A convenience store POS is a till built for age-restricted sales, lottery, EBT, fuel and a very long list of small items. The right one is whichever handles your awkward sales without slowing the queue. Here are seven systems in no particular order, and the questions that separate them.
What does your counter have to do that a clothes shop's doesn't? Start there, because a general retail till can look perfect right up to the first lottery ticket. Your answers to the questions below will cross names off faster than any feature grid.
Six questions to answer before you book a demo
Do you sell fuel?
If you do, this decides most of it. Bulloch POS describes itself as a petroleum POS built for Wayne dispensers, and Rapid RMS lists fuel sales and dispenser integration. Ask each vendor to name your exact pump equipment, not just fuel in general, and to tell you who you'd call when the till and the forecourt stop talking.
How much of your day is lottery and EBT?
C-Store POS names both on its own site. Modisoft lists digital tools for lottery operations. If either is a big part of your takings, ask to see the end-of-shift reconciliation, not only the sale, as that's where the time goes. Requirements for both vary by place, so check them with your lottery operator and your EBT provider.
How many lines do you carry?
Convenience stores carry a huge number of small items, and many change often. Ask how you'd add a new line at the counter when a rep turns up mid-shift, how you'd change a whole brand at once, and what happens when you scan a barcode the system doesn't know. You'll do these jobs every week, so they matter more than a clever dashboard.
Do you run one store or several?
With two or more shops, ask how you'd change one item everywhere and how you'd see each store's sales without logging in and out. If you want staff scheduling or HR in the same place, PDI Technologies lists HR and payroll built for convenience retail, though it's a bigger company and its suite is aimed at the wider sector, so ask whether a single store is a sensible fit.
Would you like someone to help you choose?
POS Nation works differently from the others on this list. It matches small retailers with industry-specific software, hardware and payment processing, so you're partly buying advice. Ask which software you'd end up on and who supports it once you're live. NRS POS is another one aimed at independents, with a pump-integrated option and EBT on its site.
Can the age prompt follow your rules?
Any till can ring up a packet of cigarettes. What you're checking is how it stops the wrong sale, and it deserves its own section.
Make them show you the age check
You sell age-restricted goods all day, usually to a queue. The FDA's Tobacco 21 page says it's illegal for a US retailer to sell any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under 21. Other goods you stock will have their own ages and rules, and state or local rules can add to that. So a single store-wide setting isn't what you want from a till. If beer, wine or spirits are a big part of your takings, the same goes for them, and this liquor store POS guide covers systems made for that counter.
I'm not giving legal advice here, so check what applies to you with your regulator. As a buying test, though, this one takes two minutes. In the demo, ask the vendor to:
- Set a minimum age of 21 on a tobacco product group and a different age on another group.
- Ring up a mixed basket with both in it, and show what appears on the screen.
- Show what the cashier has to do at the prompt, and whether they can skip it.
- Add a new vape line and show whether it picks up the age setting by itself.
- Show how you'd change an age setting if a state or local rule changed.
- Show you a record of what happened, so you can see which prompts were answered on which shift.
If they can't do this live on a tobacco sale, take that as your answer. A slide that says age verification doesn't tell you how it behaves on a busy evening with a new member of staff on the till.
My advice for a store owner
Don't start with the brand. Write down your fuel set-up, your lottery and EBT needs and how many stores you run, then book demos only with the vendors that pass. Take a basket of your own awkward items along, and make someone other than the salesperson ring it through. If you're a small shop with no fuel and few age-restricted lines, you may not need a specialist at all, so look at our guides to retail POS systems and free POS systems before you commit. If you're mainly a bar with a small shop attached, our bar POS guide is closer to your day. And if there's a coffee point by the door, this coffee shop POS guide covers the drinks queue.
Convenience store tills, A to Z
Bulloch POS
Best for: Fuel and convenience sites in North America; it's a petroleum POS that the vendor says is built for Wayne dispensers, with EMV compliance and PCI-SSF security certification.
C-Store POS
Best for: Corner shops through to ethnic and gourmet c-stores, with employee management and inventory tracking; the vendor names ID verification, lottery and EBT payments among its features.
Modisoft
Best for: Owners wanting a cloud till, back office and loyalty together, across retail and restaurants; the vendor lists digital tools to simplify lottery operations too.
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NRS POS
Best for: Independent stores wanting inventory management, loyalty and card processing; the vendor also offers a pump-integrated POS for gas stations and an EBT payment option.
PDI Technologies
Best for: Convenience retailers and fuel wholesalers wanting a wider suite; the vendor lists HR and payroll built for convenience retail, plus loyalty offers.
POS Nation
Best for: Small retailers who'd like help matching software, hardware and payment processing; it has a named c-store solution for many SKUs and tobacco, liquor and lottery sales.
Rapid RMS
Best for: Anyone wanting an iPad till with fuel sales and dispenser integration, plus one dashboard for several stores; the vendor lists c-stores and grocery among the store types.
The seven at a glance
These are alphabetical and in no particular order. Sizes vary a lot, from small specialists to large suites, so ask about support for a store like yours.
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Bulloch POS | Fuel and c-store POS | Fuel and convenience sites in North America |
| C-Store POS | Convenience-store till | Corner shops wanting c-store features named up front |
| Modisoft | Cloud POS and back office | Cloud till and back office, with lottery tools |
| NRS POS | Independent retail POS | Independent stores wanting loyalty and card processing |
| PDI Technologies | Convenience retail suite | Convenience retailers and fuel wholesalers |
| POS Nation | Retail POS reseller | Help choosing software and hardware together |
| Rapid RMS | iPad POS with fuel | iPad tills with fuel and several stores |
Do you make convenience store POS software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What's different about a convenience store POS?
It's built for what a c-store sells: age-restricted goods, lottery, EBT payments, sometimes fuel, and a long list of fast-moving small items. A general retail till may handle some of these, so test each one.
What age should a till prompt for on tobacco?
The FDA says it's illegal for a US retailer to sell any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under 21. State and local rules can apply as well, so check with your regulator and set the prompt to match.
Do I need a fuel-integrated POS?
If you sell fuel, it's worth having a system that talks to your dispensers. Ask the vendor to name your exact equipment, and find out who supports the link between the till and the pumps.
Can a convenience store POS handle lottery and EBT?
Several systems here name lottery or EBT on their own sites, but not all name both. Ask to see each one working in a demo, including how it's reconciled at the end of a shift.
Can I use a regular retail POS in a small corner shop?
You can if you don't sell fuel and your age-restricted range is small. Check that the age prompt works per product group and that it copes with your number of lines before you decide.
