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Join For FreeBest POS Systems For A Grocery Store
These grocery store POS options offer robust inventory management and most have EBT, WIC, lottery, and regulated substance capabilities.
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WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
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REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
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Grocery store POS systems help owners take in-person payments, print receipts, monitor inventory, and manage employees. The best systems also include a customer loyalty program, EBT and WIC sales, online ordering, regulated item sales features, and made-to-order food sales capabilities.
We reviewed several POS systems based on pricing, hardware options, niche grocery store software features, and software contract conditions to help you find the best POS system for your grocery store.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Best For | Next StepsBest For |
|---|---|---|
Square For Retail
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Clover POS
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Lightspeed Retail
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Revel POS
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IT Retail
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| Show More Options | ||
POS Nation
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| Show Fewer Options |
Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
- 6 Best POS Systems For A Grocery Store
- Square For Retail: Best Low-Cost Option
- Clover POS: Most Customizable Option
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Specialty Stores & Co-ops
- Revel POS: Best For Grocery & Cafe Services
- IT Retail: Best Supermarket POS System
- POS Nation: Best For Selling Age-Restricted Items
- Key Features Of A Grocery Store POS System
- How To Choose A POS System For A Grocery Store
- Which Grocery Store POS System Is Right For Your Business?
Table of Contents
- Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
- 6 Best POS Systems For A Grocery Store
- Best Grocery Store POS Systems Compared
- Square For Retail: Best Low-Cost Option
- Square For Retail
- Pricing
- Features
- Clover POS: Most Customizable Option
- Clover POS
- Pricing
- Features
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Specialty Stores & Co-ops
- Lightspeed Retail
- Pricing
- Features
- Revel POS: Best For Grocery & Cafe Services
- Revel POS
- Pricing
- Features
- IT Retail: Best Supermarket POS System
- Pricing
- Features
- POS Nation: Best For Selling Age-Restricted Items
- Retail POS Review Methodology
- Key Features Of A Grocery Store POS System
- How To Choose A POS System For A Grocery Store
- Which Grocery Store POS System Is Right For Your Business?
Why You Can Trust Merchant Maverick
To find the best POS systems for a grocery store, we at Merchant Maverick reviewed 17 industry-leading and newer POS systems based on pricing, hardware costs, user-friendliness, inventory management capabilities, and niche grocery store POS features/add-ons such as regulated item sales and food café management.
6 Best POS Systems For A Grocery Store
- Square For Retail: Best Low-Cost Option
- Clover POS: Most Customizable Option
- Lightspeed Retail: Best For Specialty Stores & Co-ops
- Revel POS: Best For Grocery & Cafe Services
- IT Retail: Best Supermarket POS System
- POS Nation: Best For Selling Age-Restricted Items
Best Grocery Store POS Systems Compared
| Star Rating | Monthly Pricing | Payment Processing | POS Hardware Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square For Retail | 4.7/5 | $0-$89+/month | 2.5%-2.9% | $59-$1,959 |
| Clover POS | 4.3/5 | $14.95-$49.95+/month | Custom | $49-$1,799 |
| Lightspeed Retail | 4.1/5 | $69-$269+/month | 2.6%-2.9% | $79-$449 |
| Revel POS | 4.0/5 | Custom | Custom | Custom |
| IT Retail | N/A | $199+/month | Custom | $1,499+ |
| POS Nation | NA | $149+/month | Custom rate | $1499 bundles |
Square For Retail: Best Low-Cost Option
Pricing Range
$0-$89/monthContract Length
Month-to-monthEquipment Cost
$0+Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
- Free plan available
- Free online ordering platform
- Affordable POS hardware
- EBT and WIC sales capabilities
Cons
- Not available on Android devices
- Occasional outages
- Occasional fund holds
Why We Picked Square For A Low-Cost Option
Square For Retail earned a 4.5 out of 5 in pricing in our evaluation of retail POS systems. We like that Square offers one of the best free POS systems, affordable POS hardware with interest-free financing available, and a free online ordering platform for pickup and delivery orders. Square works on any iPad or iPhone, so you can sell from your store, at farmers' markets, and events.
When To Use Square
- You need a free POS system for a small grocery store
- You need affordable POS hardware and accessories
- You want to offer online ordering for free
Get Started With Square For Retail
Clover POS: Most Customizable Option
Pricing Range
$0 - $84.95/monthContract Length
3 yearsEquipment Cost
$199-$1,799Pros
- Lots of add-on apps available
- Free loyalty program
- Free EBT payments app
- Custom payment processing rates
Cons
- Can’t accept WIC payments
- Expensive POS hardware
- Potential for bad contracts
Why We Picked Clover For Customization Options
Clover is the most customizable option because, unlike other providers on this list, several merchant services providers sell the hardware and software. This means you can get a custom contract and the best payment processing rates from a Clover reseller.
We also like that several durable POS hardware options are available and a vast app market full of free and paid add-on apps so you can create a custom grocery store management solution.
Expert Tip: Use one of these best Clover merchant services providers for a good merchant agreement.
