardware and power your sales entirely from your mobile devices, computers or tablets.

Inventory management

Your grocery store likely sells hundreds of items; if you run a supermarket, you might need to manage thousands of stock-keeping units. POS inventory management tools make this seemingly overwhelming task easy. If anything, the modern grocery store simply can’t operate without them.

Look for the ability to manage stock across sales channels, store locations and product variations. Low stock alerts are key too so that you never run out of the items your customers need. It’s a nice bonus if your POS system can track your items’ perishable dates to ensure you’re selling the stock that needs to go first.

Online ordering

Thanks to the advent of grocery delivery services, your grocery store may need to offer online sales to stay competitive. Look for POS systems that give your grocery store the infrastructure it needs to expand into online sales. Tools for managing online inventory and accepting internet payments can build most of the foundation for your online expansion.

Payment processing

Grocery stores need to accept cash, credit and debit cards, digital wallet payments and EBT. Most of the best POS systems for grocery stores natively accept the first three of these payments. Some platforms natively accept EBT too, although more often, third-party integrations allow for EBT payments instead. In any case, compare POS systems’ transaction fees as you look at options. Lower fees can save you thousands of dollars on payment processing per month.

Sales tracking and reporting

Independent grocery and convenience stores have a major competitor no matter where they set up: supermarket chains. Keeping your business in the black amid this competition requires careful financial analysis that sales tracking and reporting make much easier. Look for POS reporting tools among potential POS vendors so you can, for example, see your bestsellers and slow movers and make corresponding purchase orders.

Third-party integrations

Through key POS system integrations, such as accounting software connections, you guarantee that all your sales get recorded in your books as well. Integrating your POS system with certain third-party platforms also opens the option for EBT payments, making your grocery store accessible to a wider customer base. A grocery store POS system isn’t quite complete without connections to your company’s other key tools.

Ready to take what you’ve learned so far and finally choose a POS system for your business? Here are the steps to follow.

1. List out your grocery store’s individual POS needs.

Every grocery store has different needs. Write out everything you need from a POS system, including features specific to grocery stores, such as EBT payment processing. You wouldn’t go grocery shopping without a shopping list, so why would you shop for POS vendors without a checklist?

2. Consider your grocery store’s other key factors.

The right POS for your grocery store may vary based on your store’s size, sales channels and average transaction volume. Smaller, in-person-only stores might prefer POS systems that offer fundamental POS services and hardware at low prices. Larger operations might require POS systems with low transaction fees that keep costs down as sales volume increases. All POS stores might benefit from supplementary features, such as employee management but think of these tools as nice-to-haves, not requirements.

3. Research and compare vendors.

Doing your own independent research is critical. You can start with our reviews above to understand what’s out there. Take the time to browse your potential POS vendors’ pricing tables ― these will tell you everything you do and don’t get for your dollar. After this step, continue to consider only POS vendors that offer everything you’re seeking in your system.

4. Browse customer reviews.

It’s one thing to take POS vendors’ online materials at face value. It’s another thing entirely to read about the experiences of actual business owners who have used the product. Visit Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau website to browse all your potential vendors’ POS reviews. Although a negative review can reflect a highly specific experience you might never go through, all feedback is worth considering.

5. Sign up for free trials and demos.

The only thing better than others’ experience for evaluating a potential POS system’s fit is your own experience. Free trials and demos are the easiest way to get these experiences for yourself without committing to any spending. Plus, since POS systems are customer-facing, you can easily obtain actual shopper feedback on your software as you try it. Consider this input, as well as your team’s opinions, when making your final POS decision.

Here’s why POS systems are so important for grocery stores to implement and maintain.

Power Your Transactions

Without a cash register, bar code scanner or card reader, your grocery store might struggle to start or complete transactions. Many grocery store POS systems include all these tools. The result is a faster, more satisfying checkout experience that lessens the chances of your customers ditching you for competitors.

Offer More Payment Options

Implementing a POS system gives your grocery store the infrastructure it needs to accept increasingly prevalent mobile wallet payments. If you’re currently cash-only, POS systems are a low-hassle solution for starting to accept card payments. Plus, since many POS systems include cash registers, you can easily continue accepting paper money.

Automate Your Inventory

With the best grocery store POS systems, every customer purchase of a product automatically reduces your inventory count for that product by the right amount. This takes the manual work out of tracking your stock counts and knowing when to reorder products. That’s especially true if your POS system sends you low-stock alerts. With the right POS software, you’ll never again face customers upset about an out-of-stock product.

Analyze Your Sales

Although only accounting software can generate all the accounting reports your company needs, your POS software can certainly create sales reports. These data-rich documents clearly show your best-sellers and low movers, empowering you to develop stronger business strategies that benefit your bottom line.

Expand Into New Sales Channels

With some grocery POS systems, you can set up online payments, powering your expansion into the growing field of internet grocery shopping. POS inventory management features also mean that your stock counts will update automatically with every online purchase ― even outside your storefront’s business hours. With a great POS system, you’ll always be all lights on.