What Is a Corner Store POS System?

Corner stores are a key part of every community.

They offer a place for customers to grab everyday necessities, from bags of apples to packs of batteries — and shoppers expect to be in and out quickly.

To keep up the pace, you need the right processes in place.

The right point of sale (POS) system can streamline business operations for corner store owners like yourself. But with so many options, deciding which POS works best for your store can be overwhelming.

Let’s break down what a corner store POS is, and how to find the perfect one for your store and your industry.

Features to Look For in a Corner Store POS System

So, what is a corner store point of sale system?

Simply put, it’s a POS solution with features designed specifically for the unique needs of corner store owners, including:

• Impressive inventory management
• Label printing
• Age verification 
• Inclusive payment options
• Sales reporting
• Customer loyalty programs
• Checkout Convenience and Hardware
• Employee Theft Measures

But do you need all of these features?

Yes — and here’s why.

Corner Store Inventory Management

Corner stores boast a large and diverse inventory, with items from fresh produce to alcohol to toiletries. Corner stores also usually serve a wide variety of clientele, who rely on corner stores to have a wide variety of household essentials always in stock. As a result, corner store owners have a responsibility to their customers to keep these products available while working to increase transaction sizes by offering unique products.

Corner store POS software’s inventory management will allow you to keep track of your products without stress. A good point of sale includes features such as real-time inventory tracking, automated shelf sticker printing for placing products on the floor, and expiration date monitoring. On the back end, POS software makes adding new inventory, managing vendors, and checking on-hand quantities easy and intuitive.

And don’t forget: POS software can also offer sales monitoring and reporting technology. With access to analyzed data that is easy to read and understand, you’ll be able to identify which items are in stock, and what products are best- and worst-sellers. Using these reports, you’ll be able to make inventory order decisions that will allow you to maximize your profits and minimize your losses.

With so many products to price, a solid corner store point of sale solution should easily integrate with a label printer — allowing you to quickly price items and print labels for the products on your shelves. If some of your inventory needs to be individually priced, you can save tons of time by printing labels in batches.

Some systems will also allow you to send label information to your printer via a handheld scanner, so you can update prices on the go.

Age Verification

Because many corner stores carry age-restricted items like alcohol and tobacco products, it’s important to find a system that can quickly verify your customer’s age. A corner store POS will automatically detect these items, and require cashiers to enter the customer’s date of birth into the system in order to complete the transaction. 

You can also integrate a barcode scanner designed to accurately verify the customer’s age on a government-issued form of identification, so you can keep your business and your buyers safe.

Payment Options

Corner stores serve a wide variety of patrons, and need the ability to accept many types of payments. A solid point of sale solution will take all modern tender types, including debit and credit cards. 

For many corner stores, EBT is a common form of payment. Your POS should be able to perform these transactions so you never have to turn away a paying customer.

Sales Reporting

An important part of running any business is accurate sales reporting, and in a high-volume industry, a POS with sophisticated reporting features is a must. Most systems have sales reporting features that tell you what’s selling and what’s not, so you can make informed decisions about what to stock. Imagine not having to worry about overstock or dead stock!

But a corner store point of sale solution also produces shrink reports, which is key when you’re dealing with perishable products like produce. You can understand your inventory weak spots to avoid under or over-ordering — reducing overall profit loss.

Customer Loyalty Program

With any community corner store, it’s a smart idea to build relationships with your buyers. They’ll be more likely to return, which is great for your bottom line. In fact, increasing customer retention by as little as five percent can boost profits by up to 95 percent.

The best way to cultivate these relationships is through a customer loyalty program, which integrates directly with your POS system. It simply assigns points to every dollar spent, which customers can redeem for discounts — like a $5 discount for every 500 points earned. You’ll get buyers back through your door in no time.

Checkout Convenience and Hardware

Corner store customers expect rapid and efficient service – and the best way to provide that is a quick and easy checkout experience. Corner store POS software provides several solutions for an improved and expedited checkout process, guaranteeing reliability and lightning speed.

For example, a good POS recognizes that Wi-Fi can be unstable (and life happens) – so it’ll ensure that transactions can be processed even when the internet is down. Your corner store will be up and running through blackouts, natural disasters, and damaged routers alike.

Corner store POS software is also designed to integrate with hardware that will improve checkout. Your solution should support all types of payment technology, including newcomers on the scene — accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, 1-Second EMV, EBT, swipe, and more.

If your corner store sells alcohol or nicotine products, POS hardware integrations can also ease the process of retailing age-restricted items. Scan licenses for quick age verification, or scan the product itself and the software will ask for the customer’s date of birth — verifying the sale.

Last but not least, your corner store POS software should be able to integrate smoothly with operations you already have in place at checkout, such as lottery store redemption, a loyalty program, and competitive payment processing rates. Keep this in mind while choosing POS software, and make sure that whatever solution you choose offers these features.

Employee Theft Measures

All small businesses are susceptible to employee theft, and corner stores are no different. Internal inventory shrinkage is a real problem, but don’t forget about the reality of theft such as abusing employee discounts and time theft (clocking in early or clocking out late to give the appearance of a longer work week).

Corners stores are open long hours, and between customer service and inventory management, keeping track of employee performance and scheduling can be challenging. Corner store POS software will allow you to monitor the time, location, and cashiers associated with every transaction, and can store those records for future review. Many POS systems also offer employee management features that consolidate information such as employee clock-in and -out times, and simplify cash register assignment.

Get Started With a POS System Catered to Corner Stores

Every business benefits from having a solid point of sale system to streamline operations. But some businesses have unique needs tailored to their industry — which is why you need a POS created specifically for corner stores.

If you’re ready to amp up your small business operations, schedule a demo with one of our IT Retail specialists, or use our build and price tool to create your custom quote today!