When To Use Clover
- You want durable POS hardware options
- You want the best payment processing rates available
- You want to customize your system with add-ons
- You want a free loyalty program
Lightspeed Retail: Best For Specialty Stores & Co-ops
Pricing Range
$109-$239/month ($89-$289/month billed annually)Contract Length
Monthly, annual, and customEquipment Cost
$199-$329Pros
- Subscription membership management
- Comprehensive inventory management
- Wholesale account management
- Excellent multilocation management
Cons
- No built-in EBT/WIC integration
- Add-ons can get expensive
- Early termination fee
Why We Picked Lightspeed Retail For Specialty Stores & Co-ops
Lightspeed scored a 4.9 out of 5 in features, its strongest features being in the register, store management, and online sales channels categories. We appreciate Lightspeed's extensive inventory management, which is great for specialty stores with unique and rotating inventory. Co-ops can manage co-op memberships and specialty stores can start subscription boxes with Lightspeed's subscription management add-on. Lightspeed also has good wholesaler management so specialty stores can sell to restaurants, caterers, and other businesses.
More: Compare Lightspeed Retail with our other picks for the best retail POS systems.
When To Use Lightspeed
- You run a co-op or another subscription membership program
- You want extensive inventory management and reporting
- You sell specialty items in bulk
Get Started With Lightspeed Retail
Revel POS: Best For Grocery & Cafe Services
Pricing Range
Quote-basedOnline Ordering
YesEquipment Cost
Call for quotePros
- Retail and restaurant POS software in one plan
- KDS and self-serve kiosk software
- Several cash drawer management functions
- Excellent perishable and retail inventory management
Cons
- Long contracts with early termination fee
- Expensive for smaller businesses
- Implementation fee required
- No integrated EBT/WIC payments
Why We Picked Revel Systems For Cafe Services
Like Lightspeed, Revel Systems earned a high score in the features category. With Revel's unique all-in-one retail and restaurant software, you can build a cafe into your store for an added income source. The software offers strong inventory, multilocation, and report management so expanding businesses will find everything they need with Revel.
When To Use Revel
- You want to open a cafe in your grocery store
- You are expanding to multiple locations
- You want enterprise-level inventory and report management
IT Retail: Best Supermarket POS System
IT Retail |
|---|
Pros
- Built specifically for supermarkets
- Excellent multi-department inventory management
- EBT/eWIC certified POS
- Registers include weight scales and can be turned into self-checkout
Cons
- Very expensive startup cost
- Early termination fee
- Support costs extra
Why We Picked IT Retail For Supermarkets
IT Retail is designed specifically for fast-paced, multi-department supermarkets. We appreciate that this software is highly customizable and intuitive, especially if you have experience as a cashier, a cash office manager, or have worked inventory.
IT Retail accounts for every facet of running a large grocery store, from cash management to fast checkout to weeding out underlying issues such as theft and excessive shrinkage. Plus, the POS hardware bundles are specifically designed for grocery stores.
When To Use IT Retail
- You run a multi-lane supermarket
- Your store has several fresh food departments
- You want grocery store-specific POS hardware and accessories
POS Nation: Best For Selling Age-Restricted Items
POS Nation |
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Pros
- Tobacco, alcohol, vape, and lottery sales features
- Perishable inventory management
- Shrinkage reduction features
- Automated purchase ordering
Cons
- Must use POS Nation hardware
- Customer support and cloud backup cost extra
- Early termination fee
Why We Picked POS Nation
POS Nation is trusted by thousands of retailers around the country and is well-suited for high-volume stores. POS Nation has excellent inventory management and tools to help reduce waste. It's also highly efficient, with automated purchase ordering and other features specifically designed to help busy grocery stores. With the ability to sell products like lottery tickets and tobacco, POS Nation is an excellent fit for nearly any type of grocery establishment
When To Use POS Nation
- If you have extensive inventory management needs
- If you sell lottery items, tobacco, or alcohol
- If you need grocery specific software
Retail POS Review Methodology
Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.
When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.
80+
Vendors evaluated
65+
Attributes assessed per vendor
20+
Features weighed
30+
Combined years of experience
Key Features Of A Grocery Store POS System
The features you need for your grocery store management software will vary depending on your store’s offering.
These are the features that the best software will have:
- POS Reports
- Speedy checkout flow
- Strong inventory management
- Employee and manager permissions
- Barcode generator and scanner
- Cash drawer and vault management
- Gift cards and loyalty program
- EBT/WIC payment acceptance
- ID scanning for regulated item sales
- Self-checkout registers
- Weight scales for pricing fresh food and bulk items
- Online ordering for pickup and delivery
If you offer niche products or services such as lottery ticket sales, co-op memberships, food subscription boxes, or made-to-order meals, look for a POS system that helps you manage these sales and service types.
More: Learn how to accept EBT payments.
How To Choose A POS System For A Grocery Store
Which Grocery Store POS System Is Right For Your Business?
The best POS for grocery store owners varies depending on your store’s size, product, and service offerings, as well as how simple or comprehensive you need your system to be. You will also want to ensure that the cost of a POS system fits your budget.
Once you decide on your POS system, learn how to negotiate a good merchant agreement to get the best software contract and payment processing fees possible.
Nicolette Kier
Expert Contributor
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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