Grocery Store Register Essentials: 6 Critical POS Hardware Features
Is your grocery store register holding back your business? If you’re still operating on an old-school cash register or the same point of sale (POS) solution you’ve had since the ‘90s, it might be.
Modern customers value convenience and efficiency. They want to get in and out of your store quickly, find the essentials they need for their homes and families, and easily move through your grocery store checkout line. They also want flexibility in payment methods, to feel supported by helpful staff, and to get on with their days as quickly as possible. You can offer them all this and more when you have a well-equipped grocery store register.
This post walks through the critical point of sale hardware features you need for your register. For each tool, we’ll discuss what it is, why you need it, and how much it will cost to implement it in your store.
Grocery Store Register Basics
Before we dive into our list of hardware tools and features you need for your grocery store, let’s discuss the grocery store register more broadly. Your grocery store register is more than just a payment station. In addition to taking payments, your register records sales transactions, tracks inventory levels, helps manage customer data, and more.
When implementing a register system for your grocery store, you need real-time inventory tracking to keep your shelves stocked and to minimize your risk of running out of stock of your bestselling items. You’ll also want to invest in a register and point of sale system that supports all payment types, including cash, credit cards, and mobile payments.
Beyond processing sales, grocery POS systems provide robust reporting and analytics. This data gives you insights into your bestselling and slowest-moving items, helping you understand how best to merchandise and promote your product mix. Understanding customer basket sizes and peak purchasing times is also critical, informing staff scheduling so you can match workers to traffic patterns.
Another benefit of a modern point of sale system is that your register can connect with other software solutions you use for your store. Explore a register that connects with accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and grocery e-commerce channels. These integrations create a centralized hub you can use to manage and understand the ins and outs of all your store operations.
With these benefits and features in mind, let’s now examine our list of the top POS hardware tools every grocery store needs to operate efficiently.
1. Touchscreen Terminal
A robust touchscreen terminal is the core of any modern point of sale solution. Your POS terminal is the interface between your staff and your point of sale data. The display presents transaction details, product information, and critical shortcuts like customizable hotkeys to streamline scanning and payment processing.
Related Read: How Much Does a POS System Cost? 6 Factors That Impact Price
Touchscreen POS systems also support complex promotions and loyalty programs you can’t manage effectively using an outdated cash register. Additionally, your terminals connect with your inventory management system for real-time inventory data, robust reporting, sales analytics, and labor optimization reports.
Tip: Select a rugged, durable model of terminal for your store, as grocery stores often see high sales volume and need POS hardware that can take more wear and tear.
Average Price: $400-$1,000
2. Cash Drawer
Another critical piece of POS hardware you need for your grocery store is a cash drawer. Though a majority of modern customers pay with credit, debit, and mobile payments, some customers still prefer to pay in cash. As a result, you need a durable cash drawer that integrates seamlessly with your POS terminals and software solutions.
Integrated POS suites automatically open drawers when cash payments get tendered or change amounts get calculated. This feature saves employees multiple steps reaching for keys to manually open and close drawers after each tender like traditional registers. Modern cash registers feature removable till trays and sectioned compartments for neatly organizing different denominations, and coin rolls to simplify counting and tracking at the end of shifts.
Look for heavy duty steel models rather than plastic to withstand wear and tear. Consider width, depth, and configuration of bills and compartments based on average transaction sizes.
Average Price: $100-$400
3. Credit Card Payment Terminal
As mentioned above, most modern customers prefer to pay with credit, debit, or mobile payments. As a result, you need an advanced credit card terminal as part of your grocery store register. Select a payment terminal that accepts EMV chip cards, card swipes and taps, and mobile payments like Apple Pay.
Related Read: 5 Best Grocery Store POS Systems To Sell More Products
Select a modern POS solution with built-in credit card processing features. These solutions offer PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance features, reducing your risk of hefty non-compliance fines down the road. Backlit keypads, tilting displays, and optional PIN pad attachments provide flexible, accessible options for all customers.
Average Price: $200-$1,000
4. Barcode Scanner
Manually punching in item codes may work for produce PLUs or other one-off items, but if you want to manage checkout accurately and efficiently, you need to invest in a quality barcode scanner. Look for a barcode scanner system that integrates with your point of sale and inventory management systems, automatically updating stock quantities as products are scanned at checkout.
You can also implement a scanner scale solution for your store. These tools precisely weigh non-barcoded items like meats and produce for accurate per-pound pricing. Rugged scanners with all-weigh platters and rear customer displays are ideal for high-volume environments like busy grocery stores.
Average Price: $200-$600
5. Receipt and Label Printers
A quality printer is another crucial piece of hardware for your grocery store register. Invest in a receipt and custom label printer to maximize operational efficiency. Receipt printers document transactions for customers with itemized details, totals, and barcodes for easy returns.
You can also use label printers to help mark ingredients, pricing, and shelf life on deli packages, baked goods, or other custom-branded items. Look for thermal models that can cleanly print 300mm/second at 203 DPI to ensure you have a printer capable of handling the heavy workload of a busy grocery store checkout lane.
Average Price: $200-$600
6. Self-Checkout Station
Finally, you should consider offering the convenience of self-checkout stations in your grocery store. These lanes can speed up checkout times, help you optimize staffing, and keep customers satisfied. However, they also increase risks of shoplifting and inventory inaccuracy without proper monitoring.
Self-checkout kiosks containing integrated scales, scanners, and payment processing allow customers to scan barcoded items independently and make payments automatically without cashier assistance. Smart POS software mitigates blindspots using weight sensors and movement flags to detect suspicious activity. Remember that staff oversight is still essential to minimize loss and help customers checkout efficiently.
Average Price: $2,500-$10,000
An All-in-One Grocery Store Register Solution for Your Store
Modern point of sale suites for grocery store registers need to integrate scanner scales, cash drawers, receipt printers, and checkout terminals. But if you want to manage your store effectively, you need more than just a host of different hardware solutions: You need an integrated point of sale solution that syncs data across all devices. The right POS system centralizes inventory, sales, promotions, accounting, e-commerce channels, and more under one dashboard.
This is the advantage of an all-in-one POS solution like Markt POS. Our solution was designed specifically for grocery stores and markets. In our solution, built-in loyalty programs integrate with barcode scanners. Cash drawers automatically open based on electronic payments or change owed. Data flows between online orders and in-store purchases in real time. Reporting provides insights across channels.
Rather than maintain fragmented systems, unify your grocery technology stack with Markt POS. Build and price out your ideal solution today to see what your grocery store register setup will cost.
